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9 Retirement Best Practices - Special Report
A perfect retirement looks different to everyone. For some, it’s simple living in a bungalow on a beach, while others envision a globetrotting existence. Many simply want to stay in their long-time home, surrounded by friends and family.
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No matter what your perfect retirement looks like, it’s easier than you think to get there. By focusing on a few key elements of your investing plan, a little re-adjusting today can get you to your dream sooner than you think.
We’ve boiled it down to 9 key things that add up to a healthier investment strategy and safer retirement
1. Diversify your portfolio to help minimize risk and maximize returns
Why it’s important: We’d all love to have been the smart investors who got in early on Apple or Google and held on to this day. Unfortunately, years of analysis on investors, managers, and the market has shown that most investors, including the pros, just aren’t good at picking stocks. Most investors also simply aren’t good at timing or predicting the market. Research from DALBAR shows that investors can essentially be their own worst enemy, typically giving up 4% a year in returns relative to the overall performance of the stock market. 4% may not sound like much, but it equates to losing $10,000 every single year on a $250,000 portfolio!
There’s no need to throw up your hands and assume that investing is too complicated to be worth it. Diversifying your portfolio by holding investments comprised of a wide range of companies and geographies will help you smooth out your returns over time, go a long way toward matching the markets’ performance, and maybe even outperform some of your fellow investors. Diversification is a core tenet of Modern Portfolio Theory, a tried and tested approach to investing, based on Nobel prize winning research, and is used by many portfolio managers. It works on two levels:
1. Asset Class
Different asset classes do well in different situations and they each play a specific role in a portfolio. The main asset classes in which we invest at FutureAdvisor are stocks, bonds, real estate, and inflation protected securities. Together, these offer growth as well as the potential to preserve capital during 1. Diversify your portfolio to help minimize risk and maximize returns Page 4 of 16 9 Core Retirement Tactics To Help You Retire Sooner | FutureAdvisor weaker markets. We often see in the news when the U.S. markets are doing well, but check out this interesting infographic to see how various asset classes stack up over the last 15 years.
2. Geography
The market may be soaring in India, but plummeting in Greece. Broad international exposure can help manage this risk, which should expose you to bull markets wherever they may occur
Here’s the takeaway: When constructing your retirement portfolio, aim to diversify by asset class and geography while
keeping your investing fees low, (more on keeping fees low, next). Unfortunately, many investors
believe they are well diversified but instead have far too much money invested in the U.S., missing out
on global diversification. This phenomenon is known as “Home Bias” and it is exhibited by investors
around the globe. Don’t be one of them!
Curious how diversification could work within your portfolio? For an example of a
personalized allocation based on the above tenets, sign up for free. In less than 2 minutes,
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2. Minimize your investment fees
Why it’s important: You get what you pay for -- right? Actually...it turns out that this isn’t really the case when it comes to investments. A growing body of evidence shows that funds with higher expenses do not, on average, perform better than lower-expense funds. In fact, research indicates the average actively-managed fund performs worse than a low-cost index fund.
Investment fees come in 3 main flavors:
1. Trading Fees.
These are the fees investors are charged when they buy or sell a stock, fund, or other asset. The actual cost can vary greatly, depending on the broker the investor is using, and these fees can add up if an investor is actively trading. Commissions are a large part of trading costs, but bid/ask spreads and the tax implications can also drive up your costs if you trade often.
How to keep trading fees low: Invest using commission-free ETFs offered through brokers like TD Ameritrade, Fidelity, Vanguard, and Charles Schwab. Since ETFs are comprised of a basket of individual stocks, but is traded like a common stock, and has the added benefit of diversification.
These are the fees charged by the managers of the ETFs and Mutual Funds. Fund fees can typically range from 0.2%-2.0%. They are typically comprised of a management fee (what 2. Minimize your investment fees Page 6 of 16 9 Core Retirement Tactics To Help You Retire Sooner | FutureAdvisor they charge for picking the equities which the fund is made up of), administrative costs (what they charge for customer service, record keeping, etc.), and 12B-1 fees (what they charge for advertising the fund to people like you). Some mutual funds also charge load fees when you buy or sell the fund, these have declined in recent years but can average 1% of your investment, ETFs don’t have these load fees.
How to keep fund fees low: Invest using low fee ETFs, instead of higher fee mutual funds. Because ETFs often require significantly less management and sales support, they are less expensive to operate, and that savings is passed on to you.
