Prebiotics can help in improving nighttime sleeping habits

A person's diet can help in improving their sleeping habits, although, researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder claim that people who struggle with sleeping in the night should consider taking a prebiotic.

The dietary fiber supplement was found to better the sleep and in turn protect the people against any negative side effects that usually accompany stress.

Says researcher Robert Thompson, “The biggest takeaway here is that this type of fiber is not just there to bulk up the stool and pass through the digestive system. It is feeding the bugs that live in our gut and creating a symbiotic relationship with us that has powerful effects on our brain and behavior.”

In a study conducted by the researchers, they learned that the prebiotic diets affects differently than the typical diet. The prebiotic diet helps in getting better and deeper sleep and even gives a better physiological response to stress as compared to the normal diet.

Researcher Monika Fleshner said, “We know that this combination of dietary fibers helps promote stress robustness and good sleep and protects the gut microbiome from disruption."

The fight against insomnia: The researchers warn people against taking over-the-counter prebiotic supplements as they can't know how the body will react to those supplements. It is also very unclear whether eating foods high in dietary fibre will lead to better sleep.

Although, researchers do say that they will continue to explore the area of research and hopefully find a supplement that will soon be on the counter tops to ease out nighttime stress.

“Armed with this information, we might be able to develop a targeted therapeutic that boosts the molecules that buffer against stress and tamps down the ones that seem to disrupt sleep. “It’s exciting to think about, ” said Fleshner.