All You Need To Know About Sleep & Improved Gut Health
Sleep is one of the most critical aspects of our life. We spend an estimated 1/3 of our lives sleeping. Having an adequate amount of sleep is critical as it affects our body and mental functions, including our gut.
Sleep is a time when our body and brain go into restoration mode, repairing and resetting itself. Our brain begins to undergo several maintenance processes while consolidating memories and processing information that helps us to feel recharged after a good night’s rest.
In this article, we will explore the connection between gut health and sleep and how we can improve both.
The gut-sleep connection
Our gut impacts sleep in two vital ways:
- Through communication with our brain via the gut-brain axis
- Through the production and regulation of melatonin, a vital sleep hormone
Having a good quality sleep refers to the time we spend in all 5 REM stages (wakefulness, N1, N2, N3, and REM). REM, which is rapid eye movement, is the deepest stage of our sleep cycle and is vital for us to feel re-energised when we wake up.
Sleep and our general well-being are connected. Having less than adequate sleep or poor-quality sleep increases our risk of developing poor health, which, vice versa, makes it harder for us to sleep.
When we do not sleep well or enough, we become more susceptible to developing mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, as well as poor physical health, such as gastrointestinal conditions, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Studies have revealed a strong connection between the composition of our gut microbiome and sleep patterns. Inadequate rest or poor-quality sleep affects our gut microbiome, causing an imbalance of good and bad bacteria and increasing our risk of gut inflammation. Poor sleep is also found to affect the population of beneficial bacteria that contribute to short-chain fatty acid production and our immunity, both of which are factors of sleep quality and inflammation risks.
How poor sleep affects our gut health
There are four ways that poor sleep can affect our gut health.
1. Poor sleep increases our stress level, affecting our immune system
When we do not get sufficient sleep, it affects our body’s production of cortisol. Cortisol is a type of glucocorticoid hormone that our body produces to help control our sleep-wake cycle. They also help to regulate our body’s response to stress. Studies revealed that sleep deprivation causes our body to produce more cortisol in an effort to stimulate alertness.
The lack of sleep increases our stress level, leading to intestinal permeability, where toxins and food are absorbed into our bloodstream more easily. This increases our risk of developing changes to our gut microbiome, food sensitivities, stomach pains, joint inflammation, bloating, brain fog, and IBS symptoms.
2. Poor sleep affects our dietary habits
Have you ever felt hungry if you sleep late? Sleep deprivation can cause our hunger signals to become imbalanced, leading to an increase in appetite. Fatigue can also affect our decisions when it comes to food, causing us to turn to unhealthy food choices for that boost in energy. That is why people who stay up late tend to snack more during the late hours.
Melatonin, a natural hormone that helps to regulate our circadian rhythm, is produced in our gastrointestinal tract when we sleep. It has been found to protect our mucosa by increasing gastrin release and inhibiting gastric acid production. Individuals who have difficulty sleeping or sleep late have reduced melatonin levels. This, in turn, increases their risk of developing GERD symptoms, such as regurgitation and heartburn during the night.
3. Frequent late-night meals can lead to poor digestion
Eating up to 3 hours before going to bed can take a toll on our digestive system, affecting the absorption of key nutrients negatively. This can cause our body to be unable to recuperate effectively, causing restless sleep.
4. Poor sleep reduces our motivation to exercise
Exercise is vital for our overall health, including our gut health. Poor sleep leads to a lack of motivation and energy to exercise, affecting our ability to focus. Exercise helps to increase the production of short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, which protects our gut barrier lining.
How to improve both sleep and gut health
1. Avoid having meals at least 3 hours before bedtime
Digestion is an active gut process that stimulates you, keeping you awake. Eating close to your bedtime can also increase your risk of developing heartburns, which disrupt your ability to fall asleep or sleep peacefully.
2. Limit your alcohol intake
Drinking a little alcohol is a great way for some to wind down and relax. However, alcohol consumption, especially close to bedtime, is a significant sleep disruptor. Limit your alcohol intake to no more than one glass and not within two hours before you sleep.
3. Avoid caffeine products
Caffeine, if consumed too late, can keep us up all night. If possible, avoid drinking caffeine past noon. Even though an afternoon or evening cup of coffee might not affect your ability to sleep, studies have shown that it still affects sleep quality.
4. Consume tryptophan-rich foods
Tryptophan is a type of amino acid that is not naturally produced in our body and is vital for the maintenance and production of key neurotransmitters, enzymes, muscles, and proteins. The only way to get it in our body is through our diet. Our body uses tryptophan to produce serotonin and melatonin, which are hormones that regulate our sleep, appetite, and mood. The liver also uses tryptophan to produce vitamin B3, which is key for metabolising energy.
Tryptophan-rich foods include soy, tofu, fish, eggs, chicken, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts.
5. Take probiotics
Probiotic-rich foods, such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and yoghurt, are beneficial for our gut. They contain live, beneficial bacteria that add to the already existing ones in your gut system, strengthening those communities.
Conclusion
Sleep is a quintessential aspect of our gut health, in the same way that observing a healthy diet and exercising regularly is. A lack of sleep or poor sleeping habits affects our gut microbiome significantly. Vice versa, having poor gut health will affect our sleep quality negatively.
Here at GUTCARE, we ensure that your overall well-being is taken care of by ensuring that your gut health is optimal. With various gastrointestinal services, such as colonoscopy, gastroscopy, and cancer screenings, we are able to treat a variety of conditions, from pancreas cancer symptoms to vomiting symptoms.
