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Sleep quality is a problem that majority of us struggle with in today’s date. With the imbibed use of technology and the uncertain bout of stress that we deal with, it is possible that the same ends up making us sleep less than what we are ideally supposed to.
A new study conducted by the researchers from the Nova Southeastern University suggest that having a poor sleep quality can have direct negative impacts on one’s gut microbiome. The lack of proper microbiome in the gut is believed to have direct impacts on one’s overall digestive power and even affect the health negatively in the long run.
The researchers wanted to experiment and see what kind of connections there are between sleep and the gut microbiome. The results did shock the individuals involved. They wanted to see about the direct impacts on what’s going on inside the body with how it affects our sleeping patterns.
Jaime Tartar, Ph.D., a professor and research director in NSU’s College of Psychology who was part of the research team stated saying that given that there is a very strong gut brain bidirectional communication happening, the same does have the prowess to influence each other without us knowing much about it.
Based on some of the prior studies, Tartar said that there could be direct correlation when it comes round to the poor sleeping patterns which later have direct negative impacts on the microbiome diversity in the gut.
For those who aren’t aware, gut microbiome comprises of all the microorganisms in the gut that it needs to function properly. Every single person has a healthy build of the microbiome in their gut but it is the diversity of the same that varies from person to person. But, the researchers believe that it is the diversity of these microorganisms in the gut is what matters in the end.
For this study specifically, the participants were given an “Apple Watch on steroids” which they had to put on before going to sleep. This watch was responsible for monitoring all the vitals. This helped the researchers gauge the kind of sleep the individual got, whether it was peaceful or not was what they wanted to find out.
Once they got the data about the sleep quality, the next thing the researchers did was to test out the gut microbiome of these participants. What the researchers found in the end was the fact that the individual who got better quality of sleep harboured a better diversity in their gut microbiome.
Tartar also pointed out stating that the lack of diversity in the gut microbiome can also occur because of some other underlying health issues like Parkinson’s disease and some of the other autoimmune diseases. The better the gut microbiome, the better is the health of the individuals involves. This is what makes all the difference if you want a better health and well being.
Addressing the results of the study, Tartar said that he and his team know that sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to the gut microbiome now. Getting better sleep quality has the ability to ensure improved health while the same is the opposite when it comes to the lack of sleep.
Even prior studies have show how the lack of sleep has direct impacts on one’s mental health and physical well being as well. The deepest stages of the sleep, especially when it’s the REM sleep is when the brain detoxifies itself and starts storing the necessary information processed through the day. Getting good quality sleep ensures better impacts on your overall health, and that too for the better.
This specific research had its primary focus based around on the mechanisms and the consequences of the acute and the chronic stress and the kind of impacts it has on the humans. They also wanted to find out how the sleep deprivation or the lack of proper sleep throughout the day can affect one’s gut microbiome.
The preliminary results from the study are quite promising but there needs to be more in-depth research to find better knowledge around the same. There can be better ways to find how the sleep quality is influencing the gut microbiome and how one can change that for the better.
