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Posted by: | Posted on: May 17, 2026

The Differences Between Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Postbiotics


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/05/16/prebiotics-probiotics-postbiotics-differences.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     May 16, 2026

prebiotics probiotics postbiotics differences

Story at-a-glance

  • The relationship between prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics is symbiotic, meaning they work together to support and maintain optimal gut health
  • Prebiotics are nondigestible food components that promote the growth and activity of beneficial microorganisms in your intestines
  • Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that directly contribute to maintaining a healthy gut microbiome
  • Postbiotics are bioactive compounds produced when your body digests prebiotics and probiotics; they’re also produced during the fermentation process
  • Prebiotics fuel the growth of probiotics, which in turn produce postbiotics that offer additional health benefits

Among the many components that contribute to a healthy gut, prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics stand out as key players. These compounds play distinct yet interconnected roles in maintaining a balanced and healthy digestive system.

Prebiotics, the nondigestible fibers, serve as nourishment for beneficial bacteria. Probiotics, the live microorganisms, directly contribute to a healthy gut microbiome. Postbiotics, the bioactive compounds produced during fermentation, offer additional health benefits. Understanding the differences and functions of these three elements can help you make informed choices to optimize the health of your gut.

What Are Prebiotics?

Prebiotics are nondigestible food components that promote the growth and activity of beneficial microorganisms in your intestines. They are typically high-fiber compounds found in various plant-based foods and serve as food for probiotics and other beneficial bacteria in the gut.

According to the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), a prebiotic is “a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.”1 They help to ensure proper balance of gut microbiota by accelerating the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, and suppressing growth of harmful bacteria.

Prebiotics also help increase the growth of beneficial bacteria while boosting production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate and propionate, which play a role in building the gut barrier,2 making it less permeable to disease-causing microorganisms.3 Further, butyrate has been shown to induce programmed cell death of colon cancer cells.4

In addition, prebiotics play a role in regulating immune response, controlling gene expression in bacterial cells and improving absorption of micronutrients. Research suggests prebiotics may be useful for treating multiple diseases, including:5

  • Obesity
  • Chronic enteritis
  • Skin disease
  • Autism
  • Ulcerative colitis

In an animal study, dietary prebiotics were even found to have a significant effect on rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep cycles, which may positively affect your sleep quality.6 The study authors said:7

“Given that sufficient NREM sleep and proper nutrition can impact brain development and function, and that sleep problems are common in early life, it is possible that a diet rich in prebiotics started in early life could help improve sleep, support the gut microbiota and promote optimal brain/psychological health.”

Inulin is one type of water-soluble prebiotic fiber found in asparagus, garlic, leeks and onions. Other examples include fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). Common food sources of prebiotics include honey, fruits and vegetables, such as prunes and Jerusalem artichokes.

What Are Probiotics?

Many people are familiar with probiotics, or “good” bacteria in your gut. Probiotics can help restore healthy balance to your gut bacteria, which can be disrupted by factors such as antibiotics, poor diet and stress. While both probiotics and prebiotics are essential for gut health, they have distinct differences.

Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that directly contribute to maintaining a healthy gut microbiome, while prebiotics are nondigestible food components that serve as food for the beneficial bacteria, helping them thrive and multiply. In terms of gut health, probiotics introduce beneficial bacteria into your gut, both restoring and maintaining a healthy microbial balance.

Prebiotics, on the other hand, promote the growth and activity of existing beneficial bacteria in your gut by providing them with the necessary nutrients. Traditionally fermented foods, including yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and miso, are naturally rich in probiotics.

Because up to 80% of your immune system is located in your gut, probiotics play a crucial role in immune system function, and a healthy gut is your first defense against disease and a major factor in helping you maintain optimal health and well-being. According to a review published in Cells:8

“Probiotic bacteria can interact and stimulate intestinal immune cells and commensal microflora to modulate specific immune functions and immune homeostasis. Growing evidence shows that probiotic bacteria present important health-promoting and immunomodulatory properties. Thus, the use of probiotics might represent a promising approach for improving immune system activities.”

Further, in addition to improving conditions like irritable bowel syndrome9 and ulcerative colitis,10 research published in JAMA Psychiatry11 adds more support to the importance of probiotics for mental health.

The study, by researchers with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London, found supplementing with probiotics led to greater improvements in symptoms of depression compared to placebo, along with relieving anxiety symptoms as well.12

What Are Postbiotics?

Postbiotics are bioactive compounds produced when your body digests prebiotics and probiotics.13 They’re also produced during the fermentation process. This means that if you eat plenty of prebiotic and probiotic-rich foods, including fermented foods, you’ll likely also have higher levels of postbiotics in your gut. Examples of postbiotics include short-chain fatty acids, functional proteins, metabolites, and extracellular polysaccharides.

In my interview with Dr. Colleen Cutcliffe, a microbiome scientist, she explained, “What happens in your body naturally, if you’ve got all the right microbes, is that you eat a meal, your microbiome metabolizes that food and generates postbiotics [excretions from beneficial bacteria] like butyrate [and] a protein called P9.”

Postbiotics consist of non-living microbial products or metabolites, meaning they do not contain live bacteria. Still, they offer a range of health benefits, including antimicrobial properties that inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the gut and anti-inflammatory effects.

Postbiotics also strengthen the gut barrier by promoting the production of mucus and supporting the integrity of the intestinal lining, thereby preventing the translocation of harmful substances.

They also have anticancer potential, with researchers writing in Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins, “Postbiotics have recently emerged as a promising novel adjunct in breast cancer therapy, due to their immunomodulatory effects and the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of conventional treatments.”14

These beneficial compounds also have antiobesity effects. “Postbiotics are also able to prevent obesity by reducing hepatic insulin resistance and activating transcription factors that regulate glucose intolerance and adipose tissue inflammation,” according to a study published in Engineering in Life Sciences.15

Examples of postbiotics include SCFAs like butyrate, propionate and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). In short, postbiotics are the beneficial byproducts of probiotic activity. They also offer many of the benefits of probiotics without the need for live bacteria, which can be advantageous for individuals who may not tolerate live microorganisms well, such as those who are immunocompromised.

The relationship between prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics is symbiotic, meaning they work together to support and maintain optimal gut health. Prebiotics fuel the growth of probiotics, which in turn produce postbiotics that offer additional health benefits.

Have You Heard of Akkermansia?

Akkermansia muciniphila is neither a prebiotic nor a conventional probiotic. Rather, it’s a specific keystone species of beneficial bacteria naturally present in the human gut. Akkermansia is not a postbiotic either, but can produce postbiotic compounds that provide additional health benefits.

Akkermansia is so beneficial that it should, ideally, constitute as much as 5% of your gut microbiome, if you’re healthy. However, DNA analyses suggest about one-third of people have few to no Akkermansia at all, and I suspect this is due to insufficient energy production (low metabolism) and resulting oxygen leakage in the gut.

Akkermansia is associated with many different health benefits, including enhanced gut barrier function, reduced inflammation and improved metabolic health.

Having higher levels of Akkermansia is also associated with lower weight, while lower levels of Akkermansia are linked to obesity. Interestingly enough, drugs like Ozempic closely mimic the effects of Akkermansia on GLP-1. Along with affecting insulin regulation, GLP-1 may influence the nervous system, leading to an appetite-reducing response. As explained by Cutcliffe:

“Some … postbiotics … signal your body to produce GLP-1. All that signaling is happening from the microbiome directly to the L cells. And so you eat a meal, your microbiome digests them, these postbiotics get created and tell your L cells, ‘Hey, go produce GLP-1,’ and then you get a spike in GLP-1 in your body.

GLP-1 stimulates your body too. It says, ‘We’ve got to metabolize the sugar in the bloodstream, release insulin.’ It also signals to your brain, ‘We just ate, we’re full, we don’t need to eat again.’ After a period of time, GLP-1 goes down — until the next time you eat a meal. Then it spikes again.

So that’s the natural way of things. There are only two strains that have been published, to date, that have been shown to be able to stimulate L cells to produce GLP-1, and one of them is Akkermansia. It actually secretes three different [postbiotics] that stimulate L cells to produce GLP-1.

So, what’s been found is that if you are low or missing Akkermansia, your body is not naturally producing as much GLP-1 as it’s supposed to be. By giving people back Akkermansia, you can now have these physiological benefits of reducing A1C and lowering blood glucose spikes.

To be clear, the natural GLP-1 you produce is different from the drug. The drug is a mimic. It’s an analog. It looks like GLP-1. It gets injected into the bloodstream directly, which means that rather than the natural spike after you eat [followed by a decline], the [drug] is keeping those levels really high all the time.

So, this signaling of ‘we got to metabolize sugar in the blood and we’re full, we just ate’ is going on constantly. That’s why people experience these incredible, amazing overnight effects because that’s how those drugs are working. But if you actually have the right microbes, you can generate your body’s natural GLP-1 and get back into this natural cycle.”

The good news is you can easily enhance the abundance of Akkermansia in your gut via dietary interventions,16 including supplementing with probiotics and prebiotics that promote Akkermansia growth in the gut.

Specific examples include Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium animalis, Lactococcus lactis (probiotic) and oral fructo-oligosaccharides (a prebiotic). Eating more fiber is also important, as the short-chain fatty acids that form from fiber as it ferments in your intestines feed beneficial bacteria, including Akkermansia.

Why Mitochondrial Function Is Key to Successful Akkermansia Supplementation

When your cellular energy decreases, your body struggles to effectively eliminate oxygen from your colon. This has serious consequences for the normal inhabitants of your colon, which can be killed when oxygen levels rise. This is why Akkermansia supplementation alone is not a complete solution.

It is crucial to commit to a program designed to decrease mitochondrial toxins. This is because reduced mitochondrial function needs to be compensated for to ensure oxygen can be removed from the colon. If you fail to address this issue, even the best Akkermansia supplement with the most effective delivery system will have limited benefits. The newly introduced Akkermansia bacteria will likely be killed soon after arriving in your oxygen-rich colon environment.

This is one of the primary reasons why it’s vital to eliminate all seed oils from your diet for at least six months before starting an Akkermansia supplementation program. This preparatory period allows your body to recover mitochondrial function and create a more hospitable environment in your colon for the beneficial bacteria.

By taking these steps, you can maximize the potential benefits of Akkermansia supplementation and support overall gut health. Remember, addressing the root cause — mitochondrial function and colon oxygenation — is essential for the success of any gut health intervention.

Probiotic Potency Explained: CFU, AFU, and TFU

When evaluating the potency of probiotics, two units of measurement often come into discussion: Colony Forming Units (CFU) and Active Fluorescent Units (AFU). Understanding the distinction between these units is crucial for both consumers and healthcare professionals to assess the effectiveness and quality of probiotic supplements accurately.

• Colony Forming Units (CFU) — This is the most widely recognized and utilized metric for quantifying the number of viable bacteria or fungal cells in a probiotic product. One CFU represents a single microorganism capable of dividing and forming a colony under specific laboratory conditions. This measure is important because the therapeutic benefits of probiotics are directly related to the number of live microorganisms that reach your gut.

Probiotic manufacturers typically list CFU counts on product labels, indicating the number of live organisms per serving. Higher CFU counts are often marketed as more potent, though the optimal CFU dosage can vary depending on the specific strains and the health outcomes targeted.

It’s important to note that not all CFUs are equal; the efficacy of a probiotic also depends on the strains used and their ability to survive the acidic environment of the stomach to colonize the intestines.

• Active Fluorescent Units (AFU) — This unit is a less conventional and not widely standardized measure in the context of probiotics. While CFU shows the number of bacteria that are alive, AFU refers to the total number of bacteria present, both dead and alive. It is primarily a unit used to measure enzymatic activity.

For instance, AFU could be used to evaluate the activity levels of specific enzymes produced by probiotics, which contribute to their health benefits, such as breaking down lactose or producing vitamins. In some specialized applications, AFU is also used to assess the metabolic activity or functional potency of probiotic strains beyond mere viability.

However, because AFU is not a standardized metric in the probiotic industry, its use can lead to confusion and inconsistency in product labeling and efficacy claims.

• Total Fluorescent Units (TFU) — This unit measures the total bacterial mass including both live and dead cells through fluorescent labeling, and is typically used only for pasteurized products. Like AFU, TFU values are higher than CFU counts for the same sample since they include both viable and non-viable cells.

The primary difference between CFU, AFU and TFU lies in what they measure: CFU quantifies the number of live microorganisms; AFU assesses the functional activity of those microorganisms; and TFU measures the total bacterial mass, regardless of their functional activity.

While CFU provides a clear indicator of the potential for colonization and survival of probiotics in the gut, AFU could offer additional insights into the functional capabilities of the probiotic strains.

However, due to the lack of standardization and widespread recognition of AFU in the probiotic market, CFU remains the gold standard for assessing probiotic potency. Consumers are generally advised to focus on CFU counts and the specific strains included in a probiotic supplement to ensure they are selecting a product with proven efficacy for their health needs.

Current Akkermansia Clinical Trials: Dosages and Applications

As research advances, numerous clinical trials are underway to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Akkermansia-based interventions.17 Clinical trials investigating Akkermansia muciniphila employ a range of dosages to determine optimal therapeutic effects.

The typical dosages being tested span from 100 million to 10 billion CFUs per day. This wide range allows researchers to assess both the minimum effective dose and the potential benefits of higher bacterial concentrations.

For human trials focusing on metabolic health and obesity, a dosage of 10 billion CFU is often used.18 For example, a trial examining the impact of Akkermansia on insulin sensitivity in insulin resistant overweight and obese volunteers administered 10 billion CFUs daily.19

After three months, the treatment group had improved insulin sensitivity, reduced insulinemia and lower total cholesterol compared to the placebo group. They also lost 1.37 kilos of body fat and reduced their hip circumference by 2.63 centimeters compared to baseline measurements.

Blood markers of liver dysfunction and inflammation were also reduced, causing the researchers to concluded that “this proof-of-concept study shows that the intervention was safe and well-tolerated and that the supplementation with A. muciniphila improves several metabolic paramaters.”

Research exploring Akkermansia’s role in strengthening the gut barrier and preventing leaky gut syndrome and liver cirrhosis20 often employs a dosage of 1 billion CFUs per day.

Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Postbiotics Work Together to Promote Gut Health

Incorporating prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics into your daily diet can significantly enhance your gut health and overall well-being. Start by including a variety of high-fiber foods such as garlic, onions, kiwi and prunes to boost your intake of prebiotics. Add fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi to introduce beneficial probiotics.

With both anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties, fermented papaya is another option that contains both prebiotics and probiotics, and may help stimulate the immune system in the colon.21

To benefit from postbiotics, continue consuming fermented foods and consider supplements that contain bioactive compounds. By integrating these elements into your diet, you can gain meaningful amounts of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics to support balanced gut microbiota, strengthen your immune system and promote digestive and overall health.

Posted in Akkermansia, Butyrate, Cancer, Gut, Probiotics, Sleep | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: April 30, 2026

Massaging Yourself Helps Boost Lymphatic Function


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/04/29/lymphatic-system-massage.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     April 29, 2026

Story at-a-glance

  • Research shows rhythmic neck pulses increase cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) clearance by 100% within an hour, reducing intracranial pressure and clearing harmful proteins
  • Quality sleep, especially deep sleep phases, dramatically boosts glymphatic system activity, washing away Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s-related proteins from brain tissues
  • Key drainage points include collarbone area, jaw angle, armpits, abdomen, groin, and behind knees, all of which require regular movement for optimal function
  • Start by stimulating neck, armpit, and groin lymph nodes with gentle circular motions before performing full-body lymphatic massage sequences
  • Perform lymphatic drainage two to three times weekly for 10 to 30 minutes, stay well-hydrated, and incorporate regular walking to maximize lymphatic system drainage

Your immune system has many methods of keeping your body safe. One prominent part of it is the lymphatic system, which contains specialized tissues called lymph nodes positioned throughout your body. Lymphatic fluid passes through these nodes, filtering out foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria.1

What’s interesting about the lymphatic system is that it has a subnetwork — the glymphatic system — to keep the brain healthy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) travels throughout this system, flushing out waste products produced by your brain, such as proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Now, research shows that you can optimize this function further by massaging your lymph nodes.2

Gentle Neck Pulses Dramatically Boost Brain Drainage

Research published in Nature investigated whether gentle, rhythmic pulses applied to the skin of the neck could increase the drainage of CSF. The study was conducted by a team from Yale University, which used animal models.3

Healthy samples were chosen specifically because their lymphatic drainage systems closely mimic human anatomy. Using advanced imaging techniques, researchers were able to precisely measure the rate at which a fluorescent tracer dye, infused directly into CSF, exited the brain and entered cervical lymph nodes.

• The benefits were immediate — Within just one hour of gentle neck stimulation, the rate of fluid drainage doubled compared to control groups. While fluid drainage continued to remain elevated after this period, the greatest improvements in lowering pressure and enhancing clearance of harmful substances happened rapidly after stimulation began.

This substantial improvement in drainage speed translated directly into decreased intracranial pressure, which is the pressure inside your skull. When intracranial pressure is too high, it can result in headaches, dizziness, confusion, or more serious neurological issues.

• The improvement was most pronounced in lymphatic drainage efficiency — Before the treatment, the clearance rate of CSF was relatively slow, allowing harmful substances to accumulate. After neck pulses, researchers reported fluid clearance rates increased by more than 100%, effectively doubling the brain’s waste-removal capabilities.

