Getting good shut-eye has more to do with your gut than you realize.
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Together, they make up the microbiome, a complex ecosystem that researchers are slowly discovering influences physical and mental health much more than they had thought.
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The research is preliminary, but a 2017 study suggests dietary prebiotics help increase levels of REM sleep — at least in rats.
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In humans, researchers discovered people who don’t sleep well typically have a less diverse microbiome — and that boosting our internal ecosystem’s diversity may have the opposite, beneficial effect.
More than a billion people worldwide have sleep apnea. But some animal studies hint nourishing the microbiome may be the key to treating it.
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In 2016, researchers observed that chronic sleep disruption appears to alter the microbiomes of mice and cause inflammation.
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Circadian genes — the ones that keep the body’s internal clock on time — may play a role in influencing the gut microbiome, scientists believe.
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The differences in the diversity of insomniacs’ microbiomes are so pronounced they could help diagnose the condition.
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Scientists have noticed a link between specific disturbances in the microbiome and major depressive disorder.
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For example, a report from 2020 found rats who consumed prebiotics had improved sleep and greater resilience against stress.