Healing Leaky Brain Syndrome: 5 Natural Solutions

Everyone has days that feel “off.”

Trouble concentrating… moodiness… headaches…

And just that overall feeling that something isn’t quite right. 

There’s nothing serious going on—or is there?

Believe it or not, those seemingly mild symptoms can actually be indicative of something much more serious: leaky brain syndrome. 

But while those three words may sound scary, the truth is that leaky brain syndrome can be more manageable than you’d expect. 

In fact, we have all-natural solutions that’ll bring your brain right back to its optimal health. 

Understanding Leaky Brain Syndrome

Before we dig into leaky brain syndrome and how to heal it, let’s take a closer look at the brain in general. 

Your brain is arguably one of the most important organs in your body. As such, your body does its best to protect it. 

One of these means of protection is the blood-brain barrier, the BBB. 

Your blood contains a number of damaging substances such as heavy metals, chemicals, and toxins. 

To prevent these from injuring your brain, the BBB functions as a single-layered fence or barricade. Its tight junctures keep out harmful substances, such as the ones we already mentioned, while letting in the good stuff—nutrients, hormones, and oxygen. 

Unfortunately, if damaged, the BBB leaves your brain unprotected, resulting in brain inflammation, otherwise known as leaky brain syndrome. 

What Is Leaky Brain Syndrome?

The single layers of the BBB are like a tightly knit mesh, only letting the right (beneficial) substances through. 

However, if the BBB is damaged, the junctions become looser and the now-permeable BBB is unable to do its job effectively. 

Instead of acting as a protective barrier, the larger junctions allow harmful substances to sneak past the BBB and damage your unprotected brain. 

This damage leads to the brain inflammation commonly referred to as leaky brain syndrome. 

Put plainly, a leaky brain occurs when the BBB allows harmful substances to leak into your brain. 

Signs of Leaky Brain Syndrome

Once your brain becomes inflamed, you’ll begin experiencing a number of physical, emotional, and mental effects. 

Here are some of the most common leaky brain symptoms to watch out for. 

• Anxiety
• Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) or Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Autism spectrum disorders
• “Brain fog”
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Cognitive impairment
• Depression
• Difficulty concentrating
• Headaches/migraines that come on suddenly, worsen when you stand, and become more severe throughout the day
• Memory loss
• Mood disorders
• Muscular sclerosis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Schizophrenia
• Seizures

If you notice any of these symptoms, don’t ignore them! Because if left untreated, it could worsen… drastically. 

Long-Term Impact of a Leaky Brain Syndrome

The initial signs of leaky brain syndrome are strong enough to warrant a visit to the doctor. 

And over time, they can become even more intense. 

Here are some conditions that can be caused or worsened by leaky brain syndrome. 

• Severe cognitive issues, including both short- and long-term memory loss and reduced mental ability
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Huntington disease
• Schizophrenia
• Insufficient blood flow/oxygen to the brain 

Given the possible long-term effects of leaky brain syndrome, it’s even more critical to make sure it’s treated properly. 

Causes of Leaky Brain Syndrome

Here’s where things get tricky. 

Some of the very signs that you have leaky brain syndrome can actually be the cause of leaky brain syndrome. It can actually be difficult to distinguish between cause and effect. 

For example, people with leaky brain syndrome might develop depression. But, depression can also cause leaky brain syndrome. 

Here are some of the most common causes of leaky brain syndrome. 

• Alcohol abuse
• Autoimmune disease
• Bacterial infections
• Chronic stress
• Environmental toxins
• Head trauma
• Heavy metals
• High blood sugar
• Lack of sleep
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Oxidative stress
• Poor blood flow to the brain
• Poor dietary choices
• Systemic inflammation (often from an autoimmune disorder)

Let’s take a look at how you might be able to cure leaky brain syndrome by approaching its causes. 

How to Heal Leaky Brain Syndrome

The short and long-term damage caused by leaky brain syndrome can have a huge impact on your health. 

Luckily, it can be healed. 

The best approach here includes a two-pronged attack. 

• On one side, you want to manage the symptoms to regain your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. 
• On the other side, you want to fix your damaged BBB and get rid of leaky brain syndrome. 

Here are some ways to improve leaky brain symptoms, repair the BBB, and eliminate leaky brain syndrome naturally. 

Avoid Environmental Toxins

Leaky brain syndrome begins when the wrong substances pass through a damaged BBB. 

These substances include environmental toxins such as heavy metals, mold, pollution, and more. 

These toxins are increasingly common in food, water, and air, but you can reduce your exposure. And the more you avoid them, the lower their presence in your bloodstream and the less likely they are to affect your brain. 

For example, an air purifier with a HEPA filter can significantly cut down on the mold in your home. And choosing organic cleaning products reduces the number of harmful chemicals you’re exposed to. 

Heal Your Gut

You may be surprised to hear this, but your gut actually plays a huge role in your brain health. 

Your gut and brain are connected by the gut-brain axis, using the vagus nerve. Think of this as an informational highway. The vagus nerve sends signals and stimuli from your brain to your gut and from your gut to your brain. 