3. Advisor Fees
These are the fees a financial professional will charge you for providing financial guidance and making trades on your behalf. Most advisors charge their clients based on the amount of assets they are managing for the client. These fees are often 1% or more, and can take a large bite out of your total portfolio assets.
How to keep advisor fees low: If you’re not a DIY’er, and heck, most of us are not - especially when it comes to investing, consider using a digital investment advisor (sometimes referred to as a Robo-Advisor). The advisor fee is often half the cost of a traditional advisor with no downside. Some, like FutureAdvisor, even give you access to a licensed financial advisor on staff if you need hand-holding, or have complex questions. When shopping for a roboadvisor, don’t necessarily go with the cheapest option, after all, this is your nest egg! Be sure you understand what services are being offered and what access to a licensed advisor the company offers. Think about it like this, you wouldn’t go with the cheapest tattoo artist, or heart surgeon, for that matter. Protect your future generations’ wealth with quality advice.
Here's the takeaway: Always pay attention to how much your investments are costing you - after all, your goal in investing is to grow your pool of funds as much as you can. Anything that comes out of your pocket today is money that isn’t available to grow in the future. Compounded over time, fees can make a huge difference in what you have available when it comes time for retirement.
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3. Invest Idle Cash
Why It's Important: Investing on your own can feel overwhelming. When you’re not sure of the best path forward, it may feel like the safest thing to do with your cash is simply nothing, at least until you come across something you feel confident about investing in. Or you may not feel that it’s the right time to enter the market, thinking it’s better to wait for a dip so you can “buy low.” However, the data shows that trying to time the market doesn’t work much better than flipping a coin. If you factor in inflation, it turns out that the S&P 500 has been within 10% of it’s “highest point ever” for over 60% of the time since 1980!
Unfortunately, as you’ll remember from earlier, research has shown that trying to time the market doesn’t work. Instead, make regular contributions to your investment accounts, over time, and as you have excess cash to put to work for you. While it’s impossible to predict the market, at least you’ll avoid the certainty of losing to inflation that comes with keeping money in cash. And since the market generally rises over time, why bet on paying higher prices in the future?
Here's the takeaway: Make sure you set aside enough cash for emergency needs, and invest the rest. Don’t try to time the market.
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4. Consider Rolling Over Your Old 401(k)s
Why it’s important: Quick -- what fund fees are you currently paying for the money you have in a 401(k)? How about the admin fees? And how many investment choices are available to you?
If you’re not sure of the answers, you’re not alone. Given that the average American now changes jobs every 4.6 years, it’s easy to lose track of old 401(k)s when you begin a new job -- it can feel like the last thing on your mind as you adjust to a new role and haggle over a new salary.
However, slowly but surely losing your hard-saved money to compounding fees over time can make a huge impact on your future account balances. So, don’t be thinking just about your new compensation package when you switch jobs -- take advantage of the opportunity to consider rolling over your old 401(k) to a Rollover IRA account so you can minimize a whole wealth of fees: trading, commissions, management, and so on. And don’t forget that you’ll almost certainly gain access to a wider set of funds than was available within the confines of your 401(k).
Here's the takeaway: If you have an old 401(k), there’s a decent chance you’re overpaying, and you have fewer investing options. Don’t delay, consider rolling it over into an IRA today.
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5. Take strategic advantage of accounts like 401(k)s, Roth IRAs, and 403(b)s where your investments can grow tax-free
Why it’s important: We now all know that holding a diversified portfolio is smart, but, did you know that it matters where you hold those assets? Both taxable (e.g. a brokerage account) and tax-advantaged (e.g. 401(k), Roth IRA) accounts are key components of an optimal retirement strategy. However, some types of investments are better suited to one type of account over others. For instance, investments that pay dividends are best kept in tax-advantaged accounts, so that dividends aren’t taxed before they’re reinvested.
Here's the takeaway: A well-diversified portfolio includes multiple types of assets, which ideally should be strategically allocated across both taxable and non-taxable accounts in order to minimize taxes overall. Consider working with a digital investment advisor, like FutureAdvisor, who will automatically take your account types into consideration when deciding how to allocate 12 asset classes across your portfolio.
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6. Tax-Loss Harvest your portfolio to further reduce your taxes
Why it's important: No one likes to see their portfolio holdings drop in value, but that comes with the territory of investing -- over the short term, it’s going to happen. However, there’s a silver lining to these often temporary drops -- it’s possible to take advantage of dips in the market through a tactic called Tax-Loss Harvesting (TLH).
