You may not associate sleep with gut health, but it absolutely has a powerful effect on it!
When my health and gut were at their worst, my sleep suffered badly. I had a tough time getting to sleep and staying asleep and felt like a zombie the next day. It was miserable!
Our gut rests, repairs, and restores at night. The quality and amount of sleep you get affect your gut’s ability to repair and function well. It’s important to prioritize your sleep if you want to have a healthy gut terrain.
There are a lot of powerful strategies to support your sleep. Some of my personal favorites:
*Wearing blue light blockers in the evening before bed. I like Bon Charge (formerly Blu Blox) brand. Also, consider turning on the Night Shift or Blue Light Feature on your cell phone.
*Turn off screens at least a couple of hours before bed. Screen time can disrupt sleep and the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that plays a role in sleep.1
*Lower the lights an hour before bed to help increase your body’s preparation for sleep.
*Avoid meals for at least a couple of hours before bed. Your gut needs time to rest, repair, and restore. When we eat a meal or heavy snack close to bedtime, it causes the gut to keep working to digest most of the night.
*If you have adrenal dysfunction or blood sugar imbalance, a small snack before bed may be necessary. Focus on a snack that contains protein and fat, or protein, fat, and a whole food carbohydrate. This helps minimize your blood sugar from spiking and dropping low through the night which can result in nighttime wakings and difficulty falling back asleep.
*Work on increasing the diversity of your gut microbiome. Studies show that by increasing the diversity of the “good gut bugs”, sleep quality is increased.2 By increasing the variety of prebiotics and probiotics, your microbiome is fed what it needs to be healthy and thrive.
*Balance the macronutrients in your meals and snacks to increase satiation and blood sugar balance. When we eat meals during the day that aren’t properly balanced, this can set us up for a rollercoaster of blood sugar highs and lows that continues through the night, which can disrupt sleep.
*Support your circadian rhythms. Getting some sunshine in your eyes in the first hour you are awake helps to support the sleep-wake cycle and increase sleep quality. When circadian rhythms are disrupted, the gut microbiome is also changed. It can also cause physiological stress on the body, cause inflammation, weaken the immune system, and cause metabolic disorders.3
*Use a sleep mask. I love the Sleep Master mask. It’s comfortable, lightweight, and very effective at keeping light out.
*Use a white noise machine or air filter in your bedroom. The noise helps to cover many background noises from outside. I prefer an air filter so that the air is being cleaned, keeping dust and mold spores lower. I have had an Austin Air Purifier for almost 4 years and am very happy with it. Air Doctor is another good brand of air purifier.
*Support your mindset. Avoid stimulating shows and negative programs that upset you. Focus on music, books, prayer, and conversation in the evening that encourage a positive mindset and relaxed nervous system.
*Use a castor oil pack. Help to decrease stress and support relaxation, is anti-inflammatory, helps eliminate constipation, and supports healthy bacteria in the gut. Queen of the Thrones has an easy-to-use castor oil pack.
There are many things besides food that work to support resilient gut health. Good quality sleep is one of them. If you feel stuck and need support with your overall health, digestion, or gut health, I’d love to walk alongside you and help you find your root causes. I will create a personalized protocol that will get you back on track and thrive! Get on my waitlist to secure your spot.
References:
- Blume, C., Garbazza, C., & Spitschan, M. (2019). Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie : Schlafforschung und Schlafmedizin = Somnology : sleep research and sleep medicine, 23(3), 147–156.
- Smith, R. P., Easson, C., Lyle, S. M., Kapoor, R., Donnelly, C. P., Davidson, E. J., Parikh, E., Lopez, J. V., & Tartar, J. L. (2019). Gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology in humans. PloS one, 14(10), e0222394. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222394
- Voigt, R. M., Forsyth, C. B., & Keshavarzian, A. (2019). Circadian rhythms: a regulator of gastrointestinal health and dysfunction. Expert review of gastroenterology & hepatology, 13(5), 411–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/17474124.2019.1595588
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