In essence, gentle pulses on the neck enhanced the frequency and strength of these contractions, creating a more efficient “pump” action. This powerful yet gentle motion quickly cleared excess fluid, reduced pressure buildup, and removed harmful waste proteins from brain tissues.

• The biological mechanisms explained — Tests show that the benefits primarily lie in the structure and responsiveness of lymphatic vessels in the neck. According to the researchers, gently pulling and stretching the skin activated specific lymph channels, essentially widening them.

At a microscopic level, mechanical stretching caused endothelial cells — the thin lining inside lymph vessels — to realign and expand, directly increasing the diameter of these vessels. A wider channel means CSF flows more easily and rapidly, significantly speeding up drainage from the brain.

Sleep Is a Powerful Adjunct for Optimal Glymphatic Function

In a study published in Biomedicines, researchers examined the relationship between sleep quality, aging, memory function, and the efficiency of your glymphatic system. The researchers selected adults across various age groups, examining healthy older adults, adults experiencing cognitive decline, and those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.4

The team found a link between the quality and depth of sleep and the brain’s ability to efficiently clear away toxic proteins, specifically beta-amyloid and tau proteins, which are associated with memory loss and Alzheimer’s. Adults with impaired sleep or fragmented rest had significantly reduced glymphatic activity, which directly correlated with declining memory and cognitive function.

• Deep sleep boosted the clearance of harmful brain proteins — During deep sleep, which is characterized by slow, rhythmic brain waves, the glymphatic system shifted into high gear, actively flushing beta-amyloid and tau proteins out of brain tissues. According to the researchers, just one hour of deep sleep markedly increased glymphatic clearance, making sleep quality one of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy, resilient brain as you age.

• Memory and cognitive sharpness improved — The research showed that participants who regularly experienced uninterrupted deep sleep had significantly lower levels of harmful proteins building up in their brains. As a result, these individuals showed less age-related memory loss and stronger cognitive performance compared to those who suffered from poor sleep. Simply put, good sleep protects your memory by literally washing your brain clean of toxic waste.

• Nighttime sleep provided the most robust improvements in glymphatic activity — Tests showed that irregular sleep schedules or staying awake late into the night could severely limit the effectiveness of the glymphatic system’s cleansing process. In contrast, establishing consistent sleep patterns was strongly linked to improved cognitive health and memory preservation.

Interestingly, the greatest benefits appeared among adults who already had noticeable symptoms of mild cognitive impairment. For this group, enhancing sleep quality significantly slowed cognitive decline and even reversed some early memory problems.

• Quality sleep is the most important factor — The researchers carefully compared different variables influencing glymphatic function, including aging, sleep disruption, and levels of toxic proteins in the brain.

They found that disrupted sleep had a more immediate and severe negative impact on glymphatic function compared to aging alone. While aging gradually slowed this waste-clearing system, poor sleep rapidly accelerated its decline, underscoring how important good sleep habits are for protecting your brain against memory loss and cognitive impairment.

• A closer look at the glymphatic system — The researchers identified astrocytes — star-shaped brain cells — as critical players in glymphatic function. Astrocytes surround blood vessels in your brain and have special channels known as aquaporin-4, acting as tiny gates that regulate fluid flow.

During deep sleep, these channels become aligned, dramatically increasing fluid movement through brain tissue and efficiently clearing harmful proteins. When sleep is disrupted, these channels lose alignment, drastically slowing fluid clearance and allowing waste products to accumulate.

• How aging disrupts these astrocyte channels — Older brains typically have less organized aquaporin-4 channels, making fluid clearance less efficient. However, regular deep sleep strongly counteracts these age-related changes, helping realign aquaporin-4 channels and boosting glymphatic flow. Essentially, quality sleep is a powerful way to keep your brain young by maintaining these critical fluid pathways and protecting your memory as you age.

• Disrupted circadian rhythms severely compromised glymphatic function — Restoring a natural circadian pattern, through regular sleep routines and exposure to morning sunlight, dramatically improved the brain’s ability to cleanse itself.

Based on the research, it’s clear that optimizing your sleep quality will have a protective effect on brain function. That said, I believe that getting restful sleep is a cornerstone of optimal health.

If you’re having trouble falling asleep faster or staying asleep longer, there are many ways to address them. For in-depth recommendations, read “Sleepmaxxing — Will This Viral TikTok Trend Help or Hinder Your Sleep?” There, I provide several strategies that can help you boost your sleep quality.

Your Body Has 6 Lymphatic Points

The lymph nodes are found in strategic locations around your body’s primary joints, which are meant to move frequently. They’re found at the shoulder joints, hip joints, knee joints, the center of your torso. The last nodes are found at the top of your neck, specifically the first three vertebrae and behind your jaw’s angle.

• Lymph nodes require movement — The reason behind this is to facilitate optimal lymph flow. According to my interview with chiropractor and lymphatic expert Dr. Perry Nickelston, lack of movement in these areas, alongside poor diaphragmatic breathing, will stagnate your lymphatic system. That’s why he recommends massaging these six lymphatic points before moving your body.

• You’re effectively “priming” your lymphatic system for better fluid flow — While Nickelston suggests that order is important, my review suggests that this isn’t the case — what’s important is to move lymph fluid from areas of high pressure to low pressure, which is toward your collarbone. This is the ultimate destination for lymph drainage:

1. Collarbone area (both sides)

2. Behind the angle of your jaw

3. Shoulder joint/armpit region

4. Abdomen (from sternum to navel)

5. Inguinal lymph nodes (groin area)

6. Behind your knee

How to Prime Your Lymph Nodes

Now that you know where your lymph nodes are located, how do you go about stimulating them? To begin your own manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) routine, start by making sure you’re hydrated. That’s because the increase in water will help keep your lymphatic fluid moving better throughout your body. Once you’ve drank water, you’ll need to relax yourself.

MLD is done on the lymph nodes, as these serve as filtering points for lymphatic fluid. To get them working to their fullest, they need to be “primed” through simple massages. This ensures that your lymph nodes are ready to receive fluid from the rest of the body. Start with these first:

• Neck (cervical) lymph nodes

◦ Location — Both sides of your neck, under your jawline.

◦ How to stimulate:

    1. Place your fingers on either side of your neck, just below your ears.
    2. Using light pressure, gently stroke downward toward your collarbones.
    3. Perform five to 10 strokes on each side.

• Armpits (axillary) lymph nodes

◦ Location — In the armpit region.

◦ How to stimulate:

    1. Place your hand flat under your armpit.
    2. Gently press upward toward your shoulder with light circular motions.
    3. Perform five to 10 circles in each armpit.

• Groin (inguinal) lymph nodes

◦ Location — In the crease where your thighs meet your lower abdomen.

◦ How to stimulate:

    1. Place your fingers on either side of your groin area.
    2. Gently press inward and upward with circular or sweeping motions.
    3. Perform five to 10 circles on each side.

Once you’ve finished these areas, you can now move on to doing MLD. Performing the following MLD techniques will optimize your lymphatic system.

• Target your face and neck — Start by placing your fingers in the center of your forehead, then gently sweep outward toward your temples. Continue moving downward, sweeping along the sides of your face and jawline, guiding the fluid toward your neck. Perform five to 10 strokes on each section of your face.

Then, place your hands flat on either side of your neck. Gently stroke downward from your jawline to your collarbones. Perform 10 to 15 strokes.

• Arms — Begin at your upper arm, near your shoulder. Use your hand to gently stroke down toward the armpit, where the axillary lymph nodes are located. Repeat these steps 10 to 15 times on each arm. Then, move to your lower arm, starting at your wrist and stroking upward toward your elbow. This process encourages fluid to drain from your arms toward the axillary lymph nodes.

• Legs — Start at the upper thighs, just below your hip, and gently stroke upward toward your groin, where the inguinal lymph nodes are located. Repeat 10 to 15 times on each leg.

Move down to your lower legs and repeat the same process, starting at your ankles and stroking upward toward your knees. This will help reduce any swelling in your legs and promote the movement of lymph fluid back toward your heart.

Additional Tips to Maximize Manual Lymphatic Drainage

To ensure that you’re getting the most out of your MLD sessions, remember these tips:

1. Frequency — For best results, perform MLD two to three times per week or as recommended by a health care professional.

2. Duration — Ideally, each session takes anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes depending on the areas treated.

3. Stay hydrated — Drinking water before and after MLD flushes toxins and waste products from the lymphatic system.

4. Consistency — Regular practice of MLD helps maintain healthy lymphatic function.

While MLD has its therapeutic benefits, there are contraindications for it. If you have any of the following conditions, do not perform MLD:

  • Infections, such as cellulitis
  • Congestive heart failure or other heart-related problems
  • Deep vein thrombosis or a history of blood clots

In addition to what’s mentioned above, I recommend you incorporate exercise into your routine, particularly walking. Your body thrives on movement, and doing it regularly stimulates the flow of your lymphatic system better. As noted by Nickelston:

“You should be walking, hopefully brisk enough and without a phone in your hand, so you get some twisting and rotation and torsion in the center of the abdomen, and that moves fluids too. I always tell people envision wringing out a towel; twisting gets fluids to move.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Your Glymphatic System

Q: What is the glymphatic system and why is it important?

A: The glymphatic system is a specialized part of the lymphatic system responsible for clearing waste products like beta-amyloid and tau proteins from the brain. Efficient glymphatic drainage helps prevent neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and reduces intracranial pressure, improving cognitive health.

Q: How can gentle neck massage improve brain health?

A: Gentle, rhythmic pulses applied to lymph nodes in the neck have been shown to dramatically enhance CSF, doubling the rate of toxin removal from the brain. This method quickly lowers intracranial pressure, reducing headaches, dizziness, and neurological problems.

Q: What role does sleep play in glymphatic system efficiency?

A: High-quality deep sleep significantly boosts the brain’s glymphatic clearance, effectively flushing harmful proteins and protecting against cognitive decline. Poor sleep or disrupted sleep schedules drastically reduce glymphatic activity, accelerating memory loss and cognitive impairment. To maximize lymphatic drainage, combine lymph node massages with high-quality sleep.

Q: How can I optimize my lymphatic system through manual lymphatic drainage (MLD)?

A: To optimize your lymphatic system, regularly massage key lymphatic points such as the neck, armpits, and groin. Gentle, rhythmic strokes toward the collarbone region help stimulate lymph flow, improving drainage and overall lymphatic health. It’s most effective when combined with hydration and consistent practice (two to three times per week).

Q: Are there conditions when MLD should be avoided?

A: Yes. Avoid performing MLD if you have infections (such as cellulitis), congestive heart failure, heart-related conditions, or a history of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots). Always consult a health care provider if unsure about starting a lymphatic massage routine.

Posted in Lymph, Sleep | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: April 28, 2026

Melatonin — the Missing Link Between Sleep Deprivation and Immune Dysregulation


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/04/21/melatonin-sleep-deprivation-immune-dysregulation.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     April 21, 2026

melatonin sleep deprivation immune dysregulation

Story at-a-glance

  • A 2025 review of 50 studies found that sleep deprivation lowers melatonin, which directly increases inflammatory signals and weakens immune cell performance
  • When melatonin drops, your immune cells lose energy, struggle to coordinate their defense tasks and become less effective at fighting infections
  • Chronic sleep disruption raises stress hormones like cortisol, shifts immune balance, and damages your gut barrier, compounding inflammation throughout your body
  • Older adults, shift workers and people with insomnia face greater immune disruption because their melatonin levels are more easily suppressed
  • Rebuilding melatonin through sunlight exposure, nighttime darkness, proper nutrition, and targeted nanoliposomal support strengthens immune timing, reduces inflammation and improves cellular resilience

You already know poor sleep makes you sick more easily — but you probably don’t know exactly why. The mechanism behind that vulnerability hasn’t been fully mapped — until now. A 2025 narrative review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences pulled together two decades of research to answer a specific question: what actually breaks down between a short night of sleep and a weakened immune system?1 The answer centers on one hormone.

Melatonin does far more than make you drowsy. It coordinates immune cell activity, controls inflammatory signaling, and protects the energy systems inside every cell that mounts a defense against infection. When sleep loss suppresses melatonin night after night, those systems unravel — and the damage extends well beyond fatigue.

The review reveals how that unraveling plays out across your immune system, your gut, your stress hormones, and your cellular energy production, and it identifies who’s most at risk. Understanding the full chain of events clarifies why restoring melatonin isn’t optional but essential for immune resilience.

When Melatonin Drops, Sleep Loss Rewires Your Immune Defenses

For the study, researchers examined 50 studies published between 2000 and 2025 to determine how sleep deprivation alters melatonin and immune function.2 The goal was to identify whether reduced melatonin acts as the missing link between sleep loss and immune dysregulation.

• The findings consistently linked low melatonin to immune imbalance — Across the reviewed studies, consistent sleep loss lowered melatonin and coincided with elevated proinflammatory cytokines along with increased oxidative stress and reduced immune cell activity. Oxidative stress is essentially cellular rust — an accumulation of reactive molecules that damage the internal machinery your immune cells depend on.

Cytokines are chemical messengers that tell immune cells when to attack. When they stay elevated too long, your body shifts into a chronic inflammatory state. At the same time, natural killer cells and lymphocytes — white blood cells that destroy infected or abnormal cells — lost efficiency under sleep-deprived conditions. This translates into slower, weaker immune responses when your body needs them most.

• Certain groups showed stronger immune disruption — If you’re over 60, working night shifts or struggling with insomnia, you’re already starting with lower melatonin — and sleep loss compounds the deficit faster. Aging reduces melatonin production on its own, and night-shift light exposure suppresses it further.

In these groups, reduced melatonin aligned with higher infection risk and impaired immune regulation. If you fall into one of these categories, the biological stress from sleep loss compounds faster.

• Sleep deprivation amplified inflammatory markers — The review reported sustained increases in inflammatory markers even after sleep restriction ended in animal models, suggesting that immune disruption lingers beyond the night of poor sleep. One bad night doesn’t just cost you one day of weakened immunity — the inflammatory echo keeps reverberating even after you catch up on sleep.

• Immune balance shifted in measurable ways — Sleep deprivation revs up your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis — the hormonal relay system that connects your brain to your adrenal glands and controls your stress response. The result: elevated cortisol, your body’s main stress hormone.

Elevated cortisol reduced lymphocyte counts in people with insomnia, shifting immune balance. In simple terms, your immune system changes gears and becomes less effective at fighting viruses and intracellular threats. The review also described activation of a genetic switch that increases proinflammatory cytokine production.

• Gut integrity and microbiota were directly affected — Animal models reviewed showed that sleep deprivation damaged the intestinal barrier, disrupted the gut microbiota, and reduced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

SCFAs are beneficial compounds produced by gut bacteria that calm inflammation and support brain and immune signaling. Lower SCFA levels aligned with neuroinflammation and cognitive deficits following sleep loss. That means poor sleep affects not just immunity but also mental clarity and gut resilience.

How Melatonin Powers Immune Cells and Controls Inflammation

The review described melatonin as a protector of mitochondrial function, meaning it helps immune cells produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) — the energy currency of your cells. Mounting an immune response is one of the most energy-demanding things your body does — a single activated T cell can burn through its ATP reserves in hours.

When melatonin levels fell, immune cells experienced higher oxidative stress and greater risk of cell death during immune activation. Without sufficient ATP, immune cells can’t mount coordinated responses. This connects sleep quality directly to cellular energy output.

• Melatonin directly modulated inflammatory signaling pathways — Melatonin interacts with immune cell receptors and inhibits macrophage activity, lowering nitric oxide production. Macrophages are immune cells that engulf pathogens but also drive inflammation when overstimulated.

By reducing these inflammatory outputs, melatonin helps maintain immune balance. The review also noted melatonin’s role in regulating signaling that governs expression of many proinflammatory genes.

• Circadian synchronization influenced immune timing — Melatonin, governed by the suprachiasmatic nucleus — your brain’s master clock — synchronized immune rhythms with the light-dark cycle. When sleep schedules were irregular, melatonin production dropped sharply, throwing off the timing of white blood cells and weakening their ability to carry out their core defense tasks. Desynchronization weakened coordinated immune action, increasing susceptibility to infection.

• Supplementation restored immune markers in certain contexts — The review cited experimental and clinical evidence showing that melatonin supplementation restored antioxidant capacity, enhanced natural killer cell activity, and improved immune markers in specific populations, including individuals undergoing chemotherapy and children with Down syndrome.

Nutritional strategies such as tryptophan-enriched foods also supported melatonin synthesis and improved sleep quality. These findings demonstrate that restoring nighttime melatonin aligns immune rhythm and improves resilience.

Rebuild Melatonin to Strengthen Immune Balance

If your immune system feels inflamed, reactive or easily overwhelmed, focus on the hormone that coordinates the entire repair cycle: melatonin. Sleep is important, but melatonin is the signal that tells your immune cells when to calm inflammation, repair tissue and restore balance. When melatonin production drops, inflammatory cytokines rise, oxidative stress increases and immune timing falls apart. Your goal is to rebuild melatonin naturally — at the mitochondrial level and at night.

Your body produces melatonin through two distinct pathways — and both need support. The first is your pineal gland, a small structure deep in your brain that releases melatonin into your bloodstream after dark. This is the melatonin that governs your sleep-wake cycle, synchronizes immune timing and signals your body to enter nighttime repair mode. It depends entirely on darkness.

The second pathway operates inside your mitochondria — the energy-producing structures within nearly every cell, including your immune cells. This mitochondrial melatonin acts as a localized antioxidant, neutralizing oxidative stress right where it’s generated and protecting the cellular machinery your immune system depends on. It doesn’t follow a circadian rhythm. Instead, it’s triggered by near-infrared light from the sun penetrating your skin and tissues during the day.