TLH allows you to sell a losing investment, capture the losses on paper, and purchase a similar investment so your portfolio remains well-diversified. The losses that you capture via TLH can be used to offset capital gains elsewhere in your portfolio, or offset your income if you have no gains that year.
To Tax-Loss Harvest effectively, it’s best to watch the market frequently -- even daily -- to identify opportunities where your positions have dropped in value and can be sold. This can be a cumbersome process to undertake on your own, and potentially tax-harmful, if not done correctly. But this is something that can easily be done by a computer. You can read a lot more about TLH here.
Here's the takeaway: Take advantage of TLH, but do it with care. It may be best to work with an automated advisor, like FutureAdvisor, who can track your investments in real time to take advantage of TLH opportunities, and ensure it’s done in a tax-optimal way. The average FutureAdvisor client sees a 0.50%* improvement in annual returns due to TLH.
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7. Save 10-20% of your income
Why it's important: How much is the right amount to save for retirement? The answer depends somewhat based on factors like your income, household finances, time to retirement, and current assets. However, broadly speaking, saving more today is doubly beneficial as it reduces the level of income you’re used to living on, and allows you to look forward to a higher income in the future. If you’re under 30, then saving 10% of your income, if you invest it appropriately, should enable you maintain a similar standard of living through your retirement as you experience when you are working. If you start later in life, then you may need to save more.
Here's the takeaway: As a general rule of thumb, save 10%-20% of your pre-tax income. Saving early and often can have a large impact on the size of your portfolio at retirement.
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8. Save into a 401(k) plan to save on taxes
Why it's important: Employer-sponsored retirement plans, like 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and 457s, allow you to contribute funds directly from your paycheck before they’re taxed. There’s a double benefit here in that your overall tax bill is decreased, and that the money is taken out of your paycheck before you even have the chance to miss it.
Here’s what you need to know about 401(k)s in one table:
8-About-401k-table 1
Here's the takeaway: If you have the option to participate in your employers 401(k), take advantage of it - especially if your employer offers a contribution matching benefit. Matching equates to a guaranteed 100% return on your investment, something that is impossible to find elsewhere. Ideally, tax-advantaged employersponsored plans will comprise just one element of your retirement strategy, with taxable accounts supplementing your savings (and allowing for a mix of accounts to draw down from in retirement).
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9. Save into a Roth IRA account to take advantage of tax-free growth
Why it's important: A Roth IRA allows you to pay the taxes on your investment upfront, and pay nothing, including all the growth from it, when you withdrawal at retirement. In addition, if you move into a higher income tax bracket at retirement, which many people do as they increase their earnings over the course of their life, you get the benefit of paying the taxes on the original investment at the income bracket tax rate they were in at that time. Studies indicate that investors typically earn more spendable income from investing through a Roth IRA over a Traditional IRA due to tax bracket changes.
How do a Roth and a Traditional IRA differ?
9-IRA-Comparison-Table
Not eligible for a Roth IRA due to your income level? First, congratulations on being in a higher income bracket! Because higher income tends to come with higher tax bills, this means that taking advantage of other tax-sheltered accounts like a 401(k) or 403(b) is even more important. You may consider opening a “Backdoor Roth IRA,” something that FutureAdvisor can help you with.
Here's the takeaway: If you’re eligible, invest using a Roth IRA in addition to other tax-advantaged options, like your company 401(k) to keep more of your hard earned cash. If you’re not eligible, consider utilizing a ‘backdoor Roth IRA’
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the details when it comes to retirement.
By following these 9 Core Tactics, you can stay confident that you’re on the right path, so you can focus on the other things in life that matter.
Need more help? FutureAdvisor’s free service links to your existing investment accounts to combine all your investments in one place. We’ll show you exactly how you’re doing on all 9 of these best practices, and even show you exactly what changes to make so you can get on the right track - across all your accounts.
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The views expressed herein are not intended to serve as a forecast, a guarantee of future results, investment
recommendations or an offer to buy or sell securities by FutureAdvisor. Differences in account size, timing of transactions
and market conditions prevailing at the time of investment may lead to different results, and clients may lose money. Past
performance is not indicative of future results. The tax loss harvesting strategy discussed should not be interpreted as
tax advice and it does not represent in any manner that the tax consequences detailed will be obtained or that its tax loss
harvesting strategy will result in any particular tax consequence. Clients should consult with their personal tax advisors
regarding the tax consequences of investing.
