Sleep Resources
Eating Before Bed: Is It Bad For You?
Many of us have heard that we should avoid eating before bed at all costs, but we started to wonder if it is as bad as some make it seem.
Can’t sleep? The problem may be in your gut. If your gastrointestinal tract isn’t healthy and its microbiome inhabitants well balanced, it can throw your physical and emotional health out of whack and ultimately disrupt your sleep. To make matters worse, sleep disruptions can have a negative impact on your gut. But don’t fret. With a little work you can get your gut and, in turn, your sleep, back in check.
The gut is the gastrointestinal system that travels from our mouths to our anus. Unspooled, this tube runs about 30 feet and involves numerous organs including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestines, colon, and rectum. Technically called the “enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract,” our gut is unique in that it uses the same chemicals and neurotransmitters as the brain (such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, short for gamma-aminobutyric acid) to help us digest food as well as alert the brain when something isn’t right. Since the gut can control its behavior independently of the brain, our guts are often referred to as our “second brain.” These two brains are in constant communication, a partnership called the gut-brain axis.
Within the gut is a virtual forest filled with trillions of microbiomes. Often called the gut microbiome or gut flora, these bacteria, yeasts, and viruses are beneficial to human health and in some cases, essential to our wellbeing. Keeping the right balance of these microorganisms is vital for our physical and mental health, immunity, and even sleep. If the wrong ones multiply and overpower the right ones, they can disturb the gut’s healthy balance, a condition known as dysbiosis.
Any disruption in your gut flora can cause dysbiosis. Some examples include:
Symptoms of dysbiosis can vary depending on which bacteria are out of balance, and include:
Dysbiosis has also been linked to other diseases and conditions including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease, and Crohn’s disease. All these conditions have similar symptoms as a condition known as leaky gut syndrome. But the jury is still out on whether these conditions are connected and if so, how.
Leaky gut is somewhat of a medical mystery. In a nutshell, it is a digestive condition, also known as increased intestinal permeability, in which bacteria and toxins leak through the intestinal wall. This happens when the lining of the intestines is weakened and develops holes. When these toxins leak through these holes in the intestines it can trigger inflammation in the gut as well as the rest of the body and cause symptoms such as bloating, gas, cramps, food sensitivities, fatigue, headaches, and general aches and pains.
Our brains and our guts — or second brains — are in constant communication. If one is triggered by a stimulus, it can affect the other. This can impact our mental and physical health as well as how our body functions. Let’s take a look at how an unhealthy gut can affect different aspects of our health:
Stomach distress can be a cause or the product of anxiety, depression, or stress. For example, when we see delicious food, the brain triggers the gut to prepare for a feast. Or, when we feel anxious, we sometimes have abdominal pain, nausea, or feel “butterflies” in our bellies. Researchers are finding that the gut’s impact on our state of mind is even greater and more obscure than we may have previously realized.
As much as 70% of our immune systems are located in our digestive tracts, which means gut health plays an important role in our overall health. A recent paper published in the journal Pain found that people with fibromyalgia (a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain) had about 20 different species of gut bacteria in either greater or lesser quantities than people who did not have the disease. Furthermore, the severity of patients’ symptoms was directly related to an increased presence or a more pronounced absence of certain bacteria.
Gut health also has an impact on our body’s chemistry which, in turn, can affect our emotions and our sleep. In fact, laboratory studies have revealed that small changes between the beneficial and disease-causing bacteria in an animal’s gut can actually alter brain chemistry and cause the animal to become either bolder or more anxious. Research has also shown that even minor stress can disrupt gut flora and put us at greater risk for infectious diseases. Let’s take a closer look at how gut microbiome can affect our physiology:
Considering how much research has been done on the gut microbiome, there is a lot that remains a mystery. For example, how it affects other aspects of our lives. Researchers have just begun to explore how gut health affects sleep and sleep-related physiological functions, and they have found that gut health can shift circadian rhythms, alter the body’s sleep-wake cycle, and influence hormones that regulate our sleep and wakefulness.
The circadian rhythm is our body’s internal 24-hour clock that responds to light and darkness in the environment. One of its processes is regulating our sleep and wakefulness. Research suggests that the gut’s microbial ecosystem has its own circadian rhythms that can knock other rhythms out of sync, ultimately disrupting our sleep-wake cycle.”The change from day to night influences not just our circadian rhythm … but also the cycle of the gut microbiota, whose actions rely on our day and night schedule,” says Dr. Vikram Tarugu, CEO of Detox of South Florida. These microbial rhythms are affected by when we eat and what we eat.
Researchers have also found that there is a link between circadian rhythm disruptions and metabolic imbalances, glucose intolerance, and weight gain. In fact, shift workers, many of whom suffer from sleep disruptions and circadian rhythm disorders, are at greater risk of suffering from metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes.
Gut health may also be impacted by some sleep disorders. For example, there is evidence that disordered breathing associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may adversely affect the diversity and makeup of gut microbiota. Another study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that obstructive sleep apnea was linked to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in the gut flora, as well as inflammation in the intestinal wall barrier resulting in leaky gut.
Because the gut and the brain communicate regularly, if one is not up to par, the other isn’t either. Cognitive decline more often affects the elderly, and the elderly are more likely than younger individuals to have imbalances in their gut microbiome.
Newer research is exploring whether dysbiosis is a risk factor for developing cognitive impairment and whether specific changes in diet may help prevent cognitive decline. One promising study, published by Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, found that people with Alzheimer’s disease who consumed milk with four probiotic bacteria species for 12 weeks performed better on cognitive tests compared to Alzheimer’s patients who drank regular milk with no probiotic supplementation.
As previously stated, a healthy gut helps you sleep better, and better sleep helps your gut stay healthy. If you think your gut flora is out of kilter, you may want to talk with a medical professional.
There are several diagnostic tests to determine if you have an unhealthy gut:
If your doctor diagnoses you with dysbiosis, or a microbiome imbalance, the first course of action is to determine what may be causing the imbalance. If the culprit is medication, you may need to stop taking the drug until your condition has resolved. (But, don’t discontinue taking any medication without first talking with your doctor.)
Treatments your doctor may recommend include:
Don’t feel like you have to be diagnosed in order to treat an unhealthy gut or improve its health. Here are some ways you can heal your gut and sleep better:
If you’re having trouble sleeping, your gut may be trying to tell you something. An unhealthy gut can throw your physical and emotional health out of whack and disrupt your sleep. Likewise, sleep disruptions can have a negative impact on your gut and adversely affect your overall health and wellbeing. Prioritizing gut health can have far-reaching benefits by lessening your sensitivity to pain; relieving anxiety and depression; sharpening your cognitive health, and even improving your quality of sleep.
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