Improper sleep can lead to poor gut health: study
| Oct 30, 2019, 15:37 IST
The link between sleep and good health isn’t completely new. A lot has been said about it. In fact, according to a new study, poor sleep is linked to the gut microbiome, which then affects the overall health of a person. Improper sleep harms the gut microbiome. This even leads to additional health issues. This study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
"Given the strong gut-brain bidirectional communication they likely influence each other," said co-researcher Jaime Tartar, PhD, a professor and research director in NSU's College of Psychology. "Based on previous reports, we think that poor sleep probably exerts a strong negative effect on gut health/microbiome diversity," he added.
In case you didn’t know, the gut microbiome is all the microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi and their genetic material found in the gastrointestinal tract. For this study, participants wore what Tartar called an "Apple Watch on steroids" to bed, which monitored all sorts of vitals. This way researchers could determine just how well a night's sleep the subjects received and then they tested the subjects' gut microbiome.
"We know that sleep is pretty much the 'Swiss Army Knife of health. Getting a good night's sleep can lead to improved health, and a lack of sleep can have detrimental effects," Tartar said.
According to co-researcher Robert Smith, Ph.D., an associate professor and research scientist at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, there are a couple of factors that come into play.
"Given the strong gut-brain bidirectional communication they likely influence each other," said co-researcher Jaime Tartar, PhD, a professor and research director in NSU's College of Psychology. "Based on previous reports, we think that poor sleep probably exerts a strong negative effect on gut health/microbiome diversity," he added.
In case you didn’t know, the gut microbiome is all the microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi and their genetic material found in the gastrointestinal tract. For this study, participants wore what Tartar called an "Apple Watch on steroids" to bed, which monitored all sorts of vitals. This way researchers could determine just how well a night's sleep the subjects received and then they tested the subjects' gut microbiome.
"We know that sleep is pretty much the 'Swiss Army Knife of health. Getting a good night's sleep can lead to improved health, and a lack of sleep can have detrimental effects," Tartar said.
According to co-researcher Robert Smith, Ph.D., an associate professor and research scientist at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, there are a couple of factors that come into play.