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How to optimise your brain's waste disposal system
New research suggests that body posture during sleep may affect the efficiency of the brain’s self-cleaning process
Cairo's zabaleen collect the city's waste on donkey carts.
Cairo’s zabaleen collect the city’s waste on donkey carts. Photograph: Dave Stamboulis/Alamy
Mo Costandi
@mocost
Saturday 22 August 2015 09.00 BST Last modified on Saturday 22 August 2015 19.42 BST
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The human brain can be compared to something like a big, bustling city. It has workers, the neurons and glial cells which co-operate with each other to process information; it has offices, the clusters of cells that work together to achieve specific tasks; it has highways, the fibre bundles that transfer information across long distances; and it has centralised hubs, the densely interconnected nodes that integrate information from its distributed networks.
Like any big city, the brain also produces large amounts of waste products, which have to be cleared away so that they do not clog up its delicate moving parts. Until very recently, though, we knew very little about how this happens. The brain’s waste disposal system has now been identified. We now know that it operates while we sleep at night, just like the waste collectors in most big cities, and the latest research suggests that certain sleeping positions might make it more efficient.
Newly discovered vessels beneath skull could link brain and immune system
Read more
Waste from the rest of the body is cleared away by the lymphatic system, which makes and transports a fluid called lymph. The lymphatic system is an important component of the immune system. Lymph contains white blood cells that can kill microbes and mop up their remains and other cellular debris. It is carried in branching vessels to every organ and body part, and passes through them, via the spaces between their cells, picking up waste materials. It is then drained, filtered, and recirculated.
The brain was thought to lack lymphatic vessels altogether, and so its waste disposal system proved to be far more elusive. Several years ago, however, Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester Medical Center and colleagues identified a system of hydraulic “pipes” running alongside blood vessels in the mouse brain. Using in vivo two-photon imaging to trace the movements of fluorescent markers, they showed that these vessels carry cerebrospinal fluid around the brain, and that the fluid enters inter-cellular spaces in the brain tissue, picking up waste on its way.
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Nedergaard and her colleagues also discovered that proper function of these vessels depends on movements of water around the brain, which are carried out by glial cells called astrocytes, and therefore named them the glymphatic system. They went on to show that inter-cellular spaces expand by up to 60% in the brains of naturally sleeping and anaesthetised mice, and that this expansion drives the clearance of waste from the brain by facilitating the movements of lymph and water.
Last month, researchers from the University of Virginia reported the identification of lymphatic vessels in the central nervous system. They demonstrated that the lymphatic system extends into the dura mater, the thickest and outer-most of the three meningeal membranes that envelope the brain and spinal cord. These vessels run parallel to the major veins and arteries, and split to send branches deep into the brain’s crevices. The researchers believe that they could be linked to the glymphatic system, and may be the second stage of the disposal mechanism, which would transport waste out of the brain and spinal cord altogether.
The latest study from Nedergaard’s group, published in the Journal of Neuroscience earlier this month, shows that body posture affects the efficiency of the glymphatic system’s waste clearance. Using fluorescence microscopy and radioactive tracing once again, they showed that drainage of the cerebrospinal fluid worked best in mice lying on their sides compared to those lying on their back or standing up.
The neuroprotective lifestyle
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The function of sleep was once deeply mysterious, but there’s plenty of evidence that it is critical for memory consolidation, and it would now seem to be required for the effective removal of waste from the brain, too. Although these studies were performed in mice, preliminary results suggest that lymphatic vessels are also present in the human brain and spinal cord, but further research will be needed to confirm that they actually constitute a working waste disposal system.
Eventually, the link to sleep could have important implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, all of which involve the build-up of misfolded proteins within and around nerve cells, because of a defective waste disposal system. Indeed, it is now seems clear that good sleep hygiene has a neuroprotective effect and, in line with this, other research shows that sleep disturbances predict the onset of neurodegeneration.
Sleeping on the side just happens to be the most popular sleeping posture for both mice and humans, and so this preference may have evolved to optimise the waste disposal system and thus ensure that the metropolis of the brain runs as effectively as possible.
References
Lee, H. et al. (2015). The Effect of Body Posture on Brain Glymphatic Transport. J. Neurosci, 35: 11034-44. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1625-15.2015.
Louveau, A., et al. (2015). Structural and functional features of central nervous system lymphatic vessels. Nature, 523: 337-41. DOI: 10.1038/nature14432.