This close connection means that what’s going on in one of them will affect the other. If you’re nervous about an important meeting, you might have butterflies in your stomach. On the flip side, if you’re having digestive issues such as diarrhea, you might feel anxiety about being in public. 

This connection also means that their overall health is closely connected. A healthy gut promotes a healthy brain. 

Unfortunately, an unhealthy gut can also cause an unhealthy brain. 

For starters, gut issues can cause inflammation anywhere in your body, including the brain. And as we mentioned before, an inflamed brain is a leaky brain.

Gut issues can also lead to a higher number of toxins in your bloodstream, which, if your BBB is damaged, can result in leaky brain syndrome. 

So how do you heal your gut? 

The key is the proper balance between beneficial (“good”) bacteria and pathogenic (“bad”) bacteria. 

Your digestive tract has a limited amount of space. When the colonies of bad bacteria flourish and multiply, there’s not enough room for the necessary colonies of good bacteria. 

To avoid this condition, known as dysbiosis or an unbalanced gut microbiome, you’ll need to boost the colonies of beneficial bacteria. And the most effective way to achieve this is with probiotics. 

Probiotics are similar or identical to the good bacteria living in your gut. When consumed, they join the colonies of beneficial bacteria, boost their quantity and quality, and crowd out the pathogenic bacteria. 

You’ll find probiotics in certain food and beverages, particularly those that have been through the fermentation process such as kefir milk, kimchi, kombucha, miso, pickles, probiotic yogurts, sauerkraut, and tempeh. 

We also recommend a probiotic supplement. These usually contain a higher number of active probiotic bacteria, so they work faster, and are more effective than the probiotics in food—mainly due to survivability. 

But not all probiotics are created equal. Our favorite probiotic is Just Thrive Probiotic. Thanks to its thick endospore shell, it’s able to safely navigate through the digestive enzymes, stomach acid, bile, and other destructive substances of your digestive system, making it to your gut microbiome alive and ready to get to work. In fact, Just Thrive Probiotic is guaranteed to arrive 100% alive in your gut and has 1000x better survivability vs. leading probiotics. 

Once there, the probiotic supplement adds its strength to that of the beneficial bacteria and helps to repair and rebalance both your gut and your BBB. 

Improve Your Sleep 

One of the best things you can do for your brain health is to make sure that you’re getting enough sleep, which is 7+ hours for adults. 

Several studies show that sleep deprivation can disrupt the blood-brain barrier and lead to leaky brain syndrome. Sleep loss can also cause inflammation, one of the triggers of leaky brain syndrome. 

Here are some ways to make sure you get enough quality sleep. 

• Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on the weekends. 
• Use blackout curtains. 
• Turn off electronics in the evening to avoid sleep disruption caused by blue lights. 
• Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption. 
• If overthinking interrupts sleep, keep a journal by your bed. Write down important thoughts so your brain can rest. 

Make Wise Food Choices

You are what you eat! 

A healthy brain needs the right nutrients. A healthy diet will not only improve the symptoms of leaky brain syndrome, but it can also help you heal the BBB and eliminate leaky brain syndrome completely. 

Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing foods that will heal leaky brain syndrome. 

• Avoid gluten, which is highly inflammatory and can cause many gut issues, and therefore brain issues. 
• Cut back on sugar. High blood sugar contributes to leaky brain syndrome. 
• Eat plenty of essential fatty acids, such as omega-3 fatty acids. These are necessary for brain health. You can find this in avocados, certain types of fish, egg yolks, and most nuts and seeds. 
• Make sure you’re getting all of your macronutrients: protein, carbs, and fats. 
• Get plenty of antioxidants to combat oxidative stress caused by free radicals—one of the causes of leaky brain syndrome.
• Get at least the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins and minerals to boost your overall brain health. 
• Choose organic and non-GMO foods to reduce your exposure to pesticides and other environmental toxins. 

If you’re not sure whether you’re getting enough of the “right” nutrients, work with a dietician, nutritionist, or physician. 

Reduce Stress

Is it any surprise that today’s rush-rush-rush lifestyle has negative health impacts? 

Managing your stress helps with leaky brain syndrome in two ways. 

First, reducing stress can help you lessen leaky brain symptoms, especially anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. 

And, stress reduction is a critical part of healing your gut, which (as explained above) also heals the brain. 

Secondly, the hormones produced by stress can lead to inflammation, one of the big causes of leaky brain syndrome. 

Of course, reducing stress is sometimes easier said than done. Family issues, work, finances, and other stressors might not be completely avoidable. 

When you can’t eliminate stress, here are some ways to reduce it. 

• Stay connected to family and friends.
• Spend time in nature.
• Exercise in moderation.
• Meditate.
• Take care of yourself physically: get enough rest and eat nutritious foods.
• Journal or keep a gratitude journal. 
• Flex your creative muscles; create art or listen to music. 

If your stress is too much to manage on your own, turn to a therapist or counselor for more help. 

Final Thoughts

Hearing the words “leaky brain” can be overwhelming. It’s one of the most important organs in your body, and finding out that it’s anything less than 100% healthy can be scary. 

But leaky brain syndrome doesn’t have to be debilitating or permanent. With a few lifestyle modifications, you can take the reins of your brain health. 

You May Also Like…