These two systems are complementary. Daytime sunlight builds your internal antioxidant defense. Nighttime darkness activates your circadian immune repair signal. When either pathway is neglected — too much time indoors during the day or too much artificial light at night — your total melatonin output drops and your immune system loses both its shield and its clock. The steps below address both pathways.

1. Use sunlight to stimulate mitochondrial melatonin — Most of your melatonin is produced inside your mitochondria as part of your antioxidant defense system. Near-infrared light from the sun penetrates your skin and activates signals that trigger this internal melatonin production. If you spend your days behind glass, under LED lights or indoors, you miss this signal.

Get outside daily. Allow natural sunlight to reach your skin gradually and safely. Avoid harsh midday sun until you have reduced seed oils, which are high in linoleic acid (LA), for at least six months — high LA levels increase sun sensitivity. Sunlight strengthens your cellular melatonin defense from the inside out.

2. Reinforce nighttime melatonin release with darkness — Your pineal gland releases melatonin only in darkness. Even small amounts of artificial light suppress that release. Dim your lights after sunset. Remove glowing electronics from your bedroom. Block outside light with blackout curtains if needed. Darkness isn’t optional — it’s the trigger that tells your body to enter immune repair mode.

3. Support melatonin synthesis with proper nutrient balance — Melatonin forms from serotonin, which forms from the amino acid tryptophan. You need adequate protein intake — roughly 0.8 grams per pound of lean body mass (or about 1.76 grams per kilogram), with one-third from collagen-rich sources like bone broth — to supply these building blocks.

Undereating protein or chronically restricting carbohydrates stresses your metabolism and suppresses hormonal balance. Most adults require 250 grams of carbohydrates daily to maintain strong mitochondrial energy production. When your metabolism is stable, melatonin synthesis improves.

4. Lower inflammatory burdens that suppress melatonin signaling — Chronic inflammation interferes with melatonin’s protective effects. Remove seed oils high in LA, including soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, and all processed foods that contain them.

Replace them with stable fats such as tallow, ghee or grass fed butter. Avoid ultraprocessed foods that disrupt your gut microbiome and increase endotoxin load. When oxidative stress drops, melatonin functions more efficiently inside your immune cells.

5. Optimize your sleep environment to amplify natural melatonin release — Your brain releases its strongest pulse of melatonin during deep, uninterrupted sleep in a cool, dark, and quiet environment. Keep your bedroom temperature slightly cool, ideally between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, to support deeper sleep cycles. Eliminate background noise or use steady pink noise to prevent stress-driven awakenings that blunt melatonin output.

Choose breathable bedding and avoid caffeine or alcohol, which fragment sleep and suppress nighttime melatonin signaling. When your sleep becomes deeper and more continuous, your melatonin curve strengthens, inflammatory signals calm down and your immune system regains its nighttime repair rhythm.

6. Use nanoliposomal melatonin strategically when needed — If your rhythm has been disrupted by travel, shift work or chronic stress, targeted support helps restore balance. Look for nanoliposomal (NLP) melatonin. NLP technology encloses melatonin in microscopic lipid particles that improve absorption and cellular delivery. This allows lower doses to achieve physiologic effects. Use it to reinforce your natural rhythm, not override it.

The objective is restoration of timing and immune coordination. When you rebuild melatonin at its source — through morning sunlight, evening darkness, the right nutrients and a lower inflammatory burden — your immune system doesn’t just recover. It regains the timing, precision and resilience it was designed to have.

FAQs About Melatonin and Immune Health

Q: How does sleep deprivation weaken your immune system?

A: Sleep deprivation suppresses melatonin, the hormone that coordinates immune timing and controls inflammation. When melatonin drops, inflammatory cytokines rise, oxidative stress increases and immune cells lose efficiency. Over time, this shift weakens your ability to fight infections and maintain immune balance.

Q: What role does melatonin play beyond sleep?

A: Melatonin does far more than make you sleepy. It protects mitochondrial function inside immune cells, helping them produce ATP — the energy required to mount a defense. It also regulates inflammatory signaling and keeps immune responses from becoming excessive or chaotic.

Q: Who is most vulnerable to low melatonin levels?

A: Older adults, people with insomnia and shift workers face greater risk because aging and nighttime light exposure reduce melatonin production. Chronic circadian disruption in these groups increases inflammation and raises susceptibility to infection.

Q: How does melatonin affect my gut and brain?

A: Sleep loss reduces melatonin and disrupts your gut microbiome, lowering SCFAs that help control inflammation. This weakens your intestinal barrier and contributes to neuroinflammation, which affects both immune resilience and cognitive clarity.

Q: What are the most effective ways to rebuild melatonin naturally?

A: Daily sunlight exposure, strict nighttime darkness, adequate protein and carbohydrate intake to support melatonin synthesis, elimination of inflammatory seed oils and strategic use of nanoliposomal melatonin all help restore proper melatonin rhythm. When melatonin timing is rebuilt, immune coordination and cellular energy improve.

Posted in Immunity, Inflammation, Linoleic Acid, Melatonin, Sleep | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: April 28, 2026

Lower Cholesterol, Naturally and Safely — No Statins Required


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/04/27/lower-cholesterol-naturally-and-safely.aspx

Analysis by Mary Ann Rollano, RN     April 27, 2026

lower cholesterol naturally and safely

Story at-a-glance

  • Cholesterol is essential for hormone production, brain function, and cell health, and about 80% of it is made by your body — not consumed in food. High triglycerides, not total cholesterol, pose a stronger risk for heart attack — raising risk by 80% — making triglyceride-to-HDL ratio a better heart disease predictor
  • Newer science shows chronic inflammation — not LDL alone — may be the real cause of plaque buildup in arteries, shifting focus to markers like ApoB and CRP
  • Natural options like garlic, artichoke, bergamot, plant sterols, green tea, and oats have been shown in clinical studies to lower LDL cholesterol and improve heart markers
  • Red yeast rice can lower LDL by up to 33%, but it contains a statin-like compound with the same side effects and potential kidney toxins like citrinin
  • Lifestyle changes like cutting sugar, walking daily, and sleeping well can activate the Pareto Principle — where 20% of effort yields 80% of results in lowering cholesterol. Exercise improves five key metabolic biomarkers — glucose, HDL, triglycerides, blood pressure, and waist size — each linked to long-term cardiovascular health

Your body knows how to heal. Think about it — if a poor diet and lifestyle can contribute to an unhealthy body, it stands to reason that a nutrient-rich diet and lifestyle can conversely contribute to a healthy body. That’s not too hard to figure out.

What is hard to figure out is what is bad for your health and what is good. Are statins good or are they bad? Should you take them? Are there alternatives? If so, what are they? There are many conflicting stories because cholesterol metabolism is complex, making it a perpetually confusing topic. You deserve to understand your health before blindly accepting treatments.

I get a lot of questions about cholesterol, statin drugs, and how to lower cholesterol without taking statins. The good news is that certain plants and lifestyles have been scientifically proven to lower cholesterol. So, let’s break it all down. In this post, I cover:

  • What is cholesterol, and why do we need it?
  • Triglycerides and their relationship to cholesterol.
  • How triglycerides and cholesterol interact.
  • The Pareto Principle, cholesterol, and statins.
  • Herbs and plants with evidence for cholesterol-lowering effects.
  • Key metabolic biomarkers.
  • With the proper knowledge and approach, you have the power to control your health.

What Is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty, waxy substance found in every cell in the body. Roughly 20% comes from dietary sources, while 80% is primarily manufactured in the liver and other cells. Cholesterol metabolism studies show that this ratio can vary slightly depending on individual factors like genetics, diet, and lifestyle.

Excess sugar, particularly artificial sugars, refined carbohydrates, and genetic errors of liver metabolism, are mainly to blame for high cholesterol. Plant fibers can lower cholesterol, so a diet high in fruits and vegetables and whole grains with minimal fats helps maintain normal cholesterol levels.

• Types of cholesterol:

1. Low-density lipoprotein, LDL, is often called bad cholesterol because high levels are theorized to build plaque in the arteries.

2. High-density lipoprotein, HDL, is called the good cholesterol because it helps to remove excess cholesterol from the bloodstream and returns it to the liver for disposal.

3. Very low-density lipoprotein, VLDL, mainly carries triglycerides in the blood and is less commonly measured.

• Why do we need cholesterol? Cholesterol is present in every cell of the human body and is essential for cellular metabolism.

• Cholesterol is essential for several biological functions:1

◦ Cell membrane structure — Cholesterol is a key component of cell membranes, providing stability.

◦ Hormone production — The building block for steroid hormones, including sex hormones (estrogen, testosterone), cortisol, and aldosterone.

◦ Vitamin D synthesis — When the skin is exposed to sunlight, the body uses cholesterol to make vitamin D.

◦ Bile acid production — Cholesterol is converted into bile acids in the liver, which help digest fats.

• Cholesterol and brain health:

◦ Myelin sheath formation — Cholesterol is a major component of myelin, the protective sheath around nerve fibers that speeds up electrical signaling.

◦ Neurotransmitter function — It is involved in the communication between neurons, supporting the function of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

◦ Cell signaling — Cholesterol is crucial for forming “lipid rafts,” specialized areas in cell membranes that facilitate cell signaling in the brain.

◦ Learning and memory — Proper cholesterol metabolism in the brain is necessary for synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory.

Triglycerides and Their Relationship to Cholesterol

Triglycerides, another type of fat (lipid) in the blood, come from foods and are synthesized in the liver. Triglycerides also come from extra calories your body does not need right away. Excess calories are converted to triglycerides and stored as fat in the body for later use. While cholesterol is used for structural and hormonal functions, triglycerides serve primarily as an energy source:

• Energy storage — Excess calories from food are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells for later use.

• Transport — Triglycerides circulate in the blood within lipoproteins, especially very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), which also carry some cholesterol.

How Triglycerides and Cholesterol Interact

• Both are transported in the bloodstream via lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL, HDL).

• VLDL particles mainly carry triglycerides but also transport cholesterol. As triglycerides are removed from VLDL, the particles become LDL, which is richer in cholesterol.

• HDL particles help remove excess cholesterol from tissues and return it to the liver for disposal.

So while cholesterol is used for building cell walls, hormone production, and other structural and metabolic functions, triglycerides are used primarily for energy supply and storage.

In a blood test, the total cholesterol level includes LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and sometimes VLDL, and means very little as a combined total. High triglycerides are more concerning because people with high triglyceride levels have an 80% higher risk of having a heart attack compared to people with normal triglyceride levels.2

Inflammation, fibrinogen, triglycerides, homocysteine, belly fat, triglyceride to HDL ratios, and high glycemic levels are the underlying drivers of heart disease.3

“Emerging science is showing that cholesterol levels are a poor predictor of heart disease and that standard prescriptions for lowering it, such as ineffective low-fat/high-carb diets and serious, side-effect-causing statin drugs, obscure the real causes of heart disease.”~ The Great Cholesterol Myth

The Pareto Principle and Cholesterol

The Pareto Principle states that 80% of outcomes often stem from just 20% of causes, also known as the 80/20 rule. While commonly used in business, this principle can be metaphorically applied to biology and health, especially when identifying the key drivers behind complex issues.

As I mentioned, about 80% of the body’s cholesterol is made in the liver, while only 20% comes directly from the diet. Statins target this liver production by blocking the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which seems logical on the surface. But this approach overlooks why the liver is overproducing cholesterol in the first place — it treats the symptom, not the cause.

In truth, suppressing that 80% of cholesterol production without addressing the underlying 20% of triggers of metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, stress, and hormonal imbalances, can be counterproductive.

Even though dietary cholesterol accounts for just 20%, certain foods (like excess sugar, refined carbs, trans fats, and high-fructose corn syrup) can prompt the liver to increase its cholesterol output. A small subset of poor dietary choices may be responsible for most of the problem — a textbook 80/20 scenario.

For many people, small, focused lifestyle changes — such as eliminating processed foods, walking regularly, or improving sleep — can lead to significant improvements in cholesterol levels. Thus, 20% of your effort may yield 80% of the results.

Herbs and Plants with Evidence for Cholesterol-Lowering Effects

Anna McIntyre writes in “The Complete Herbal Tutor”:4

• Antioxidant herbs protect arteries, inhibit the formation of atherosclerotic plaque, lower cholesterol, and help prevent cardiovascular disease.

• Useful herbs include hawthorn, cayenne, amalaki, guggulu, bilberry, elderberry, ginger, turmeric, evening primrose, Chinese Angelica, and licorice.

• Shiitake and reishi mushrooms and oats contain beta-glucans, which help lower cholesterol.

• A clove of garlic a day can substantially lower cholesterol levels.

• Red clover reduces its absorption.

• Artichoke leaves help lower cholesterol by helping the liver’s metabolism of cholesterol.

Some of these herbs and plants studied for their potential to lower cholesterol levels are listed below in more detail. They are the most researched options, with scientific evidence and study findings cited here.5,6,7,8

• Red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus)

◦ Red yeast rice contains monacolin K, a compound chemically identical to the statin drug lovastatin, with all the risks and side effects of taking a statin.9

◦ Multiple randomized clinical trials and systematic reviews have shown that red yeast rice can reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol by 10% to 33%.

◦ It is considered one of the most effective natural products for lowering cholesterol, but quality and safety concerns exist due to variability in monacolin K content and potential contamination with citrinin, a nephrotoxin (kidney-damaging substance).

• Plant sterols and stanols

◦ Found naturally in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, seeds, and grains.

◦ A 2022 network meta-analysis found that plant sterol supplementation leads to modest LDL and total cholesterol reductions.

◦ They work by blocking cholesterol absorption in the small intestine.

• Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)

◦ Bergamot extract and its polyphenols have shown promising lipid-lowering effects.

◦ A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis found significant decreases in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, and an increase in HDL cholesterol. However, a small number of studies limit the evidence.

• Artichoke (Cynara scolymus)

◦ Randomized trials have shown reductions in total cholesterol by up to 18.5% compared to placebo.

◦ The evidence base is limited but promising, with good safety profiles reported in studies.

• Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)

◦ Several trials, mainly from India, have shown reductions in total cholesterol ranging from 15% to 33%.

◦ Some studies also found reductions in LDL cholesterol, though methodological quality varies.

• Guggul (Commiphora mukul)

◦ Some randomized trials have reported 10% to 27% reductions in total cholesterol.

◦ Although results have been inconsistent, and quality concerns exist, it remains one of the more extensively studied herbal options.

• Garlic (Allium sativum)

◦ Ancient history and a wealth of modern research support the use of garlic. More than 3,000 scientific papers cover its chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical uses.10

◦ The therapeutic uses of garlic are extensive, but those specific to the cardiovascular system include reducing elevated cholesterol, preventing atherosclerosis and hypertension, treating poor circulation to the legs, and improving overall blood flow through antiplatelet actions.

• Red clover (Trifolium pratense)

◦ Systematic reviews have found significant reductions in total cholesterol and increases in HDL cholesterol in postmenopausal women, but effects on LDL cholesterol are inconsistent.

• Green tea (Camellia sinensis)

◦ An American Journal of Clinical Nutrition meta-analysis suggests that green tea significantly reduces total cholesterol, including LDL or “bad” cholesterol, to 2.19 mg/dL in the blood. However, green tea didn’t affect HDL, or “good” cholesterol.11

Biomarkers and Blood Work

When examining blood work to evaluate cardiac risk and metabolic health, cholesterol alone is insufficient. These parameters and other risk factors, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and liver function, all need to be considered.

High LDL cholesterol was once thought to contribute to plaque buildup in the arteries, which could lead to the plaque becoming dislodged at some point, leading to a heart attack or stroke. Newer schools of thought don’t point to LDL as causing plaque buildup in the arteries but rather to chronic inflammation as being the cause.12

The newer cardiovascular assessment blood tests measure a specific protein called Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) within the LDL, which directly counts the number of atherogenic (plaque-producing) particles in the blood.

If ApoB is not measured, C-reactive protein (CRP) may be measured. CRP measures overall inflammation in the body and screens for cardiovascular risk. That’s important because many chronic diseases result from chronic inflammation. Metabolic biomarkers are key indicators of overall cellular health and disease risk.

The specific thresholds depend on your risk factors, and each lab has its parameters, but for reference, these are the normal ranges from LabCorp:

• LDL

◦ Optimal — <100 mg/dL

◦ Near-optimal — 100 to 129 mg/dL

◦ Borderline high — 130 to 159 mg/dL

◦ High — 160 to 189 mg/dL

◦ Very high — ≥190 mg/dL

• HDL Cholesterol

◦ Optimal — >39 mg/dL

• VLDL Cholesterol Cal

◦ Optimal — 5 to 40 mg/dL

• Triglycerides

◦ Optimal — 0 to 149 mg/dL

• Apolipoprotein B (ApoB)

◦ Optimal — <130 mg/dL

• C-reactive protein (CRP)

◦ < 1.0 mg/dL or 10.0 mg/L

Relationship of Total Cholesterol to HDL

“Neither type of cholesterol is inherently bad or good. Both are necessary for good health. They need to be balanced in the body. Divide your total cholesterol by your HDL cholesterol. If the resulting number is 4 or less, you are at low risk, regardless what your total cholesterol number is. The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL is a much better predictor of risk than simply your total cholesterol number.13” ~ Christiane Northrup, M.D., The Wisdom of Menopause

Key Metabolic Biomarkers

In her book “Good Energy,” Casey Means, M.D., writes about the five specific biomarkers to evaluate for overall metabolic health.14 Research shows that exercise improves all five of the following basic biomarkers of metabolism:

• Glucose levels above 100 mg/dL — Twelve-week exercise programs of either high-intensity running (40 minutes per week) or low-intensity running (150 minutes per week) both brought participants’ blood sugar from the prediabetic range (100 mg/dL or greater) to the nondiabetic range.