Xu, L., et al. (2014). Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain. Science, 342: 373-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1241224. [Full text]
Iliff, J., et al. (2013). A Paravascular Pathway Facilitates CSF Flow Through the Brain Parenchyma and the Clearance of Interstitial Solutes, Including Amyloid β. Sci. Trans. Med., 4: 147ra111. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3003748. [Full text]
Topics
Neuroscience Health
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Brain may flush out toxins during sleep
NIH-funded study suggests sleep clears brain of damaging molecules associated with neurodegeneration.
Image of a mouse brain
Scientists watched dye flow through the brain of a sleeping mouse.Nedergaard Lab, University of Rochester Medical Center.
A good night’s rest may literally clear the mind. Using mice, researchers showed for the first time that the space between brain cells may increase during sleep, allowing the brain to flush out toxins that build up during waking hours. These results suggest a new role for sleep in health and disease. The study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the NIH.
“Sleep changes the cellular structure of the brain. It appears to be a completely different state,” said Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, and a leader of the study.
For centuries, scientists and philosophers have wondered why people sleep and how it affects the brain. Only recently have scientists shown that sleep is important for storing memories. In this study, Dr. Nedergaard and her colleagues unexpectedly found that sleep may be also be the period when the brain cleanses itself of toxic molecules.
Their results, published in Science, show that during sleep a plumbing system called the glymphatic system may open, letting fluid flow rapidly through the brain. Dr. Nedergaard’s lab recently discovered the glymphatic system helps control the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a clear liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
“It’s as if Dr. Nedergaard and her colleagues have uncovered a network of hidden caves and these exciting results highlight the potential importance of the network in normal brain function,” said Roderick Corriveau, Ph.D., a program director at NINDS.
Initially the researchers studied the system by injecting dye into the CSF of mice and watching it flow through their brains while simultaneously monitoring electrical brain activity. The dye flowed rapidly when the mice were unconscious, either asleep or anesthetized. In contrast, the dye barely flowed when the same mice were awake.
“We were surprised by how little flow there was into the brain when the mice were awake,” said Dr. Nedergaard. “It suggested that the space between brain cells changed greatly between conscious and unconscious states.”
To test this idea, the researchers inserted electrodes into the brain to directly measure the space between brain cells. They found that the space inside the brains increased by 60 percent when the mice were asleep or anesthetized.
“These are some dramatic changes in extracellular space,” said Charles Nicholson, Ph.D., a professor at New York University’s Langone Medical Center and an expert in measuring the dynamics of brain fluid flow and how it influences nerve cell communication.
Certain brain cells, called glia, control flow through the glymphatic system by shrinking or swelling. Noradrenaline is an arousing hormone that is also known to control cell volume. Similar to using anesthesia, treating awake mice with drugs that block noradrenaline induced unconsciousness and increased brain fluid flow and the space between cells, further supporting the link between the glymphatic system and consciousness.
Previous studies suggest that toxic molecules involved in neurodegenerative disorders accumulate in the space between brain cells. In this study, the researchers tested whether the glymphatic system controls this by injecting mice with labeled beta-amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and measuring how long it lasted in their brains when they were asleep or awake. Beta-amyloid disappeared faster in mice brains when the mice were asleep, suggesting sleep normally clears toxic molecules from the brain.
“These results may have broad implications for multiple neurological disorders,” said Jim Koenig, Ph.D., a program director at NINDS. “This means the cells regulating the glymphatic system may be new targets for treating a range of disorders.”
The results may also highlight the importance of sleep.
“We need sleep. It cleans up the brain,” said Dr. Nedergaard.
This work was supported by grants from the NINDS (NS078167, NS07830, NS028642).
For more information about neurological disorders and the latest neuroscience research: http://www.ninds.nih.gov
NINDS is the nation’s leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system. The NINDS mission is to reduce the burden of neurological disease – a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all over the world.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
Reference
Xie et al “Sleep initiated fluid flux drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain.” Science, October 18, 2013. DOI: 10.1126/science.1241224
How To Detox Your Brain By Hacking Your Glymphatic System1
glymphatic system
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Wonder why you’re always reading about how important sleep quality is – not just quantity? Well, modern science still doesn’t know all of the molecular mechanisms behind why we need sleep. As of last month, we now know more.
A study, published in Science in October 2013 and entitled “Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain,” finds just that: we need to sleep specifically so that the brain can focus on cleaning itself out each night.
