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I can't help but imagine that if this is the case then increased water intake (prior to bed or simply throughout the day) would help intercellular water flow. Anyone know anything about drinking water improving sleep quality? Or generally well-informed sources that describe which bodily processes improve when you drink more water?

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I don't have sources at my fingertips. I have done a lot of reading. This process of clearing wastes from the brain during sleep is not news to me. They are talking about the lymphatic system, which is the general waste removal system for the body. For your musculoskeletal system, lymph flow increases dramatically with physical activity. So walking more is really helpful. But the brain is on a separate system and lymph gets cleared by sleep.

I have a serious incurable condition that interferes with, among other things, oils and salts in my body. What I have figured out over the past 14-ish years (since getting diagnosed) is that hydration is not just about how much fluid you take in. Just like you can oil something to protect it from water, oil in the body helps keep water in. And salt and other electrolytes also matter.

There are also other brain chemicals involved in helping modulate the waking and sleeping cycle of the brain, chiefly melatonin and co-q-10. I took lots and lots of co-q-10 to heal my sleep disordered brain after getting off the boatload of prescription drugs that fried it and messed up my ability to sleep.

I sleep a lot better than I used to. I am better hydrated than I used to be. But hydration is not merely a matter of drinking water. There are a lot of other chemical things going on there. But I would agree that proper hydration helps (with sleep, brain function, and general lymphatic processes). Water alone does not get you to proper hydration.

As a note, they are talking about the "glymphatic" system and not the "lymphatic" system. The name is a play on the lymphatic system, but it is specific to the brain.

Another paper by the author cited in the NPR story, is my favorite paper on the system: "The Glymphatic System: A Beginner’s Guide" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25947369

In it, they do not mention melatonin or CoQ10, but norepinephrine as a major regulator of wakefulness. (Although I do take 400 mg a day of the reduced form of Coq10 called Ubiquinol).

What is this condition that you have which has to do with oils and salts? Any links and resources would be of interest to me.

My official diagnosis is atypical cystic fibrosis.

Habitual total water intake and dimensions of mood in healthy young women: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25963107

Effects of changes in water intake on mood of high and low drinkers: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24728141

Beverage consumption habits "24/7" among British adults: association with total water intake and energy intake: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23305461

Nothing specific to sleep I could find.

Anectdotally, I've found that if I drink some electrolyte drink before sleep (Gatorade etc) I seem to sleep better. I haven't managed a consistent sleep pattern/environment to really test it though.

It definitely helps whenever I've simply been drinking beer throughout the day.

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