Improve Your Lymphatic System for Overall Health & Appearance

The lymphatic system plays an essential role in maintaining fluid balance and clearing waste in the body.

Lymphatic System Drains Fluid and Waste

The lymphatic system is tasked with removing excess fluids, waste, and materials from the extracellular space. Huberman elaborates on its crucial role in the body, noting that it is comprised of a network of vessels spanning the entire body, including the brain, skin, and adipose tissue, that handle the transportation of fluids and waste.

Lymphatic System Removes Excess Fluids, Waste, and Materials

This system is responsible for taking fluid that remains in the extracellular space, along with waste products of cellular metabolism—like proteins, ammonia, and carbon dioxide—and returning it to the circulatory system. It prevents infection and chronic inflammation by clearing approximately three to four liters of excess fluid and waste in the interstitial space daily.

Lymphatic System Relies On Body Movement For Flow

The efficient operation of the lymphatic system is dependent on bodily movements.

Lymph Circulates Through Vessels, Transporting Fluid To the Heart

The lymphatic system consists of one-way vessels that only allow fluid to pass through them in one direction, toward the heart. Fluid from the interstitial space enters these vessels and journeys back into the venous blood supply where it is reoxygenated, and waste is disposed of. The body has two major lymph ducts ...

The lymphatic system's health is essential, and physical activity plays a crucial role in supporting its function by stimulating lymph flow, with movement, specific exercises, and breathing practices contributing to this process.

Physical Activity & Muscle Contractions Essential for Lymphatic Flow

Since the lymphatic system lacks a central pump like the heart, the body's movements are vital in propelling lymphatic fluid. Walking, running, and engaging in exercise move lymph fluid towards the heart through the action of the large musculature of the body, including legs, trunk, and arms. Huberman recommends aiming for at least 7,000 steps per day, noting that activities like climbing stairs can vary the impact on the system compared to walking on a flat surface. He also explains that feeling sluggish can often be attributed to the slow movement or buildup of lymphatic fluid, reinforcing the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle to stimulate lymph flow.

Walking and Exercise Pump Lymph Fluid to the Heart Through Muscle Contractions

Low-level muscular contractions, especially from walking, are particularly effective at encouraging the movement and drainage of lymphatic fluid. Furthermore, cardiovascular exercise not only enhances lymphoneogenesis—the growth of new lymphatic vessels—but also increases the number of lymphatic vessels that service the heart. This allows for better drainage of toxins away from the heart, aiding in physiological cardiac growth, and directly increases glymphatic clearance in the brain during sleep.

Lymph-Stimulating Practices: Rebounding, Treading Water, and Diaphragmatic Breathing For Drainage

Rebounding and treading water provide gentle yet effective stimulation to promote lymph flow. Huberman owns a small trampoline himself, and he cites studies that demonstrate the lymphatic benefits of these exercises. While rebounding, the down and up movement, despite gravity, allows one-way lymph vessels to usher fluid upward towards the heart. Treading water and performing pool exercises, likened to doing a squat, create an almost perfect condition for lymphatic fluid to travel back towards the heart due to the interaction with the skin's superficial vessels.

Rebounding an ...

The lymphatic system's critical functions in removing waste and immune surveillance are crucial for human health, particularly in defending against pathogens and managing waste.

Lymphatic System's Crucial Role in Immune Defense Against Invaders

Lymph Nodes Are Checkpoints Screening Lymph For Pathogens, Where Immune Cells Respond

Within the lymphatic system, lymph nodes serve as key components for immune defense. As lymphatic fluid moves along the system, it undergoes surveillance, particularly at lymph node checkpoints. These nodes, which can swell during illness, especially in areas such as the throat or below the jaw, are larger compartments where lymph fluid is sequestered. They hold the lymph fluid, along with its cellular waste and potential contaminants like bacteria or viruses, allowing immune cells to inspect and respond to the threat.

In the lymph nodes, immune cells such as T cells, which mature in the thymus, and B cells, which originate from the bone marrow, are present to detect foreign bodies. Different immune cells present pathogens to these T and B cells, triggering a response that may include the production of antibodies. The innate and adaptive parts of the immune system work together to respond to invaders, cause inflammation, and create specific antibodies.