Lead study author Dr. Maiken Nedergaard summarizes in a statement: “the restorative nature of sleep appears to be the result of the active clearance of the by-products of neural activity that accumulate during wakefulness.”[i]
The study’s abstract states (bolding is mine):
We here report that sleep has a critical function in ensuring metabolic homeostasis. Using real-time assessments of tetramethylammonium diffusion and two-photon imaging in live mice, we show that natural sleep or anesthesia are associated with a 60% increase in the interstitial space, resulting in a striking increase in convective exchange of cerebrospinal fluid with interstitial fluid. In turn, convective fluxes of interstitial fluid increased the rate of ?-amyloid clearance during sleep. Thus, the restorative function of sleep may be a consequence of the enhanced removal of potentially neurotoxic waste products that accumulate in the awake central nervous system.[ii]
While you rest, your brain is busy sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, and taking out the trash to prepare itself for the next day.
Your Glymphatic System: The Good Kind of “Brain Drain”
You probably haven’t read much about the glymphatic system because it hasn’t hit the mainstream, but you will. I covered this system, and how to hack it with food, in The Bulletproof Diet book. (If you order it on Amazon now and send me the receipt before midnight on December 1st, you get a bunch of free stuff).
In 2012, researchers identified this new maintenance system called the glymphatic system, which uses the cells’ mitochondria to remove cellular waste from the brain.[iii][iv] It found that the clear cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain is what is responsible for draining toxins from the brain, much like how the lymph system in other organs is what removes waste from those cells to the kidney and liver. But the brain has no lymph – it has CSF instead.
The scientists noted that this system is particularly active during sleep. In other words, as you sleep your brain cells’ mitochondria remove cellular waste. If you improve your mitochondrial function during sleep, you’ll turbocharge your brain’s maintenance system and get more cleanup done in fewer hours of sleep.
How Being Bulletproof Supercharges Your Brain’s Sewage System
The core practices of the Bulletproof Diet are designed to improve mitochondrial function. In 2013, another team of researchers learned that autophagy is required for healthy brain cell mitochondria.[v] Remember what increases autophagy? That’s right—Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting as well as Protein Fasting. Brain Octane oil also provides ketones, which act as fuel for the mitochondria. If you follow the Bulletproof Diet, you’re already upgrading your brain’s ability to drain waste as you sleep.
By itself, following the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap (get it here free) will help most people get better quality sleep, but sometimes we can all use a little boost. As someone who wants to perform your best, you want to do everything possible to increase cellular energy in the brain while you sleep. Increasing the brain’s efficiency pays dividends during waking hours and even more so during sleep.
There are several ways beyond the basic Bulletproof Diet to improve your sleep, but certain dietary sleep hacks work better for some people than others. This is highly variable, so customize your own ultimate sleep plan by taking this opportunity to be your own biohacker. Don’t try all of the dietary sleep hacks at once because they work in different ways and can counteract each other. Try them out one at a time and see which ones supercharge your sleep.
Lots of my core recommendations may work in part because they influence the way cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) enters the brain’s glymphatic system. For instance:
Yoga and movement (especially inversions!)
Standing instead of sitting at your desk moves more CSF
Using the Bulletproof Vibe
Pranayama and just about any breathing exercises (Art of Living is great for CSF)
Massage and chiropractic care
Hydration
Beyond Food: Supercharge Your Mitochondria to Supercharge Your Brain
I believe that we need sleep (and feel sleepy) when the brain reaches a certain level of toxic protein, and I’ve noticed that just about anything that helps to reduce toxins makes me require less sleep.
Likewise, when you increase mitochondrial function, the Glymphatic system will work better.
It’s no wonder that I need less sleep when I use ketosis or the Unfair Advantage supplement to help mitochondria, or when I eat a low toxin diet and bind excessive toxins with Upgraded Coconut Charcoal, or increase my ability to expel toxins with Glutathione Force.
What’s so great about this field is that new studies keep coming out on how the brain works all the time, so stay tuned for more soon!
More resources to optimize your sleep and supercharge your brain:
The Top Sleep Hacks: The Art and Science of Sleeping
Article: 7 Steps to Bulletproof Sleep
Article: Top 6 Ways to Improve Your Sleep Using Food
Resource Library: All Bulletproof Sleep Hacking Articles and Podcasts
References:
Click to read the complete list of references.
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By Dave Asprey
