BiotiQuest® Gut Health & Probiotics Blog with Martha Carlin

Have you been struggling with getting a good night's rest? Feeling sluggish in the morning even after eight hours of shut-eye? If so, you're not alone: up to 70 million Americans suffer from sleep-related issues.

Current research shows a connection between the gut microbiome and sleep patterns, and evidence suggests that improving your gut's healthy bacteria can lead to more restful sleep. Read on to discover how probiotics for sleep can help lower your stress, activate opiate receptors for better quality sleep, and help you get more rest.

Gut health refers to the physical state and physiologic function of the parts that make up the gastrointestinal tract. Anxiety, fear, excitement, and nerves of all kinds can affect digestion. And, if the digestive system is not working optimally, it may create the nervous feelings you're experiencing. Research suggests taking probiotics can help strengthen gut health, and therefore improve immunity and reduce stress and anxiety.

Anxiety, fear, excitement, and nerves of all kinds can affect digestion. And, if the digestive system is not working optimally, it may create the nervous feelings you're experiencing. Research suggests taking probiotics can help strengthen gut health, and therefore improve immunity and reduce stress and anxiety.

Sleep deprivation is known to cause hallucinations and trouble communicating, and can shut down the immune system.

Current research shows that the microbiome may change with the body's circadian rhythm, your internal clock that signals when it's time to wake up and fall asleep. It follows the rising and setting of the sun. This rhythm also influences the body's hunger cues. Research from the Weizmann Institute points to the gut microbiome altering the body's overall circadian rhythm.

If your gut is not at optimum health, there may be an effect on your body's sleep cycle, and vice versa: working against natural sleep rhythms might affect your gut health. The link between gut health and sleep rhythm is important because so many sleep disorders result in insomnia, sleep apnea, and lack of rapid eye movement (REM) cycle, a stage of sleep associated with dreaming and memory consolidation.

The microbiome affects sleep through thevagus nerve. The vagus nerve, part of the parasympathetic nervous system, works with the immune, digestive, and emotional systems. If the relationship between gut health and sleep health is clear, it's beneficial to explore strengthening the microbiome with any probiotics that can help you sleep. Read our in-depth post here to learn more about how gut health impacts sleep.

Because your microbiome influences your sleep cycle, ensuring a healthy diversity of bacteria is important to support the gut-brain connection and healthy serotonin levels. The right probiotics can help with sleep but not all probiotics are the same.

Serotonin is essential for experiencing signals from our brain that you’re ready for sleep. This signaling could result in a more relaxed and good control of the sleep cycle or it could adversely affect it.

Without creating enough serotonin, the body will struggle to experience a night of sound sleep. Increasing the healthy diversity of your microbiome may help produce more serotonin, as 90 percent of serotonin is produced in the digestive tract.

Stress is also a well-known factor in influencing quality of sleep. High levels of stress affect mood, anxiety, and irritability. Stress and lack of sleep are linked with depression and other mood disorders.

A stressful mental state affects your gut health by altering the healthy bacteria. Current studies show that adding fiber-rich foods like berries and avocados, and prebiotics and probiotics to your diet increases better sleep.

The best probiotics that help you sleep are ones that are targeted to boost the resilience of the microbiome. Diverse gut health leads to a strong immune response. By keeping your body's systems strong, you'll manage stress easier and sleep better.

Research shows a robust immune system leads to a lowered stress response.

Adding a probiotic to your daily routine that strengthens the digestive system and reduces inflammation may lead to increased energy. Keeping energy levels optimized during daytime hours will prevent those feelings of sluggishness and fatigue.

Lactobacillus plantarum (TBC0036™): shown through genetic analysis that this organism produces metabolites that have been shown to promote a good sleep quality by expanding the blood vessels, thus, increasing blood flow and the flux of sleep-inducing hormones as well as the production of melatonin. It also metabolizes fiber and other carbohydrates to produce anti-inflammatory substances.

Lactobacillus acidophilus (DDS ® 1): helps reduce sleep-perturbation markers of stress and inflammation, thus, reducing circadian disruption and promoting sleep. As a member of the formulation, it persists in the gut and promotes long term stabilization of the sleep cycle.

Lactobacillus casei: improves sleep under psychological stress, primarily by reducing anxiety and helping to stabilize a healthy gut microbiome. Synergistically with other bacteria in this formulation, it helps in the production of serotonin, melatonin and antioxidants.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides (TBC0037™): the principal converter of sugars into mannitol and produces anti-inflammatory substances, protects the lining of the gut and makes vitamin B12. B12 keeps nerves and blood cells healthy and helps with normal, healthy sleep. This strain of Leuconostoc mesenteroides produces melatonin, a key metabolite controlling the sleep cycle as well as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances that counteract the adverse effects of stress.

While many factors contribute to a sound night's sleep, adding probiotics for sleep to your routine may help you achieve deep rest. The best probiotic for optimizing your circadian rhythm is one that increases melatonin and serotonin production, supports your immune system, and benefits your overall health.

If you’re looking for a probiotic to support sound sleep, be sure to check out our new Simple Slumberformula. It will only be available for a limited time!