• HDL cholesterol less than 40 mg/dL — A 2019 review of the literature showed that exercise increased HDL cholesterol, “with exercise volume, rather than intensity, having a greater influence.” Meanwhile, “raising HDL levels pharmacologically has not shown convincing clinical benefits.”

• Triglycerides above 150 mg/dL — Numerous studies have demonstrated that physical activity effectively lowers triglyceride levels. In a 2019 study, an eight-week moderate aerobic exercise program significantly reduced triglyceride levels in participants. Furthermore, even a single session of intense aerobic exercise has been found to decrease triglyceride levels the following day.

This positive effect could be due to the increased activity of hepatic lipase in the liver, an enzyme that facilitates the absorption of triglyceride from the bloodstream.

• Blood pressure of 130/85 mm Hg or higher — Research has shown the effects of exercise among populations with high blood pressure were similar to the effects of commonly used medications.

(Note: blood pressure parameters considered high used to be above 140/90 mm Hg. This study15 changed that. The top number (systolic) measures artery pressure during a heartbeat; the bottom (diastolic) measures it between beats. Both are important but know systolic pressure can spike with stress. Blood pressure should be measured in both arms over time — not based on a single reading — especially before starting medication.)

• A waistline of more than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men — Not surprisingly, regular exercise can help decrease obesity by increasing energy expenditure and promoting weight loss.

Research shows a clear inverse relationship between the amount of movement people do each week and the size of their waistline: more movement, smaller waist circumference. What’s more, lower activity (fewer than 5,100 steps per day) yields a 2.5 times higher risk of central obesity than higher activity (more than 8,985 steps per day).

Key Takeaways

With the proper knowledge and approach, you have the power to control your health.

• Reduce sugar, HFCS, refined carbohydrates, and other highly processed foods.

• Eat a diet high in vegetables, whole grains, especially oats, beans, legumes, pulses (such as beans, lentils, chickpeas), good fats, and oily fish.

• Take regular aerobic exercise and daily walking.

• There is no “one size fits all” diet for heart health. Eat whole foods without preservatives and additives, and concentrate on plant foods.

One important caveat:

• Statins lower LDL cholesterol quickly by blocking an enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) the liver uses to make cholesterol. Results are often seen in 4 to 6 weeks.

• Diet and lifestyle can be highly effective, but changes may take 3 to 6 months or more. The degree of improvement depends on adherence, genetics, and overall health.

Live life well.

About Author

Mary Ann Rollano is a writer, registered nurse, and award-winning tea specialist with 40 years of experience in health and wellness. Passionate about the four pillars of health — physical, emotional, spiritual, and social harmony — she blends her expertise in tea, herbs, and nutrition to inspire meaningful connections and happier, healthier lives. Connect with her through her Steeped Stories newsletter.

Posted in Cholesterol, Diet, Linoleic Acid, Liver, Sleep, Statins, Triglycerides | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: April 14, 2026

Simple Ways to Flush Out Damaging Excess Cortisol


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/04/14/simple-ways-to-flush-cortisol.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     April 14, 2026

Story at-a-glance

  • Chronically high cortisol disrupts your metabolism, weakens your immune system, triggers blood sugar spikes, and leads to stubborn belly fat, poor sleep, and constant fatigue
  • Simple daily habits like slow breathing, early morning sunlight, and eating healthy carbs reset your cortisol rhythm and help your body recover from stress overload
  • Caffeine on an empty stomach, late-night screen exposure, and overtraining all send the wrong signals to your nervous system, keeping cortisol elevated when it should be winding down
  • Enjoyable activities like laughter and time with pets aren’t just mood boosters — they trigger biochemical changes that lower cortisol and signal safety to your brain
  • Natural progesterone is one of the safest and most effective ways to block cortisol and restore calm

Cortisol is built for emergencies, but modern life keeps it switched on 24/7. Designed to help you react fast in moments of danger, this hormone floods your system with energy when you need to fight or flee. But when the stress rarely stops, your cortisol doesn’t either. That’s when the very system meant to protect you begins to do damage.

You’re probably not sprinting from wild animals, but your body reacts the same way to constant deadlines, poor sleep, and emotional stress. Over time, that daily grind trains your body to live in survival mode. You stop recovering properly. Your energy dips. Your digestion slows. You store more fat, especially around your belly, and lose muscle even when you’re trying to stay active.

What makes this worse is how invisible it often is at first. You might feel tired, edgy, or wired at night. But underneath, your body is running on empty while cortisol stays elevated. And the longer that goes on, the more your hormone rhythms, metabolic function, and immune defenses unravel.

This isn’t about managing stress in the abstract — it’s about restoring your body’s ability to reset. If you’re feeling burned out, inflamed, or like your system is stuck in overdrive, there are simple, science-backed ways to flush out the excess and bring things back into balance.

Simple Habits That Help Flush Cortisol Naturally

A featured article in Vogue highlights advice from physician Dr. Liza Osagie-Clouard and registered dietitian Jodie Relf.1 It explores how to support your body’s natural cortisol-clearing processes through lifestyle changes, not medication. Their approach is built around simple tools — breathwork, sleep, movement, and blood sugar balance — that anyone can apply, even if you’re overwhelmed or short on time.

• People dealing with chronic stress symptoms benefit most from these changes — This information is aimed at people who feel “wired but tired,” have trouble sleeping, gain weight around the midsection, or struggle with irritability and sugar cravings. These signs point to cortisol overload, which is often worsened by morning coffee on an empty stomach or overtraining without proper rest.

• Breathwork stands out as a fast, drug-free tool to bring cortisol down — Dr. Osagie-Clouard recommends lengthening your exhale to shift your body into a parasympathetic state — the “rest and digest” mode that opposes stress activation. A quick version of this is the “parasympathetic sigh,” where you inhale, then take a second sip of air before slowly releasing it. This practice gives your nervous system the green light to relax and helps your body flush out excess cortisol naturally.

• Caffeine is a silent contributor to cortisol overload but timing matters — There’s a downside to relying on coffee to get through the morning fog, especially on an empty stomach. “Coffee is a stimulant which will raise cortisol levels,” says Relf. Having it before eating keeps you stuck in the stress cycle. Instead, wait until after breakfast, or reduce intake altogether if you already feel overstimulated. You don’t have to eliminate caffeine entirely, just shift when and how you drink it.

• Gentle exercise like walking reduces cortisol more effectively than high-intensity workouts — Forget marathon gym sessions. Regular, moderate movement helps balance cortisol levels without triggering more stress. The key is consistency, not intensity. People with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or adrenal imbalances often see the greatest benefit from low-impact activities, which also improve insulin sensitivity and emotional resilience.

Reset Your Hormones by Fixing Sleep, Stabilizing Blood Sugar, and Finding Joy

If you’re tossing and turning at night, your cortisol rhythm is likely reversed — too high in the evening and too low in the morning. The solution isn’t just sleep quantity but bedtime rituals. A consistent sleep-wake time, along with calming wind-down habits like dim lights or reading, help your cortisol follow its natural cycle again.

• Blood sugar swings worsen cortisol imbalances — balanced meals are key — Spiking your glucose leads to more cortisol as your body scrambles to restore balance. Try pairing carbs with healthy fats and protein to slow absorption. Instead of eating fruit alone, combine it with raw, grass fed yogurt to reduce the sugar spike. That simple change lessens the hormonal stress response and leaves you with steadier energy.

• Ashwagandha supports cortisol regulation if used consistently and wisely — As an adaptogen, ashwagandha helps your body become more resilient to stress. Research shows that 250 milligrams (mg) to 800 mg daily for eight weeks led to measurable drops in cortisol.2 But sourcing matters. Look for 100% organic ashwagandha root, free of fillers, additives, and excipients. Unfortunately, adulterated ashwagandha products have been found on the market, so buyer beware.

• Spirituality, laughter, and fun are underrated cortisol detoxifiers — For people with a spiritual practice, prayer has been shown to lower cortisol and increase calm during life stress.3 If you’re not spiritual, the same benefits show up through meditation, community connection, or simple pleasures like laughter.4

Chronically Elevated Cortisol Throws Off Nearly Every Major Body System

Often labeled merely as a stress hormone, cortisol fulfills many other functions within your body. Its main role is to act as a vital defense mechanism, ensuring that your blood glucose levels don’t plummet to hazardous lows. By maintaining these levels, cortisol safeguards you against the severe danger of a hypoglycemic coma.5

Although cortisol’s actions are beneficial in the short term, consistently high levels negatively impact your health. As noted by the Cleveland Clinic, cortisol is a master regulator that affects your metabolism, sleep rhythm, blood pressure, inflammation, and immune defense.6 Chronic high cortisol damages these systems one by one. When left unchecked, the result is often accelerated aging, insulin resistance, and persistent fatigue that no amount of rest can fix.

• This is especially dangerous for people with hormonal imbalances or metabolic issues — Cortisol’s wide-ranging effects become especially harmful when your body’s regulatory loop — managed by your brain and adrenal glands — breaks down. Your hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands work as a team to keep cortisol in balance. But chronic stress overrides this system, causing dysfunction that leads to everything from sleep disruption to hormone depletion.

• Cortisol pushes blood sugar up, then blocks insulin from doing its job — When you’re stressed, cortisol signals your liver to release glucose so you have immediate energy. That part is normal. The problem comes when that stress doesn’t end. Cortisol also suppresses insulin — the hormone that helps move sugar into your cells for fuel. That double action creates blood sugar spikes followed by crashes, which leave you wired, hungry, moody, and ultimately insulin resistant over time.

• Over time, your immune system stops responding to cortisol at all — Short bursts of cortisol help tamp down inflammation, which is how your body prevents overreaction to stress or infection. But with constant elevation, your immune system becomes desensitized to cortisol’s signal. That means more inflammation, more infections, and slower recovery from illness. You feel run down, get sick more often, and take longer to heal, even from minor cuts or colds.

• Cortisol throws off blood pressure regulation and muscle metabolism — Cortisol influences blood pressure, though the exact mechanics aren’t fully understood. What is known is that people with chronically high cortisol often have high blood pressure. Additionally, cortisol breaks down muscle tissue to free up amino acids for emergency energy use. In a prolonged stress state, this leads to muscle wasting, physical weakness, and slower metabolic function.

• Without action, elevated cortisol creates long-term metabolic damage — The longer cortisol remains out of balance, the more entrenched the damage becomes. Chronically high cortisol leads to conditions like Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, immune dysfunction, and in extreme cases, Cushing’s syndrome — a hormonal disorder marked by fat accumulation in the face and abdomen, muscle loss, and stretch marks.

Enjoyment, Breathwork, and Light Movement Lower Cortisol Fast

You don’t need expensive programs or clinical interventions to reduce cortisol — just daily behaviors that align with how your body naturally resets stress. Fun, healthy food, and movement are among the most underused remedies for stress overload.7

• Breathwork methods like the 4-7-8 technique directly influence the vagus nerve — This technique involves inhaling for four seconds, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight. Doing just a few rounds shifts your nervous system out of the “fight or flight” state and into the relaxation zone. Activating the vagus nerve — your body’s command switch for rest — lowers cortisol almost immediately and helps prevent your brain from getting stuck in stress loops.8

• Spending time with pets lowers stress markers through oxytocin release — Even a few minutes of petting a friendly dog or cat is enough to lower cortisol and increase oxytocin — a hormone linked to bonding, calmness, and trust.9 This is one of the fastest and most accessible ways to buffer cortisol spikes, especially if you feel isolated or overstimulated by daily demands.10

• Blue light exposure after sunset disrupts your body’s hormonal clock — Staring at phones or tablets at night keeps your brain locked in daytime mode. Blue light suppresses melatonin (your sleep hormone) and increases cortisol at exactly the wrong time. Shut off screens at least 60 minutes before bed or use blue-light blocking glasses to minimize the damage. Also opt for warmer, dimmer lighting in your home as it gets dark.

• Even food choices influence your cortisol rhythm — Fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, and sauerkraut are helpful for stress because they support gut health. Gut bacteria are directly linked to your brain’s emotional center, so improving your digestion improves how you process stress. Staying hydrated also helps — dehydration is a common trigger for temporary cortisol spikes, especially in the afternoon slump.

• Doing what you enjoy resets your stress response naturally — Whether it’s gardening, painting, or listening to music, joy acts as a cortisol buffer. Your body isn’t wired to stay in survival mode when you’re actively engaged in something meaningful. Fun isn’t optional — it’s a necessary signal that tells your brain you’re safe again.

Simple Steps to Reset Cortisol and Calm Your Stress System

If your stress feels like it’s running the show, you’re not imagining things — chronically high cortisol throws off everything from your mood to your metabolism. But it’s not permanent. You can reset your body’s stress response by making small, consistent changes that address the root cause: a nervous system stuck in overdrive, poor blood sugar control, and an overloaded lifestyle.

Whether you’re exhausted, wired, or feeling like your body just isn’t recovering like it used to, these are the steps I recommend to restore balance and help your body flush excess cortisol naturally. Here’s how to start:

1. Eat enough healthy carbs to stop cortisol spikes — If you’ve been cutting carbohydrates, your body is stuck in a stress pattern. Cortisol rises every time your blood sugar dips too low, so increasing healthy carbohydrate intake helps lower cortisol levels. Start by aiming for 250 grams of carbs per day, which supports sustained metabolic health and ensures that your mitochondria function efficiently.

Prioritize easy-to-digest options like fruit and white rice. When your gut is ready, meaning no bloating and no irregular bowel movements, gradually add in root vegetables, then legumes, additional vegetables, and well-tolerated whole grains.

2. Cut back on endurance exercise and overtraining — If you’re doing long cardio sessions, distance running, or frequent high-intensity interval training, you’re telling your body it’s constantly under threat. That pushes cortisol higher. Switch to shorter, gentle strength training, walking, dancing, or swimming. If you feel worse after a workout instead of better, that’s your body telling you it’s time to pull back.

3. Reset your nervous system with breathwork and rhythm — Use breathing techniques like the 4-7-8 method or a parasympathetic sigh to shift your body out of fight-or-flight mode. The 4-8 breathing technique — inhale for four seconds, pause, then exhale slowly for eight — also stimulates your vagus nerve and quickly lowers cortisol, guiding your body into a calmer, more restorative state.

This isn’t just mental — it’s physical. The longer your exhale, the more your vagus nerve activates, which tells your whole body, “You’re safe.” Do this before bed, when you’re feeling overwhelmed, or after meals to support digestion and hormone balance.

4. Make sleep non-negotiable — and fix your light exposure — Your cortisol rhythm depends on your circadian clock. That means getting bright morning sunlight and avoiding screens and dimming lights after sunset. Keep your bedtime and wake-up time as consistent as possible. If you’re dragging during the day, don’t depend on coffee — look at your sleep first. Rest is not a luxury. It’s how your body resets and clears out stress hormones.

5. Use natural progesterone to calm your brain and body — Natural progesterone is one of the most effective and affordable ways to bring your stress hormones back under control. Unlike synthetic progestins, natural progesterone is a hormone your body already recognizes and responds to. It acts directly as a cortisol blocker, helping lower the amount of cortisol circulating in your bloodstream and dialing down the stress response at its source.

FAQs About Cortisol

Q: What is cortisol, and why is it harmful when it’s too high for too long?

A: Cortisol is your body’s primary stress hormone. It’s designed to help you respond to immediate danger by raising blood sugar, blood pressure, and alertness. But when cortisol stays high for extended periods — due to ongoing stress, poor sleep, or overtraining — it disrupts nearly every system in your body. Long-term high cortisol contributes to belly fat, blood sugar imbalances, weakened immunity, sleep problems, and even muscle loss.

Q: How do I know if my cortisol is too high?

A: Common signs of chronically high cortisol include feeling wired but tired, difficulty falling asleep, belly fat that won’t budge, sugar and salt cravings, frequent illness, and irritability. You might also notice thinning hair, blood sugar crashes, or anxiety. These symptoms often worsen over time if the underlying stress isn’t addressed.

Q: What lifestyle habits help lower cortisol naturally?

A: Gentle daily habits like walking, breathwork (such as the 4-7-8 method), consistent sleep routines, and eating healthy carbohydrates all help your body reset cortisol levels. Avoiding blue light at night, reducing caffeine, and making time for joy or relaxation — like spending time with pets or enjoying hobbies — are also effective tools to calm your stress response.

Q: Why is sleep so important for cortisol balance?

A: Cortisol follows a daily rhythm — it should be highest in the morning and lowest at night. Poor or irregular sleep reverses that rhythm, making it harder for your body to recover and regulate inflammation. A fixed bedtime, morning sunlight, and avoiding screens at night help restore this natural cycle so cortisol doesn’t stay elevated after dark.

Q: How does natural progesterone help bring stress hormones back into balance?

A: Natural progesterone is a safe, effective, and affordable way to lower excess cortisol. It works as a direct cortisol blocker, reducing the amount of this stress hormone circulating in your system. Unlike synthetic progestins, natural progesterone supports your body’s own hormone rhythms without adding to the burden.

