Some babies have a hard time sleeping. I am suggesting that restrictions in their craniosacral fascial systems may impede the function of their glymphatic systems and accompanying meningeal lymphatics, resulting in poor sleep.
The following text is taken directly from the Abstract of The Glymphatic System: A Beginner’s Guide from Neurochem Research, December 2015.
“The glymphatic system is a recently discovered macroscopic waste clearance system that utilizes perivascular tunnels, formed by astroglial cells, to promote efficient elimination of soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system. Besides waste elimination, the glymphatic system also facilitates brain-wide distribution of several compounds, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, growth factors, and neuromodulators. Intriguingly, the glymphatic system functions mainly during sleep and is largely disengaged during wakefulness. The biological need for sleep across all species may therefore reflect that the brain must enter a state of activity eliminating potentially neurotoxic waste products, including β-amyloid.”
The function of the meningeal lymphatics is to drain cerebrospinal fluid and immune cells into the deep cervical lymphatic chain. Together with the glymphatic system, they must function correctly to detoxify the central nervous system.
I have seen this clinical story played out repeatedly. A mother presents with a poor sleeping baby. The infant also has a combination of fussiness issues.
She has consulted many medical doctors, the best of the best, who have no answers. Recently, one such mother was telling her story to her hairdresser, who had taken her fussy baby to me.
The hairdresser told her our basic philosophy and suggested a visit. Mom called the office and made an appointment. And so it goes … .
The baby presented with the expected zero-second brain cycle with various fascial strains. As the craniosacral fascial system started to open at the end of the first visit, his neurological lights turned on.
The glymphatic system relies on the flow of cerebrospinal fluid to remove metabolic waste. My hypothesis is that when this system is open and the cerebrospinal fluid is moving better, the glymphatic system and meningeal lymphatics can eliminate waste products better. Conversely, if the system is tight and the fluid flow is sluggish, these waste systems may be less effective.
I believe this theory about poor sleep can be extrapolated to anyone with a brain and spinal cord. A patient can choose to either take sleep medication or look at the root of the problem by investigating the connection between the craniosacral fascial, glymphatic, and meningeal lymphatic systems.
The scientific community is unaware of this theory because I discovered the craniosacral fascial system about twenty years ago under the medical radar. From what I have seen clinically over the decades, I feel confident that this hypothesis is the real deal.
Gillespie Approach Training is a must for all newborn providers. Let’s get all fussy newborns out of sympathetic nervous system mode and into parasympathetic nervous system mode where they can be calmer and happier babies.
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