The soreness often felt in swollen lymph nodes can be somewhat alleviated through gentle rubs, which can deactivate some of the pain response. A key point emphasized is that the lymphatic system is reflective of what is in the blood since it draws fluid from the interstitial spaces of the body. Lymph nodes act as numerous checkpoints where the immune system can engage and neutralize invasive threats.

Lymphatic Flow Disruption Causes Waste Buildup and Inflammation

Lymphedema Impairs Drainage, Leading To Fluid Buildup, Tissue Damage, and Infection

Lymphedema is a momentous issue that arises when the normal drainage of lymph is disrupted. It can happen, for example, to individuals undergoing cancer treatments, where the surgical removal or damage of lymph nodes—by chemotherapy or radiation—leads to significant swelling, typically in the lower limbs. When this flow is impaired, less drainage occurs, which can lead to thic ...

Andrew Huberman discusses the critical role of sleep in brain health, focusing on the glymphatic system’s function in clearing waste during sleep and its implications for cognitive function and even appearance.

Brain's Lymphatic System Clears Waste During Sleep

Glymphatic System Expands Perivascular Space During Sleep For CSF Flow and Waste Removal

Huberman explains that during sleep, the perivascular space around brain vasculature expands by 60%, allowing the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) to flow towards the surface of the brain and be cleared out into the venous blood supply. This clearing process is facilitated by astrocytes, a type of glial cell, which create more perivascular space at night by expressing aquaporin-4 channels that become more active during sleep.

Poor sleep can affect both appearance, leading to bags under the eyes and a groggy appearance, and brain function due to the lack of waste clearance. Huberman points out that the transition from this state in the morning to looking vibrant a few hours later has everything to do with glymphatic clearance. He also links the lack of lymphatic clearance to systemic inflammation and conditions like brain fog and cognitive impairment.

Notably, a neuroscientist named Mike Nittorgard discovered in 2012 that the brain has a system akin to the body's lymphatic system responsible for clearing waste, which can impact things like brain fog and facial puffiness. Huberman elaborates that cerebral spinal fluid moves within the brain's ventricles, sweeping away the "garbage," i.e., the natural byproduct of healthy cellular function.

Glymphatic System Disruptions Linked To Dementia

Side Sleeping Enhances Glymphatic Clearance and Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow

Huberman emphasizes the importance of the sleeping position for efficient waste clearance. He notes that side sleeping is considered the best position for glymphatic drainage, as it enhances CSF flow and waste removal. To promote side sleeping, experiments suggest using a fanny pack worn behind to prevent rolling onto the back.

Disruptions in the glymphatic system, such as those that occur with impaired sleep, can lea ...

The role of the lymphatic system in maintaining facial appearance has gained attention, with non-surgical methods like lymphatic drainage and massage being explored for their cosmetic benefits.

Lymphatic Drainage Maintains a Youthful Facial Appearance

The lymphatic system is instrumental in determining facial appearance, particularly after sleep quality. Huberman links the bags under the eyes and a groggy look to this system, observing significant changes in appearance after consistent lymphatic drainage techniques over time. Proper lymphatic flow is essential to prevent fluid and waste buildup, which can lead to puffiness, swelling, and more severe issues like lymphedema and necrosis.

Facial Lymphatic Massage Improves Skin Appearance

One effective method for maintaining a youthful facial appearance is lymphatic massage, which practitioners conduct with gentle pressure to promote fluid flow. Facial lymphatic massage often begins with light rubbing, progressing to more forceful padding while avoiding firm pressure that could collapse or rupture delicate lymphatic capillaries.

Lymphatic Massage Practitioners Use Gentle Pressure for Fluid Flow

Massage protocols often include encouraging lymph flow around crucial areas like the clavicles and cisterna chyli, with particular attention to not press hard on lymph nodes. Practitioners like Anastasia Beauty Fascia guide proper techniques and sequences to ensure gentle pressure is applied without impeding lymphatic capillaries. Tools such as Gua Sha or a jade roller can complement massage by offering a consistent, gentle pressure that fits within lymphatic massage practices.

Huberman un ...