Posted in Cortisol, Sleep, Sunlight | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: April 1, 2026

Hydrogen-Rich Water Reduces Cravings, Improves Sleep, and Raises GLP-1 in Obese Adults


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/03/31/hydrogen-rich-water.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     March 31, 2026

hydrogen rich water

Story at-a-glance

  • Drinking hydrogen-rich water daily for eight weeks reduced food cravings, improved sleep quality, and increased GLP-1, helping your body naturally regulate hunger, and fullness without strict dieting
  • The biggest appetite changes occurred in physical hunger signals, meaning you feel less driven to eat even when food is available, making it easier to stay in control without relying on willpower
  • Sleep improvements included falling asleep faster, fewer nighttime disruptions and better daytime energy, which directly supports healthier food choices and metabolic stability
  • Hydrogen works at the cellular level by improving energy production, reducing oxidative stress, and restoring communication between your gut and brain, which resets how your body manages hunger and energy
  • Supporting this process with the right habits — including hydrogen-rich water, avoiding seed oils, daily sunlight, and proper carbohydrate intake to restore butyrate and GLP-1 signaling — helps correct the root cause of cravings and metabolic dysfunction

If you’re battling constant cravings, broken sleep, and the feeling that your body is working against you no matter what you try — the problem isn’t willpower. It’s disrupted biology. Appetite dysregulation, poor satiety signaling, and sleep disturbances create a self-reinforcing cycle that no amount of discipline can override, because the signals telling you to eat, stay awake, and store fat are coming from inside your own cells.

A clinical trial from the University of Novi Sad in Serbia shows that a single, simple intervention — drinking hydrogen-rich water daily for eight weeks — shifted multiple systems tied to that cycle at once.1 Cravings dropped. Sleep improved. The appetite hormone GLP-1 increased.

And none of it required strict dieting, exercise programs, or medications. The findings reveal a change in how the body produces energy, manages stress, and communicates hunger signals — which sets the stage for understanding exactly how hydrogen-rich water works inside your body.

Hydrogen Water Shifts Hunger, Sleep, and Metabolism at Once

The study, published in the journal Medicina, followed 36 adults with obesity to determine how hydrogen-rich water affects appetite, sleep, body composition, and key metabolic markers like GLP-1, a gut-derived hormone that signals fullness to your brain and helps regulate blood sugar by slowing digestion and reducing appetite — the same hormone targeted by popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic.2

Participants consumed 1 liter per day, split into three doses, delivering a total of 15 milligrams (mg) of molecular hydrogen, while a control group drank identical-looking water with no hydrogen. The design was randomized, placebo-controlled, and double-blind, meaning neither participants nor researchers knew who received the active treatment, which strengthens the reliability of the findings.

• Hydrogen group experienced measurable changes in cravings, sleep, and hormones — The group drinking hydrogen-rich water showed significant reductions in food cravings, improvements in sleep quality, and increases in GLP-1 levels compared to the control group. These weren’t vague or subjective shifts alone.

Researchers used structured tools like the Food Cravings Questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to quantify changes in hunger and sleep patterns. At the same time, blood tests confirmed biochemical improvements, including cholesterol optimization and hormone changes tied directly to appetite control.

• Cravings dropped in a way you can actually feel day to day — One of the most striking findings involved appetite. The hydrogen group saw a meaningful reduction in total food cravings score, dropping by about 7.4 points compared to just 1.3 points in the control group.

That difference reflects fewer intrusive thoughts about food, less emotional eating, and better control over when and how much you eat. If you often feel like hunger drives your choices instead of the other way around, this is the exact shift that changes your daily experience.

• The strongest appetite changes showed up in physical hunger signals — Hydrogen-rich water had its biggest impact on cravings as a “physiological state,” meaning actual bodily hunger rather than habit or emotion.

This includes the internal signals that tell you to eat even when you’ve already had enough. When those signals calm down, you stop fighting yourself. Instead of relying on willpower, your body starts cooperating.

• Sleep improvements extended beyond just feeling rested — Participants didn’t just report better sleep in general terms. Specific areas improved, including how quickly they fell asleep, how often they woke up, and how they functioned during the day. Better sleep latency means you fall asleep faster.

Reduced disturbances mean fewer interruptions overnight. Improved daytime function means more stable energy and focus. When sleep improves across all these areas, your metabolism stabilizes, and your appetite becomes easier to manage.

• GLP-1 increased, directly changing how full you feel — Hydrogen-rich water significantly increased circulating GLP-1 levels compared to the placebo group, with a statistically meaningful effect size. When this hormone rises, you feel satisfied sooner and stay full longer. This is the same pathway targeted by many weight-loss drugs, but here it’s influenced through a simple dietary intervention.

Why Hydrogen Works Quickly and Targets the Root Cause of Cravings

All of these changes occurred within just eight weeks, with participants maintaining over 97% adherence to the protocol. That high compliance matters. It shows the intervention was easy to follow and fit into daily routines. You’re not looking at an extreme lifestyle overhaul. You’re looking at something that integrates into your current habits without friction.

• Women showed even stronger responses in key areas — Subgroup analysis revealed that many of the improvements, especially in cravings and GLP-1 levels, were more pronounced in women.

This suggests a biological sensitivity that could relate to hormonal differences, appetite regulation pathways, or metabolic factors. If you struggle with persistent cravings despite doing everything “right,” this finding highlights that your biology isn’t working against you permanently. It can shift.

• Hydrogen calms the cellular damage that drives false hunger signals — At a deeper level, hydrogen acts as a signaling molecule in your body, not just a passive substance. It influences pathways related to oxidative stress, which is the buildup of cellular damage from unstable molecules. When oxidative stress drops, the cells responsible for hunger and energy signaling can finally communicate clearly — so your brain gets accurate information about when you actually need food.

• Gut-brain communication plays a central role — Hydrogen influences the gut–brain axis — the communication network between your digestive system and your brain. Much of this signaling travels through the vagus nerve, a physical nerve pathway that runs from your brainstem down to your gut, carrying messages in both directions.

When hydrogen improves the chemical environment in your gut, clearer signals travel up this nerve to your brain, including the hormones and metabolites that tell you whether you’re genuinely hungry or already full.

• Neurotransmitters tied to cravings are directly affected — Researchers also identified changes in the glutamate-GABA-glutamine cycle, a brain chemistry loop that balances two opposing signals. Glutamate is the “fire up” signal that makes you alert and reactive; GABA is the “calm down” signal that keeps your responses in check.

When this balance is off, every food cue hits harder — the smell of bread, the sight of a snack — and cravings dominate your thinking. Hydrogen helped stabilize this cycle, meaning food stimuli lose their outsized grip on your attention.

• Cellular energy production improves at the same time — Hydrogen supports mitochondrial function, your cells’ energy production system, by acting as a selective antioxidant inside the mitochondria themselves. Your mitochondria generate energy through a chain of chemical reactions, and oxidative damage jams that chain at multiple points.

Hydrogen specifically neutralizes the most aggressive free radicals that cause that damage, without disrupting the beneficial ones your cells need for normal signaling. When this energy production system runs cleanly, your body stops relying on constant food intake as a backup fuel source.

How to Use Molecular Hydrogen to Fix Cravings and Restore Metabolic Control

Taken together, these mechanisms explain why the study participants didn’t just see one number change on a blood test — they felt different day to day. Their hunger quieted. Their sleep deepened. Their energy stabilized. The science points to a body that was finally producing energy efficiently, communicating accurately between gut and brain, and no longer flooding itself with false hunger signals.

That understanding matters, because it tells you exactly where to intervene. The steps below are designed to support each of these mechanisms directly — starting with hydrogen-rich water and extending into the dietary and lifestyle factors that determine whether your cells can actually use it.

1. Use hydrogen-rich water the right way — Drop one hydrogen tablet into a glass of room-temperature water and drink it immediately after it fully dissolves and turns cloudy. That cloudy appearance tells you the hydrogen gas is active and ready to work. Look for tablets that generate 8 to 10 parts per million (ppm) of hydrogen and are independently tested for purity.

Timing matters. Drink it right away, because hydrogen escapes quickly once dissolved. Avoid swallowing the tablet directly and don’t drink any remaining undissolved pieces. The reaction that releases hydrogen produces heat, and taking it dry risks burning tissue in your mouth, throat, or stomach. These tablets are designed to react in water, not inside your body.

2. Build consistency, then cycle your intake to stay responsive — Use hydrogen-rich water daily during periods when cravings, fatigue, or stress are high. Once your appetite and sleep stabilize, take short breaks for a few days or a couple of weeks. This keeps your body responsive instead of adapting and dulling the effect. Think of it the way you’d cycle any training stimulus — you want your metabolism to stay responsive, not adapted.

3. Eliminate the factors that block your cellular energy — If you consume seed oils, you’re working against yourself. Soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, and similar vegetable oils flood your cells with linoleic acid (LA), a polyunsaturated fat that destabilizes mitochondrial membranes and increases oxidative stress. Replace these oils with stable saturated fats such as grass fed butter, ghee or tallow.

At the same time, remove ultraprocessed foods and most restaurant meals, since these almost always contain high amounts of seed oils. Your goal is to bring daily LA intake below 5 grams and ideally closer to 2 grams. To track your intake, download the upcoming Mercola Health Coach app, which includes the Seed Oil Sleuth feature that calculates LA exposure with precise accuracy.

4. Use sunlight to recharge your cellular energy daily — Get direct sun exposure every day, especially earlier in the day. Sunlight drives energy production at the cellular level and helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. If your body is full of LA from years of seed oil consumption, your skin is more prone to burning during midday sun.

Avoid sunlight from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until you’ve reduced seed oils for at least six months, focusing instead on morning and late afternoon light. Once your tissues are free from these unstable fats, you’ll tolerate more sun safely. Over time, this strengthens your energy production and supports better appetite control.

5. Rebuild your metabolism by restoring butyrate and GLP-1 signaling — Your gut bacteria convert carbohydrates into short-chain fatty acids like butyrate. Butyrate acts as a fuel for your colon cells and plays a direct role in regulating appetite hormones. When your gut produces enough butyrate, natural GLP-1 secretion works properly, which improves satiety, stabilizes blood sugar, and supports healthy weight regulation.

Start with easy-to-digest carbs like whole fruit and white rice, then slowly increase fiber as your gut heals to avoid excess endotoxin production. Pair this with adequate protein, about 0.8 grams per pound of lean body mass (or 1.76 grams per kilogram), and make one-third from collagen-rich sources like slow-cooked meats or bone broth. When this system is working, your hunger signals normalize and your body stops pushing you to overeat.

FAQs About Hydrogen-Rich Water, Cravings, and Metabolism

Q: How does hydrogen-rich water reduce cravings?

A: Hydrogen-rich water works by improving how your body regulates hunger signals at the cellular level. In the study, participants experienced a measurable drop in cravings, especially physical hunger signals, not just emotional eating. This shift happens because hydrogen supports better communication between your gut and brain and helps normalize appetite hormones like GLP-1.

Q: What is GLP-1 and why does it matter for weight control?

A: GLP-1 is a hormone released in your gut that tells your brain you’re full and helps regulate blood sugar. When GLP-1 levels increase, you feel satisfied sooner and eat less without forcing it. This is the same hormone targeted by drugs like Ozempic, but in this case, your body increases it naturally.

Q: How quickly do the benefits of hydrogen-rich water show up?

A: The study showed noticeable improvements in just eight weeks. Participants reported better sleep, reduced cravings and improved metabolic markers within that timeframe. Because the approach fits easily into daily routines, adherence stayed above 97%, which means the results came from consistent, realistic use.

Q: Does hydrogen-rich water help with sleep as well as appetite?

A: Yes. Participants fell asleep faster, woke up less often and functioned better during the day. Better sleep directly supports appetite control because poor sleep increases hunger hormones and weakens decision-making around food.

Q: Why does gut health matter for controlling cravings and GLP-1?

A: Your gut bacteria produce compounds like butyrate when they break down carbohydrates and fiber. Butyrate fuels your colon cells and helps regulate GLP-1 production. When this system works properly, your body naturally controls hunger, improves insulin sensitivity and supports healthy weight regulation without relying on willpower.

 

– Sources and References

Posted in Food, GLP-1, Gut, Hydrogen, Linoleic Acid, Obesity, Sleep, Weight Loss | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: March 24, 2026

This Simple Nighttime Habit Could Increase Your Glaucoma Risk


Reproduced from original article: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/03/23/glaucoma-risk-sleep-and-eye-pressure.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     March 23, 2026

glaucoma risk sleep and eye pressure

Story at-a-glance

  • Glaucoma is an asymptomatic eye disease that quietly damages the optic nerve; it’s the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, affecting over 80 million people
  • A study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology explored whether using pillows that elevate the head during sleep could affect eye pressure in people with glaucoma
  • Sleeping too little or too long, especially when combined with excess body weight, may increase your risk of glaucoma
  • Statin use may raise glaucoma risk, with studies showing higher odds even when cholesterol levels are well-managed
  • You can start taking care of your vision by doing simple eye exercises, avoiding seed oils, choosing foods that benefit your eyesight, spending enough time in the sun, quitting smoking, and establishing healthy routines

Many Americans today are willing to spend money on a good night’s sleep. Case in point: In 2023, the U.S. home-bedding market reached $25.7 billion,1 a sign of just how important bedtime comfort has become, and pillows play a big role in it. They’re easy to replace, and with specialty and luxury options costing $30 to $300,2 it’s no surprise that people try different types to see what helps them rest better.

But even seemingly harmless habits can have unintended consequences. When something as simple as a pillow starts affecting the body in ways most people never consider, it’s worth paying attention — especially for older adults who are keeping an “eye” on their health.

A Closer Look at Glaucoma

Glaucoma, often called a “silent thief,” is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, affecting about 80 million people and rising3 with aging populations. Most people do not notice early changes because glaucoma usually develops without pain or overtly visible symptoms.

• How glaucoma starts — The disease progresses when fluid pressure rises inside the eye — a condition called ocular hypertension — and gradually crushes the delicate fibers of the optic nerve. Peripheral vision declines first, followed by central vision as glaucoma advances.

• Groups who face higher risk — The risk rises for individuals over age 40, especially those with Black or Hispanic heritage, and with a family history of glaucoma or ocular hypertension, diabetes, high blood pressure, myopia, prolonged steroid use, previous eye injuries or surgeries, and conditions such as pigment dispersion syndrome.

• Available treatment options — Aside from relieving pressure in the eye, treatment options include prescription eyedrops or oral medications, laser procedures, surgical drainage techniques, and supportive nutritional approaches. Regular eye exams are also important, because optic nerve damage cannot be reversed.

Can Sleeping with Fewer Pillows Be Good for Your Eyes?

A 2024 observational study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology4 examined how sleeping position affects intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular blood flow in people with glaucoma.

Researchers followed 144 adults with various types of glaucoma and measured their intraocular pressure (IOP) every two hours over a 24-hour period while sitting, lying flat, and lying down with two pillows (also labeled as the high-pillow position) elevating the head by an angle between 20 and 35 degrees. The study evaluated changes in IOP, ocular perfusion pressure (OPP), which refers to the net blood pressure driving oxygen into the eye, and jugular vein blood flow to assess how pillow use influences nighttime eye health.5,6

• Stacked pillows significantly increased eye pressure — When participants slept with two pillows, average IOP rose from 16.62 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) to 17.42 mmHg, an increase of approximately 1.6 mmHg; 67% of patients experienced a measurable increase in pressure, and IOP fluctuations were greater during pillow use.

• Pillow use reduced blood flow to the eye — OPP dropped from 58.71 to 54.57 mmHg when participants used the high-pillow position. That means less fuel reaching the optic nerve precisely when nighttime repair should be happening.

Lower OPP indicates reduced delivery of oxygen and nutrients to eye tissues, which increases vulnerability to tissue damage from poor blood supply.

• Neck flexion from pillows impaired venous drainage — Imaging studies in 20 healthy volunteers showed that stacked pillows narrowed the jugular vein and altered blood flow dynamics. This suggests that neck bending compresses venous outflow pathways, thereby limiting drainage of aqueous humor — the clear fluid that nourishes the eye and maintains pressure balance — and venous blood from the eye, contributing to IOP elevation.

• Younger adults and primary open-angle glaucoma patients were most affected — Subgroup analysis revealed that younger participants and individuals with primary open-angle glaucoma experienced greater increases in IOP with pillow use. This indicates that certain patient populations may be more sensitive to postural changes during sleep.

• Sleep posture matters — For glaucoma patients, avoiding sleeping positions that flex the neck or compress the jugular veins may help reduce nighttime IOP spikes. While further research is needed, these findings suggest that modifying a simple nightly habit could support long-term eye health and serve as an easy, nondrug strategy for protecting the optic nerve.

• Findings are preliminary and require confirmation — As an observational study, causality cannot be completely established, and researchers recommend conducting more research on this topic.

“Traditional strategies of nocturnal IOP management are primarily limited to increasing the types and frequency of IOP-lowering medications or supplementary laser therapy. Given the well-documented influence of postural changes on IOP, positional modification emerges as a plausible strategy warranting further investigation,” the authors noted.7

The featured study shows that how you sleep matters — but additional research also suggests that how long you sleep, especially if you carry excess weight, may independently affect eye pressure.

Too Much Sleep or Extra Weight May Strain Your Eyes

A population-based study published in Medicine8 examined whether nightly sleep duration is associated with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and whether body weight modifies this association. Researchers used data from Korea’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and looked at 9,410 adults aged 40 and older who completed health interviews, medical testing, and comprehensive eye examinations.

The subjects were grouped based on their sleep duration: less than five hours, five to six, six to seven, seven to eight, eight to nine, and nine or more hours. The researchers also diagnosed OAG using international criteria focused on optic-nerve structure and visual-field loss.

• Short and long sleep were tied to higher glaucoma prevalence — The data showed a U-shaped pattern, meaning risk is higher at both extremes and lower in the middle. In plain terms, people sleeping less than five hours had the highest prevalence, followed by those sleeping nine or more hours. Adults in the seven-to-nine-hour range had the lowest prevalence.

• Overweight adults faced the strongest association — Among participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher, sleeping less than seven hours or nine or more hours significantly increased the odds of glaucoma compared to adults with a lower weight.

• Abdominal obesity followed the same U-shaped curve — In people with larger waistlines, glaucoma prevalence was highest among very short and very long sleepers, especially at nine or more hours. The pattern was not observed among participants without abdominal obesity, suggesting that central adiposity is a key amplifier of sleep-related eye risk.

• Melatonin disruption may be a key factor — The authors propose that abnormal sleep duration may reduce melatonin, a hormone that regulates circadian rhythms, protects retinal cells from oxidative stress, and has been shown to lower IOP. Reduced melatonin may impair optic nerve resilience, especially in metabolically vulnerable individuals.

• Long sleep may increase nighttime blood pressure drops — Extended sleep may worsen nocturnal hypotension, which has been linked to the progression of normal-tension glaucoma by reducing blood flow to the optic nerve during sleep.

• The results can be a wake-up call — Despite the study’s limitations, the authors acknowledged that self-awareness about your sleeping patterns may help mitigate your glaucoma risk. “These findings suggest that approaches specific to individual sleep patterns and body types may be helpful in the management of glaucoma,” they concluded.9

What You Should Know About Statins and Eye Health

Statins are widely prescribed for lowering cholesterol levels, and millions of adults take them daily to supposedly reduce cardiovascular risk. But emerging research suggests these medications have unintended effects on eye health, particularly when it comes to glaucoma.

• Statin use was linked to more glaucoma diagnoses — A 2024 study published in Ophthalmology Glaucoma analyzed health records from 79,742 adults age 40 and older with high cholesterol in the All of Us (AoU) Research Program. After accounting for age, sex, and medical factors, the researchers found that statin users had a 13% higher likelihood of having glaucoma than non-users.10

• The increased risk was most pronounced even when LDL cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”) was well-controlled — Statin users with optimal LDL levels (less than 100 milligrams per deciliter) had a 39% higher likelihood of glaucoma, while those with high LDL levels (160 to 189 mg/dL) had a 37% higher likelihood. This pattern suggests that the elevated glaucoma risk may stem from the statins themselves, not from poorly managed cholesterol.

• Age amplified the association — Adults aged 60 to 69 who used statins showed a 28% higher likelihood of glaucoma, indicating mid-to-late adulthood may be a particularly sensitive window for eye-related effects.

• What this may mean for patients — The findings suggest that statins, cholesterol levels, and age may interact in ways that influence glaucoma risk. While statins remain popular for managing cardiovascular health — a practice I don’t recommend due to its well-documented side effects — the study highlights the need for individualized monitoring, especially in older adults or those with additional glaucoma risk factors.

As concerns grow about medication-related eye effects, many people are exploring nondrug approaches to visual health, including relaxation-based methods and solutions that involve improving one’s nutrition.

The Bates Method for Better Eyesight Without Glasses

The Bates Method11 is one of the most enduring approaches to natural vision improvement. First introduced in 1919 by Dr. William H. Bates, an American ophthalmologist, the method was based on his belief that eye strain and not structural defects caused most vision problems.

Today, this method continues to attract interest from those exploring alternatives to glasses, especially among advocates of relaxation-based wellness. Many natural health teachers and vision coaches continue to adapt Bates’ ideas today. In fact, author Aldous Huxley famously credited the method with helping his vision.

• The method focuses on tension, not eye strength — Rather than treating blurry vision as a problem of weak muscles, the Bates Method encourages mental and physical relaxation to reduce chronic eye tension. Core practices aim to soften focus habits, restore natural eye movement, and build visual awareness without relying on corrective lenses.

• Palming is a foundational relaxation technique — One of the most well-known Bates practices, palming involves gently covering the closed eyes with the palms to block out light and encourage relaxation. Practitioners typically hold this position for a few minutes, allowing eye muscles and the nervous system to settle before returning to visual tasks.

• It’s often confused with vision therapy — The Bates Method emphasizes “eye exercises,” particularly eye movement and shifting focus, which superficially resemble techniques used in vision therapy. However, vision therapy is a clinically supervised, medically supervised approach used to treat conditions such as amblyopia (lazy eye) or convergence insufficiency.

• This method is still taught today through Bates Method International — Bates’ ideas carry on through organizations such as Bates Method International,12 which teaches relaxation-based techniques derived from his original work and from his book “The Bates Method for Better Eyesight Without Glasses.”

While controlled studies have not confirmed that the Bates Method can reverse myopia or astigmatism, many people report subjective improvements in visual comfort, reduced strain, and greater awareness of visual habits.

Using DMSO for Your Eyes

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is an “umbrella remedy” with a unique affinity for the eyes. It has been used to treat a range of visual disorders — even cases of vision loss where conventional therapies have failed. DMSO’s potent anti-inflammatory effects make it useful for difficult eye conditions like iridocyclitis13 and uveitis,14 while also breaking up adhesions (synechia) that worsen these issues.

• It may reduce IOP and protect the optic nerve — Glaucoma involves progressive optic nerve degeneration, commonly linked to elevated IOP, impaired fluid drainage — including within the cornea15 — or elevated intracranial pressure.

•It may work when eyedrops or surgeries don’t — DMSO can stabilize proteins and solubilize misfolded ones, allowing it to reduce pathologic deposits such as floaters and cataracts.

• DMSO is supported by animal studies — In rabbits, a DMSO-brinzolamide gel lowered IOP without toxicity.16 Another study found that DMSO alone was effective in lowering pressure as well.17

In their Substack page, “The Forgotten Side of Medicine,” A Midwestern Doctor shares numerous testimonies from patients who’ve benefitted from using DMSO,18 many of whom had reported eyesight improvements after using this compound.

“I am two months into using 99.9% pharmaceutical-grade DMSO for loss of vision due to glaucoma … I haven’t been able to read letters in over two years with that eye. This week, I can now begin to see specific letters and numbers on my computer and the television screen,” one patient reported.19

Note: DMSO needs to be used responsibly. Only 99.9% pharmaceutical-grade DMSO should be used near the eyes and always diluted to safe concentrations. Always consult a knowledgeable practitioner before beginning use.

Other Ways to Protect Your Vision

While conventional treatments like glasses and eyedrops remain essential in many cases, there are also simple, research-backed strategies you can start using today to further support your eye health. In addition to rethinking your pillow choices, also consider the following strategies:

1. Cut out harmful seed oils from your diet — Seed oils — soybean, canola, safflower, sunflower — are loaded with linoleic acid (LA), a polyunsaturated fat (PUF) that, in excess, can impair mitochondrial energy production. Since the optic nerve is one of the most energy-demanding tissues in the body, mitochondrial dysfunction there may accelerate damage.

You can lower your exposure by replacing seed oils with more stable, nourishing fats such as beef tallow, grass fed butter, coconut oil, or ghee. For optimal health, aim to keep daily LA intake below 5 grams, ideally closer to 2 grams. To easily track your intake, sign up for the Mercola Health Coach app when it becomes available. It includes the Seed Oil Sleuth feature, which helps monitor your LA consumption to a tenth of a gram.

2. Get enough safe sunlight — Early-morning sunlight helps your mitochondria generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the fuel every cell in your body depends on. Try to expose your skin and eyes to gentle morning light each day. Hold off on midday sun until you’ve removed seed oils from your diet for at least six months.

3. Recover with rest and routine — Your eyes manage stress, including pressure changes, more effectively when your daily routines are steady. Maintaining a regular sleep and meal schedule helps maintain circadian rhythm, which affects IOP stability and nighttime repair processes in the optic nerve.

In the evening, dim the lights after sunset and limit screen time. Gentle lighting prompts your body to relax, boosts melatonin production, and promotes better sleep quality.

4. Explore vision-friendly herbs — Bilberry and ginkgo biloba20 have both shown promise in supporting circulation to the eye, strengthening capillaries, and fighting oxidative stress.

5. Quit smoking — Cigarette smoke creates high levels of oxidative stress and damages retinal blood vessels. Smoking significantly increases your risk of developing cataracts, macular degeneration, optic nerve damage, and even heart disease. Quitting is one of the best things you can do for your eyes and your entire body.

6. Stay active — Avoiding prolonged sitting and adding regular activity improves circulation, flexibility, and metabolic health. Brisk walking, gentle cycling, or swimming at least three times per week can help support optic-nerve resilience and reduce glaucoma-related risk factors.21

7. Boost your melatonin levels — In addition to regulating sleep, this hormone is also involved in regulating eye pressure. In a small 1988 study,22 doses as low as 0.2 mg of melatonin reduced eye pressure for up to four hours. While this remains early evidence, it aligns with the broader finding that healthy melatonin rhythms support nighttime eye repair.

If you’re considering supplementation, discuss low-dose melatonin use with your eye care provider, as most commercially available supplements are formulated at higher doses for sleep support rather than eye-specific outcomes.

8. Take lutein and zeaxanthin — These carotenoids concentrate in the retina and lens, filtering harmful blue light and protecting against oxidative stress. They’ve been shown to reduce the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.23 Leafy greens, bell peppers, and pastured egg yolks are great sources.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Glaucoma Risk and Eye Health

Q: Why is glaucoma often called the “silent thief of sight”?

A: Glaucoma usually develops without pain or early visual symptoms. Optic nerve damage often progresses slowly, affecting peripheral vision first, which many people don’t notice until irreversible vision loss has already occurred.

Q: Can sleeping position really influence eye pressure?

A: Yes. A study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology found that sleeping with two pillows raised IOP and reduced blood flow to the eyes in people with glaucoma. Neck flexion may impair venous drainage, allowing pressure to build overnight.

Q: How does body weight affect glaucoma risk?

A: Excess body weight and abdominal obesity appear to amplify the effects of abnormal sleep on eye pressure and optic nerve stress. In overweight individuals, both short and long sleep durations were strongly linked to higher glaucoma prevalence.

Q: What role does melatonin play in eye pressure?

A: Melatonin helps regulate circadian rhythms and has been shown to lower IOP. Research indicates that small doses of melatonin can reduce eye pressure for several hours, while disrupted sleep or excessive light exposure may impair this protective effect.

Q: Can lifestyle changes really help protect vision?

A: Yes. Reducing seed oil intake, quitting smoking, getting regular exercise, supporting circadian rhythms with morning sunlight, and eating nutrient-dense foods rich in lutein all support optic nerve health and blood flow to the eyes.

Posted in Glaucoma, Linoleic Acid, Sleep | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: March 7, 2026

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Linked to Energy Metabolism and Immune Dysfunction


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/03/05/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-energy-metabolism-immune-dysfunction.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     March 05, 2026

chronic fatigue syndrome energy metabolism immune dysfunction

Story at-a-glance

  • Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), affects 2 million Americans with debilitating fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and cognitive problems. New research links this condition to mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired cellular energy production
  • Studies show ME/CFS patients struggle to produce adequate energy through normal pathways
  • The condition compromises immune function by reducing natural killer (NK) cells and dendritic cells, leaving the body with diminished defense capabilities and increased vulnerability
  • Blood vessel function suffers when cellular energy drops, causing circulatory problems like poor oxygen delivery, dizziness, and cold extremities that worsen overall fatigue
  • Recommended strategies include reducing seed oil consumption, supporting gut health with whole foods, exercising to generate new mitochondria, and prioritizing restorative sleep

Americans report high rates of chronic fatigue, but myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), represents a distinct, clinically defined disease that affects a small subset of the population rather than a diagnosis that explains widespread tiredness. Around 2 million people currently have ME/CFS, which is characterized by crushing fatigue that does not improve with rest, plus post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep, pain, and cognitive problems, such as brain fog.1

The exact cause of ME/CFS remains unknown. Research suggests that the condition can follow certain triggers, including acute viral infections and severe physical or psychological stress, but no single cause has been identified. In recent years, several studies have reported abnormalities in mitochondrial function and energy metabolism in people with ME/CFS, suggesting a possible role for disrupted ATP production.

Immune Cells Show Clear Signs of Energy Overload

A study published in Cell Reports Medicine examined how ME/CFS is linked to a failure in cellular energy production. For the analysis, the researchers looked at an array of biomarkers, including immune cell metabolism, immune cell composition, and blood makeup.2

The study population included 61 individuals who met strict diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS, meaning they had long-standing fatigue, profound crashes following physical or mental effort, unrefreshing sleep, and cognitive problems.

• There is an ATP imbalance — The study found that adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) — two forms of energy molecules that rise when the cell exhausts adenosine triphosphate (ATP) — were elevated in ME/CFS patients. To put that into perspective, ATP is your body’s ideal energy format, whereas ADP and AMP are the substrates for ATP synthesis. If your body begins to use these, the energy you’re using is substandard.

• A theory on how cellular energy production is compromised — The researchers believe that those with ME/CFS have trouble producing enough energy due to an obstacle in the production chain. While their findings aren’t solid enough to propose a definite conclusion, here’s what they theorized:3

“The elevated NAD+ [nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide] levels observed in PBMCs [peripheral blood mononuclear cells], together with the increased AMP and ADP, suggest that NAD+ is not being efficiently reduced to NADH [nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide + hydrogen] to drive ATP synthesis through oxidative phosphorylation.

This impaired reduction of NAD+ to NADH may also help explain the observed inverse correlation between plasma AMP and PBMC ATP levels, although this finding requires further study.”

• Another major finding involved the natural killer (NK) cells — The researchers also discovered changes in the balance of immune cell types, including a reduction in certain mature dendritic cells and terminal NK cells. These normally help coordinate immune responses and act as a first line of defense.

When the population of NK cells drops, the immune system loses some of its agility and responsiveness. This means the fatigue you’re feeling is not only about energy loss — your immune system shifts into a pattern that reflects reduced readiness.

• Blood tests paint a more complete picture — The team reported higher levels of proteins associated with thrombus formation and altered vascular reactivity in the ME/CFS group. For context, thrombus means blood clot formation, and vascular reactivity reflects how blood vessels respond to signals that regulate tightening and relaxation.

When these protein levels rise, it suggests the lining of the blood vessels is under strain, which disrupts healthy circulation. For someone with ME/CFS, that could mean poor oxygen delivery, dizziness upon standing, and cold extremities.

• The study highlighted where the largest metabolic imbalances appeared — Individuals with the most altered ATP-to-ADP ratios tended to show larger distortions in immune cell composition. That suggests a link between energy depletion and immune exhaustion. If the immune system lacks energy, its cells lose the ability to mature properly or carry out normal defense tasks.

In addition, the vascular protein shifts closely aligned with the energy imbalance. When cellular energy drops, blood vessel function suffers. When this happens, the delivery of nutrients and oxygen is affected. This creates a loop that leaves the entire body underpowered.

• The biological mechanisms behind these findings trace back to disrupted ATP production — Normally, mitochondria generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation, a process that depends on oxygen, nutrients, and intact cellular machinery.

When ATP falls and ADP or AMP rises, the cell enters a state of metabolic stress. Here, the cell may shift into emergency survival mode instead of normal function. That shift drains resilience, reduces cellular performance, and leaves tissues — especially the immune system and blood vessels — operating at a deficit.

• Another mechanism involves immune maturation — Dendritic cells and NK cells rely on ATP to fuel activation, communication, and response signaling. When ATP drops, these cells lose their functional sharpness. The study found this exact pattern: fewer mature cells and more signs of immune imbalance.

• Mechanistic hallmarks of ME/CFS — Although the paper did not measure symptom improvement over time, it did compare variables to determine which markers best distinguished ME/CFS participants from healthy controls.

A statistical model that incorporated metabolic markers, immune shifts, and vascular proteins reliably separated the two groups. This includes an abundance of AMP and ADP. In addition, the immune system is skewed towards less mature pathogenic fighters, alongside a lower population of NK cells.

Energy Deficits Push the Immune System Toward Burnout

In a related study published in Biomolecules, researchers showed how energy metabolism and immune function interact in ways that worsen symptoms of ME/CFS over time. Here, they used a broad body of evidence to map out how energy shortages inside cells feed directly into immune dysfunction, especially immune senescence and immune exhaustion.4

• Mitochondrial dysfunction stands at the center of this illness — However, the study adds something new to the conversation. In particular, the researchers noted that those with ME/CFS have compromised levels of carnitine, which is needed for fatty acid oxidation and energy metabolism.

Moreover, the researchers noted that this chemical helps maintain integrity of the mitochondria and reduce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The image below provides an overview of their hypothesis:

compromised levels carnitineSource: Biomolecules. 2025 Mar 1;15(3):357

• The link to viruses — The paper identifies striking parallels between ME/CFS and chronic viral infections. In chronic viral states, the immune system fights for long periods without rest. Over time, some immune cells lose function and responsiveness through a process called cellular senescence, a state in which cells remain alive but no longer divide or respond effectively to threats. And when this reaches a chronic state, ME/CFS pathology occurs.

• Immune function breaks down — The immune system in people with ME/CFS shifts into a dysfunctional state. Similar to the previous study, they have altered NK cell function, changes in cytotoxic T cells, and persistent immune activation patterns that resemble those seen with unresolved infections.

• How energy metabolism and immune regulation are linked — The researchers argue that mitochondrial defects impair the immune system’s internal communication network. In addition, the same dysfunction creates a bottleneck for immune activity itself. In other words, your cells do not produce enough energy to meet the demands of immune signaling, repair, or defense.

• ME/CFS displays patterns of metabolic inflexibility — Cells struggle to switch between energy pathways or ramp up ATP production during stress. When your cells cannot adapt, even minor activity can produce a disproportionate crash. The featured study highlights published literature showing impaired energy production and utilization.

• Immune exhaustion driven by chronic metabolic strain — The paper explains that persistent energy deficits interfere with immune cell communication and their ability to generate powerful responses. When immune cells lack ATP, they lose the ability to proliferate, secrete cytokines, or kill infected targets effectively.

Strategies to Reclaim Your Energy and Live Life to the Fullest

If you’re low on energy, the solution isn’t drinking more coffee or energy drinks. It lies in your mitochondria, which has been compromised to such a point that it can’t function properly anymore. That said, I’ll be releasing a new book soon, “Cancer Cure,” which explores what changes occurred in our society today that resulted in a dramatic rise in metabolic dysfunction among millions of Americans.

The book will also discuss several strategies that can help you regain your cellular energy and improve your quality of life. Here are some of my recommendations:

1. Reduce linoleic acid (LA) intake — One of the reasons why you’re feeling fatigued is excess intake of LA, one of the most prominent toxins in the Western food supply. In fact, I’d go so far as to rank it above refined sugar, although that plays a role, too.

The reason why I’m saying this is because excess LA generates reactive byproducts that eventually suppress immune behavior, as well as damaging your mitochondria. So, get rid of any foods you have that contain LA, which are mainly seed oils — soybean, corn, cottonseed, canola, sunflower, and grapeseed.

In a previous article, I mentioned that modern Western diets now contain 15 to 25 grams of LA daily, which is a far cry from the estimated 2 to 4 grams that pre-industrial populations consumed.

In light of this, I recommend you keep your LA intake below 5 grams a day; if you can keep it below 2 grams, that’s even better. To track the LA in your food, sign up for the upcoming Mercola Health Coach app. It contains a feature called the Seed Oil Sleuth, which calculates daily LA consumption to a tenth of a gram. Swap LA-rich seed oils for healthier saturated fats like grass fed butter, ghee, tallow, and coconut oil.

2. Familiarize yourself about sources of LA — You’ll find LA not just in cooking oil sold in grocery stores. They’re found in most ultraprocessed foods, so it’s important to read through the ingredient list of whatever you’re buying.

In addition, it would be wise to minimize the times you eat in restaurants or order takeout. Unless strictly stated otherwise, it’s safe to assume that all the food cooked in these establishments use seed oils.

LA also is found in conventionally raised chicken and pork due to the ultraprocessed nature of their feed. Prioritize beef, lamb, bison, and other ruminants, which are likely to have lower LA levels.

3. Support your immune cells at the mitochondrial level — When ATP runs low, immune cells can’t communicate, divide, or kill threats efficiently. Several natural compounds have shown promising effects in boosting mitochondrial resilience and NK cell performance:

• Beta-glucans from yeast and mushrooms wake up your immune system by activating macrophages and NK cells.

• PQQ, found in papaya and green tea, sparks the production of new mitochondria and protects them from oxidative wear and tear.

• Urolithin A, a gut-derived compound from pomegranates, recycles defective mitochondria to keep your cellular engines running clean.

• Polyphenols like quercetin, fisetin, curcumin, and resveratrol scavenge harmful free radicals and reduce inflammatory suppression of NK cells.

In preclinical studies, when NK cells were given a combination of these compounds — delivered via nanoliposomes that targeted mitochondria directly—their killing capacity jumped five to tenfold. Instead of exhausting after five to ten kills, these cells could eliminate 30 to 50 targets before tiring out.

4. Repair your gut — Aside from your mitochondria, LA also wrecks your gut microbiome, which plays an extensive role in your health, including energy metabolism.5

Gut repair requires adequate carbohydrate intake to support intestinal cells and microbial balance. Your gut lining relies on glucose as a primary fuel, and insufficient carbohydrate intake can slow repair and weaken barrier integrity. Most adults need at least 250 grams of carbohydrates per day, adjusted for activity level and metabolic status. This intake supports gut repair, thyroid signaling, and overall energy balance.

Begin with well-tolerated carbohydrate sources such as sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash, ripe fruit, and cooked white rice. These foods supply glucose while being lower in fermentable substrates. Add high-fiber foods slowly if gut health remains poor. Large amounts of fiber can intensify bloating, cramping, and constipation when intestinal permeability or dysbiosis persists. In this phase, prioritize digestible carbohydrates first and increase fiber only in small, gradual steps as tolerance improves.

As epithelial integrity strengthens and immune signaling stabilizes, fiber tolerance will improve as well. At that point, a broader range of fiber-rich foods can support short-chain fatty acid production and long-term resilience.

5. Exercise with restraint and precision — Your immune system relies on cytotoxic T lymphocytes and NK cells to remove damaged or dysfunctional cells. In ME/CFS, immune signaling, mitochondrial output, and energy recovery all falter, which changes how your body responds to physical stress. So, conventional exercise advice does not apply here.

High-intensity or endurance exercise often worsens symptoms and can trigger post-exertional malaise, a hallmark feature of ME/CFS. Rather than restoring immune function, excessive exertion can deepen mitochondrial injury and prolong recovery.

The goal is not fitness training. The goal is cellular signaling without metabolic overload. Most ME/CFS researchers emphasize gentle, low-stress movement that respects your available energy. Appropriate options include slow walking, light stretching, yoga, tai chi, and short bouts of resistance exercise that use body weight or very light loads.

Time and intensity matter more than duration. Many patients tolerate exercise best in intervals lasting seconds to a few minutes, followed by full recovery. Heart-rate monitoring and pacing strategies help you stay below your anaerobic threshold, which lowers the risk of symptom relapse. As mitochondrial function and autonomic balance improve, capacity often expands gradually.

Progress depends on consistency, recovery, and restraint, not intensity. Any program should adapt to daily energy limits rather than fixed schedules or goals.

6. Get restorative sleep — This is another cornerstone of health that’s often overlooked. In the case of people diagnosed with ME/CFS, research shows that sleep habits are often compromised — longer sleep onset latency and reduced sleep efficiency are common occurrences.6

When you get proper sleep, your body undergoes crucial repair processes. In particular, sleep allows your immune system to rest, allowing optimal surveillance in the long run against wayward cells that contribute to fatigue.

If you’re having a hard time sleeping, there are many strategies to help you. Read “Sleep — Why You Need It and 50 Ways to Improve It.” There, I also go over the science on what happens to your body while you rest, as well as the consequences of insufficient sleep.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Mitochondrial Function

Q: What is ME/CFS, and how common is it?

A: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) affects approximately 2 million Americans. It’s characterized by crushing fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest, post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep, pain, and cognitive problems like brain fog.

Q: What does new research reveal about the underlying cause of ME/CFS?

A: Research found that ME/CFS patients have elevated adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) — energy molecules that accumulate when cells exhaust their primary energy source, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) — suggesting the body struggles to produce adequate cellular energy.

Q: How does ME/CFS affect the immune system?

A: Patients have reduced populations of natural killer (NK) cells and dendritic cells, both critical for immune defense. Because immune cells depend on ATP to function, energy deficits cause immune exhaustion and reduced ability to fight infections.

Q: Why do ME/CFS patients often experience circulatory symptoms like dizziness and cold extremities?

A: Studies found elevated proteins associated with blood clot formation and altered vascular function. When cellular energy drops, blood vessel function suffers, impairing oxygen and nutrient delivery throughout the body.

Q: What lifestyle strategies may help improve cellular energy production?

A: Recommendations include reducing linoleic acid intake (found in seed oils) to below 5 grams daily, optimizing gut health with fiber-rich whole foods, exercising according to ability to stimulate new mitochondria production, prioritizing restorative sleep, and supporting your immune cells at the mitochondrial level with natural compounds such as beta-glucans, PQQ, urolithin A, and polyphenols.

 

Posted in ATP, Chronic Fatigue, Energy, Exercise, Gut, Immunity, Mitochondria, NAD+, Sleep, Virus | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: February 9, 2026

How Your Sleep Patterns Shape Eye Health Over Time


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/02/07/sleep-and-eye-health.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     February 07, 2026

sleep and eye health

Story at-a-glance

  • Sleep acts as a nightly repair cycle for your eyes, helping regulate eye pressure, tear balance, immune defense, and retinal cleanup that protect vision over time
  • Irregular or fragmented sleep disrupts your eyes’ internal timing, allowing inflammation, dryness, and visual strain to build even if you eat well and stay active
  • Circadian rhythm controls when eye tissues repair and defend themselves, and disrupted sleep timing weakens this protection long before obvious eye disease appears
  • Sleep apnea places extra stress on your eyes by reducing oxygen delivery and disturbing sleep, increasing the risk of optic nerve damage, retinal changes, and surface eye problems that often go unnoticed early
  • Consistent sleep timing, controlled light exposure at night, deep uninterrupted sleep, morning light, and habits that keep your airway open work together to restore your eyes’ natural resilience and long-term health

Sleep takes up nearly a third of your life, yet it’s usually framed only as a tool for energy or mood. You’ve probably blamed your tired, gritty eyes on too much screen time or dry office air. But what if the real culprit is what happens — or doesn’t happen — while you sleep? Your eyes don’t simply rest at night. They run a complex repair program that clears waste, rebalances chemistry, and resets defenses.

When that program gets interrupted, the effects show up the next morning as strain, dryness, and fatigue — and over years, as real disease risk. What most people don’t realize is that your eyes depend on sleep as a structured repair window — not passive rest, but active maintenance. When that window is disrupted, visual systems begin operating without their normal overnight recovery, allowing small stresses to accumulate instead of clearing away.

Many people eat well, stay active, and still experience eye irritation, visual fatigue, or subtle declines in clarity. Fragmented or irregular sleep helps explain that disconnect. Without consistent, restorative sleep, your eyes lose an essential opportunity to recalibrate, leaving them more sensitive to daily strain and environmental stressors.

Scientists now understand sleep as the conductor that keeps your eyes’ repair crews, pressure regulators, and immune defenders working in sync. When sleep quality or timing falters, those systems fall out of alignment, increasing vulnerability long before obvious disease appears.

At the center of this relationship is circadian rhythm — the internal timing system that dictates when repair and protection occur. When that rhythm slips, eye resilience weakens. Recognizing how sleep timing governs eye function sets the foundation for understanding why sleep patterns shape eye health so powerfully at a biological level.

Sleep Runs Your Eyes’ Repair and Defense Systems

Research published in Visual Neuroscience analyzed the relationship between sleep, circadian rhythms, and ocular health by synthesizing findings from human and animal studies published over the past decade.1

Rather than focusing on one disease, the researchers evaluated how sleep quality influences the stability of eye tissues, eye pressure, tear balance, immune activity, and retinal function. The goal was to map how normal sleep supports eye maintenance and how disrupted sleep shifts the eye toward dysfunction.

The research discussed findings from healthy adults, older adults, shift workers, and individuals with sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea. Across these groups, poor sleep quality, fragmented sleep, or circadian misalignment consistently correlated with measurable changes in eye physiology. These changes showed up as altered eye pressure patterns, unstable tear film chemistry, heightened inflammation, and impaired retinal repair.

• Sleep stabilizes pressure inside your eyes overnight — The review showed that intraocular pressure follows a predictable daily rhythm tied to sleep stages, with higher values at night that normalize during daytime activity. Think of your optic nerve as a delicate cable carrying visual signals to your brain. When eye pressure fluctuates unpredictably — spiking higher than normal or failing to drop when it should — it’s like repeatedly squeezing that cable.

Over months and years, this mechanical stress damages the nerve fibers, gradually narrowing your field of vision. When sleep is disrupted, this rhythm breaks down, leading to larger pressure swings. That means more mechanical stress on the optic nerve over time, especially if sleep loss becomes chronic.

• Another major finding involved tear production and surface comfort — During sleep, your closed eyelids create a sealed, humid chamber that nearly halts tear evaporation, giving the eye surface hours of uninterrupted recovery time.

Simultaneously, your nervous system shifts from its daytime “fight or flight” mode into “rest and repair” mode, which changes how immune cells behave. Instead of staying on alert for external threats, immune cells in your tear film switch to active cleanup and tissue maintenance.

Sleep deprivation disrupts both sides of this system. The eye surface loses its protected recovery window, and immune activity stays stuck in daytime vigilance mode rather than shifting to repair. The result is reduced tear secretion, altered tear chemistry, and conditions that mimic dry eye disease — where the eye surface stays irritated, inflamed, and poorly lubricated even during waking hours.

• Your retina relies on internal clocks to coordinate waste removal and repair — Each day, the light-sensitive cells in your retina generate molecular debris, like exhaust from a running engine. During sleep, specialized cells act like a cleanup crew, digesting and removing this waste.

Your retina depends on circadian rhythms to time this cleanup process. Without proper alignment, the debris accumulates and creates oxidative stress — damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals — increasing the risk of retinal degeneration over time.

• Melatonin emerged as a central regulator of eye protection — The review highlighted melatonin as more than a sleep hormone. In your eye, melatonin helps lower intraocular pressure, limits oxidative damage, and protects retinal and optic nerve cells. Poor sleep or late-night light exposure suppresses melatonin release, which removes these protective effects precisely when eye tissues rely on them most.

• Circadian clocks inside eye tissues coordinate repair timing — Your cornea, lens, retina, and ciliary body — a ring of muscle behind your iris that pumps fluid into your eye and adjusts your lens for focusing, much like the autofocus mechanism in a camera — each contain internal clocks that regulate cell division, antioxidant activity, and immune responses.

Sleep synchronizes these clocks. When sleep timing shifts, repair processes become mistimed, leaving tissues more vulnerable to injury and slower to recover. This is why consistency matters as much as total hours — your eyes need the timing to be predictable, not just the duration.

• Sleep loss pushes your eyes into a low-grade inflammatory state — Your immune system doesn’t just fight infections — it also drives the low-grade inflammation behind many chronic eye conditions.

The researchers found that sleep deprivation increases neutrophil activity and inflammatory signaling in eye tissues. While brief immune activation helps defend the eye, chronic activation works against you: delaying healing, degrading tissue integrity, and leaving eyes persistently red, uncomfortable, and slow to recover from daily strain.

The eye’s delicate structures — particularly the cornea and retina — have limited ability to tolerate ongoing inflammation. Unlike skin, which heals quickly from minor irritation, eye tissues respond to chronic inflammation by forming scar tissue, losing transparency, or accumulating damage to irreplaceable nerve cells. This is why low-grade inflammation that might go unnoticed elsewhere in the body quietly degrades vision over time.

The review also compared total sleep deprivation, fragmented sleep, and circadian misalignment. Fragmented sleep — waking repeatedly through the night — hit tear film stability hardest, leaving eyes dry and irritated. Circadian misalignment — sleeping at the wrong times — had larger effects on eye pressure and retinal function. This explains why a shift worker and an insomniac might both have tired eyes, but for different biological reasons.

Sleep Apnea Leaves Fingerprints on Your Eyes

While the Visual Neuroscience review mapped how sleep governs eye maintenance broadly, a second review zeroed in on a specific threat: what happens when breathing problems fragment your sleep night after night.

In a review published in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology, researchers explained that sleep supports basic eye maintenance: your closed eyelid acts as a physical barrier, and rapid eye movement helps normal fluid transfer that is thought to support corneal nourishment during prolonged closure.2 When sleep is disrupted, that nightly “maintenance window” becomes less reliable, and the review frames sleep as a real variable in eye-disease risk — not just a lifestyle detail.

• Obstructive sleep apnea showed the most consistent links to specific eye diseases — The review emphasized obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), meaning repeated pauses in breathing or overly shallow breathing during sleep due to upper-airway resistance. Across the literature, the researchers reported consistent evidence of higher risk for:

◦ Floppy eyelid syndrome — A condition where the upper eyelids become unusually loose and rubbery, causing them to flip inside-out during sleep

◦ Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) — A sudden loss of vision caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve

◦ Diabetic macular edema — Fluid buildup in the central retina that blurs the sharp, detailed vision you need for reading and recognizing faces

◦ Other retinal blood-vessel changes in people with OSA

• Early eye changes showed up before clear disease diagnoses — Rather than focusing only on who had glaucoma, many studies looked at early warning signs, such as eye pressure, blind spots in side vision, and the thickness of the nerve layer that carries visual signals from the eye to the brain.

The review reported that people with sleep apnea tended to have a slightly thinner nerve layer — by about 2 to 4 microns — compared with people without sleep apnea. To put this in perspective, the retinal nerve fiber layer is typically about 90 to 100 microns thick. A 2 to 4 micron reduction might sound trivial, but research suggests that even small, early thinning can predict who will develop vision loss years later.

In a separate analysis of more than 800 healthy young adults, those with sleep apnea showed a similarly small thinning in specific areas. The practical takeaway: measurable damage accumulates for years before it crosses the threshold doctors call “disease” — which is why addressing sleep problems early protects vision you can’t get back.

• Some eye conditions showed stronger links, but treatment adds complexity — The review found consistent evidence that sleep apnea is linked to a much higher risk of NAION. At the same time, treating sleep apnea is not always simple for eye health.

CPAP therapy helps breathing during sleep, but it doesn’t address the underlying causes of sleep apnea. It also raises eye pressure and can irritate your eyes if the mask leaks air toward them. If you use CPAP, work with your sleep specialist to ensure proper mask fit, and mention any eye irritation or pressure symptoms to your eye doctor so they can monitor for changes.

You can also consider mandibular advancement devices. These are custom-fitted mouthpieces designed to move the lower jaw slightly forward while you sleep. This forward positioning helps keep the tongue and soft tissues from collapsing into the airway, reducing breathing interruptions.

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Simple Ways to Protect Your Eyes by Fixing Sleep at the Root

If your eyes feel dry, strained, or tired — or if long-term vision health is a concern — sleep deserves attention before temporary fixes like eye drops and screen filters. Sleep sets the timing for eye pressure control, tear balance, immune defense, and retinal cleanup.

1. Lock in a consistent sleep schedule to stabilize eye pressure — Your eyes benefit when sleep happens at the same time every night. Go to bed and wake up within the same 30 to 60 minutes daily, including weekends. This consistency keeps your internal clock aligned, which helps stabilize fluid flow and pressure inside your eyes. When schedules shift constantly, pressure swings grow larger and place more strain on the optic nerve.

2. Protect melatonin by controlling light after sunset — Melatonin acts as eye protection, not just a sleep signal. After dark, dim overhead lights and avoid bright screens close to bedtime. Nighttime melatonin helps lower eye pressure, reduce oxidative stress, and protect retinal and optic nerve cells. Late-night scrolling or bright indoor lighting suppresses melatonin and removes that layer of protection.

3. Prioritize deep, uninterrupted sleep over total hours — Eight hours in bed does not equal eight hours of repair if sleep is fragmented. Deep sleep is when retinal waste clears, tear chemistry resets, and inflammation settles. Keep your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet. Frequent awakenings leave eye tissues in a stressed, inflamed state the next day.

4. Use morning light to reset your eye clocks — Natural morning light anchors circadian timing. Getting outside soon after waking — even for 10 to 20 minutes — tells your brain and eyes when the day begins. That strong daytime signal sharpens nighttime melatonin release later, which strengthens overnight repair inside your eyes.

If outdoor morning light isn’t possible — during winter months or for those with mobility limitations — a 10,000-lux light therapy box positioned about 16 to 24 inches from your face for 20 to 30 minutes can provide a similar circadian signal. Regular indoor lighting is too dim to have this effect.

5. Reduce nighttime airway collapse by fixing the habits that drive sleep apnea — Lifestyle habits directly influence airway stability during sleep. Breathing through your nose rather than your mouth supports proper oxygen delivery and keeps the airway more stable. Excess weight around your neck and upper airway increases tissue pressure, so even modest fat loss improves apnea severity.

Sleep position matters as well: back sleeping allows your tongue and soft palate to fall backward, narrowing airflow, while side-sleeping, stomach-sleeping, or elevating your upper body helps keep the airway open. Avoid alcohol and smoking, which relax and inflame airway tissues and make collapse more likely.

You can also try orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT), which involves doing targeted exercises that strengthen and retrain the muscles of the mouth, tongue, face, and throat. OMT helps correct tongue posture, promotes nasal breathing, and supports healthier chewing, swallowing, and overall airway function. Those with mild to moderate sleep apnea often benefit from this, as it creates lasting structural improvements without the need for devices or surgery.

Warning signs that warrant a sleep study include loud snoring, gasping awake at night, morning headaches, and daytime sleepiness despite adequate time in bed. If you experience unexplained eye pressure changes, sudden vision loss, or chronic dry eye that doesn’t respond to treatment, ask your doctor whether a sleep evaluation makes sense.

FAQs About Sleep and Eye Health

Q: How does sleep affect eye health beyond feeling rested?

A: While you sleep, your eyes run a maintenance program: stabilizing pressure, rebalancing tear chemistry, calming inflammation, and clearing the day’s cellular debris from your retina. When sleep is irregular or fragmented, these systems fall out of sync, allowing strain and damage to build over time instead of clearing overnight.

Q: Why can eye problems show up even if I eat well and exercise?

A: Healthy daytime habits don’t replace the repair work that happens during sleep. Without consistent, restorative sleep, your eyes miss their main recovery window, which increases sensitivity to strain and raises vulnerability to irritation, visual fatigue, and eye disease.

Q: What role does circadian rhythm play in vision?

A: Circadian rhythm is the internal clock that times when eye repair and protection occur. When sleep timing shifts, repair processes become mistimed, pressure control weakens, and inflammation rises, reducing your eye’s ability to recover and protect itself.

Q: How is sleep apnea connected to eye disease?

A: Sleep apnea disrupts oxygen delivery and sleep quality, which affects eye pressure, blood flow, and inflammation. Research links it to higher risk of conditions such as optic nerve damage, retinal swelling, and surface eye disorders, often before clear symptoms appear.

Q: What sleep habits most strongly protect long-term vision?

A: Keeping a consistent sleep schedule, limiting light exposure at night, prioritizing deep uninterrupted sleep, getting morning light, and addressing habits that worsen sleep apnea all support your eyes’ natural repair rhythm and help preserve vision over time.

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Posted by: | Posted on: January 22, 2026

Parkinson’s Disease Is Rising and Lifestyle Choices Play a Major Role


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/01/22/parkinsons-disease-prevention-lifestyle.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     January 22, 2026

parkinsons disease prevention lifestyle

Story at-a-glance

  • Parkinson’s disease is rising rapidly worldwide, and most cases are driven by lifestyle and environmental stressors rather than genetics, meaning daily choices play a powerful role in risk and progression
  • The disease often begins years before diagnosis, with early signs like poor sleep, digestive issues, anxiety, and fatigue signaling stress on your brain long before tremors appear
  • Chronic inflammation, toxin exposure, poor sleep, and metabolic strain weaken dopamine-producing neurons, but improving sleep, movement, diet, and stress regulation slow this damage
  • Supporting gut health, reducing exposure to environmental toxins, and maintaining steady energy through proper nutrition help protect your brain and preserve mobility and cognition
  • Consistent habits that lower stress, improve sleep quality, encourage movement, and support vitamin D balance give your brain the conditions it needs to stay resilient over time

Parkinson’s disease is no longer a rare neurological condition tucked into the background of aging. It is now one of the fastest-growing brain disorders worldwide, with cases projected to more than double in the coming decades. In the U.S. alone, more than 1 million people already live with Parkinson’s, and globally the number has climbed into the tens of millions.1

This disease is characterized by the gradual loss of dopamine-producing neurons, which leads to tremors, slowed movement, stiffness, balance problems, and a long list of non-motor symptoms that often appear years earlier. What often surprises people is that Parkinson’s doesn’t begin in your hands or even your brain. It frequently starts in your gut or progresses due to a disrupted sleep cycle.

Early signs include constipation, impaired sleep, anxiety, depression, and a reduced sense of smell. These changes quietly unfold long before a diagnosis, which means many people are already deep into the disease process before they realize anything is wrong. Left unaddressed, Parkinson’s steadily erodes independence, mobility, and quality of life.

What shifts this conversation is the growing evidence that Parkinson’s is not simply a genetic fate. Environmental exposures, lifestyle habits, and daily biological stressors strongly shape how the disease develops and how fast it progresses. Neurologists studying Parkinson’s now describe it as a whole-body condition involving your gut, immune system, and energy-producing cells, not just a brain disorder.

This shift opens the door to action. If environmental stress, sleep disruption, poor diet, and inactivity accelerate disease processes, then reversing those stressors becomes a form of protection. That’s where the research begins to converge, pointing toward practical changes that influence how your brain ages and how resilient it remains over time.

Parkinson’s Is No Longer Rare or Random

Global Parkinson’s disease cases are projected to exceed 25 million by 2050, according to a CNN report.2 This growth is not driven primarily by aging populations alone. Rather, a pattern points to environmental and lifestyle stressors playing a central role in disease development.

While the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons disrupts movement, balance, and coordination, dopamine also governs motivation, attention, and emotional regulation. This explains why many people experience mood changes, fatigue, and cognitive decline long before tremors appear. This reframes Parkinson’s as a whole-body condition rather than a movement disorder alone.

• Environmental exposure is a central driver of risk — Genetics account for only about 10% to 15% of Parkinson’s cases, while environmental exposures do the rest. These include pesticides, industrial solvents like the dry cleaning chemical trichloroethylene (TCE), air pollution, and contaminated water.

Dr. Michael Okun, codirector of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, explains that these exposures quietly damage mitochondria, the energy centers of cells, which weakens neurons over time and makes them vulnerable to degeneration.

• Daily exposure adds up, even when it feels harmless — Repeated low-level exposure to toxins — through drinking water, food, and air — creates a constant biological burden. Over time, this burden disrupts cellular energy production and increases inflammation, especially in your brain. This helps explain why Parkinson’s often develops slowly and silently over decades rather than appearing suddenly.

• Lifestyle factors directly influence how fast the disease progresses — Movement, sleep quality, and environmental chemicals directly affect symptom severity. Regular movement activates dopamine circuits and supports brain resilience. Poor sleep interferes with your brain’s waste-removal system, allowing toxic proteins to accumulate. Cleaner air and water reduce the chemical stress that accelerates neuronal damage.

• Parkinson’s is not an unavoidable outcome of aging — Parkinson’s prevention and progression are shaped by daily choices that either reduce or intensify biological stress. Protecting brain health doesn’t require extreme measures.

It requires reducing toxic exposure, prioritizing restorative sleep, and supporting movement every day. These steps directly influence the same biological pathways that drive Parkinson’s progression, giving you meaningful control over your neurological future.

Lifestyle Choices Actively Shape Parkinson’s Progression

A review published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine analyzed a wide body of research focused on how lifestyle factors shape Parkinson’s disease outcomes.3 The researchers evaluated evidence across sleep quality, diet, stress management, and physical activity to determine which behaviors meaningfully change symptom severity and disease trajectory.

Rather than viewing Parkinson’s as a fixed neurological decline, this paper frames it as a condition strongly shaped by modifiable factors. The review examined adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, including individuals experiencing both motor symptoms like stiffness and slowness, and non-motor symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue, and cognitive strain. This shows that lifestyle changes remain effective even after diagnosis, offering tools for symptom control rather than false hope.

• Sleep quality was one of the strongest predictors of symptom severity — Up to 88% of people with Parkinson’s experience sleep disturbances, and the review showed that poor sleep worsens both movement and non-motor symptoms.

When sleep breaks down, your brain’s ability to repair itself weakens, leading to greater fatigue, slower thinking, and worsening motor control. Improving sleep hygiene — consistent schedules, light exposure control, and minimizing nighttime disruption — was linked to measurable improvements in daily function.

• Diet quality directly influenced how quickly symptoms progressed — Healthy dietary patterns were associated with slower disease progression. These diets emphasize whole foods, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats, which support brain metabolism and reduce inflammatory stress. In contrast, diets high in processed foods and low in nutrient density were linked to faster functional decline.

• Gut health emerged as a central driver of neurological change — The researchers highlighted how gut inflammation and microbial imbalance worsen Parkinson’s progression through the gut-brain axis. When your gut lining is inflamed, inflammatory signals travel to your brain and accelerate damage to dopamine-producing cells. This explains why digestive symptoms often appear years before motor symptoms and why diet has such a strong effect on neurological health.

• Exercise showed consistent, measurable benefits across multiple domains — Regular physical activity improved motor control, balance, and quality of life, with structured programs lasting at least 12 weeks showing the strongest effects.

Aerobic movement, resistance training, and coordinated movement practices all enhanced brain signaling and physical function. The benefits were not limited to mobility; cognition and mood improved as well. Exercise increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that supports neuron repair and communication.

• Stress management directly influenced disease severity — Psychological stress was linked to higher inflammation and faster symptom progression. Interventions such as mindfulness, structured routines, and cognitive behavioral strategies reduced stress hormones that damage neurons. This reinforces the idea that emotional strain directly translates into biological strain in Parkinson’s disease.

Individuals who adopted multiple lifestyle changes at once — improving sleep, diet, and movement together — experienced greater symptom relief than those who focused on a single intervention. This layered effect highlights how systems in your body work together rather than in isolation.

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Practical Ways to Lower Your Parkinson’s Risk and Slow Progression

If you want to protect your brain long term, this is where your daily choices start to matter most. Parkinson’s doesn’t appear overnight. It builds quietly through repeated stress on your nervous system, especially from inflammation, poor sleep, environmental toxins, and metabolic strain that interferes with mitochondrial function.

The good news is that those same pathways can be stabilized and strengthened. What follows focuses on actions that directly reduce the biological drivers discussed earlier and give your brain the best chance to stay resilient.

1. Protect your sleep as if it were medicine — If your sleep is fragmented or short, your brain doesn’t get the chance to clean itself. Deep sleep is when your brain flushes out toxic proteins that otherwise accumulate and damage dopamine-producing cells. Treat sleep as a nightly detox process. Make your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet.

Stop screen exposure at least an hour before bed. Keep a consistent sleep and wake time, even on weekends. If you wake often or feel unrefreshed, that’s a signal your brain’s cleanup system is falling behind. Improving sleep directly improves brain resilience and slows neurological decline.

2. Lower your daily toxic load to protect brain energy — If you’re breathing polluted air, drinking contaminated water, or eating chemically treated foods, your nervous system stays under constant attack. You can reduce that burden by using filtered water, improving indoor air quality with an air purifier, and choosing whole foods with minimal chemical exposure.

This reduces the stress placed on your mitochondria, the structures that power your brain cells. When mitochondrial energy improves, nerve cells become more resistant to degeneration and inflammation drops.

3. Move your body in ways that wake up your nervous system — You don’t need extreme workouts to help your brain. Consistent movement activates dopamine circuits and strengthens communication between brain cells. Walking, cycling, resistance work, or gentle coordinated movement like tai chi all help. If you feel stiff, slow, or unsteady, that’s your cue to move more, not less. Regular movement tells your brain that your body is still active and worth maintaining, which directly slows functional decline.

4. Support your gut to protect your brain and optimize vitamin D — If your digestion is off, your nervous system pays the price. Inflammation in your gut sends stress signals directly to your brain through the gut-brain connection. To heal your gut, avoid ultraprocessed foods, including seed oils high in linoleic acid (LA), and increase easy-to-digest carbs like whole fruit and white rice to calm gut irritation and restore energy.

As digestion improves, slowly bring back root vegetables, then legumes, and later whole grains. Aim for around 250 grams of healthy carbs each day so your cells have enough fuel. When your gut heals, beneficial bacteria produce butyrate, a short-chain fat that strengthens your gut lining, supports mood, and calms neuroinflammation.

5. Lower daily stress and optimize vitamin D to protect dopamine pathways — Chronic stress keeps your nervous system locked in survival mode, which accelerates neuron loss. Simple routines that slow your breathing, calm your mind, and create predictability reduce stress hormones that damage brain cells. Whether that’s quiet time, structured movement, or mindfulness, the goal is to give your nervous system regular signals of safety.

When stress decreases, your brain preserves function longer and symptoms stabilize. It’s also important to get daily sunlight exposure to maintain healthy vitamin D levels, which regulate brain-protective genes and reduce inflammation. Your skin is built to produce vitamin D from sunlight, but when your diet is high in vegetable oils, your tissues accumulate LA, which breaks down easily under ultraviolet light.

As LA builds up, your risk of burning rises, especially during peak sun hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Reducing vegetable oils for at least six months lowers that risk and allows your skin to tolerate sunlight more safely.

When sunlight is limited, vitamin D3 paired with magnesium and vitamin K2 helps support proper absorption and direction of vitamin D, while also reducing the dose you need to maintain healthy levels.4 Testing your vitamin D levels twice a year so you know where you stand. Aim for a range between 60 and 80 ng/mL (150 to 200 nmol/L).

FAQs About Parkinson’s Disease

Q: What actually causes Parkinson’s disease?

A: Parkinson’s develops when dopamine-producing neurons gradually lose function. While genetics play a role in a small percentage of cases, most risk comes from environmental and lifestyle stressors. Long-term exposure to toxins, chronic inflammation, poor sleep, metabolic strain, and impaired mitochondrial function all contribute to the gradual breakdown of these neurons. This is why Parkinson’s is now understood as a whole-body condition, not just a brain disorder.

Q: Why do symptoms often appear years after the disease begins?

A: Parkinson’s develops silently. Long before tremors appear, early changes occur in your gut, sleep cycle, and nervous system. Constipation, sleep disruption, mood changes, and loss of smell often show up years earlier. By the time movement problems appear, neurological damage has already accumulated, which is why early lifestyle support matters so much.

Q: Can lifestyle changes really slow Parkinson’s progression?

A: Yes. Research shows that sleep quality, diet, physical activity, and stress management directly influence how quickly symptoms progress. Improving these areas reduces inflammation, supports mitochondrial energy production, and protects dopamine-producing neurons. People who address multiple lifestyle factors at once tend to experience better function and slower decline than those who focus on only one area.

Q: Why is gut health so important for brain health in Parkinson’s?

A: Your gut and brain are connected through nerves, immune signals, and metabolic pathways. When your gut is inflamed or imbalanced, inflammatory signals travel to your brain and worsen neurological damage. Improving digestion, reducing gut irritation, and supporting beneficial gut bacteria lowers this inflammatory burden and helps protect brain cells.

Q: How do sunlight and vitamin D fit into Parkinson’s prevention?

A: Sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D, which regulates genes involved in brain protection and inflammation control. Adequate vitamin D supports dopamine pathways and neurological stability. When sunlight is limited, vitamin D3 combined with magnesium and vitamin K2 helps maintain healthy levels. Managing vegetable oil intake also matters, since excess LA increases sun sensitivity during peak sun hours.

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