Why do you sleep badly?

Veröffentlicht am: October 09, 2024
Irina Fink
Irina Fink

Naturopath

If you don't sleep well, you get sick - we already know that.

After all, sleep plays an important role in our immune system. What is relatively new, however, is the realization that our sleep and our digestion are directly linked.

There are certain digestive factors that can have a negative impact on the quality of our sleep, such as

  • Factor 1: Large amounts of late-night and fatty food
  • Factor 2: Poor intestinal flora

If we then sleep badly, this in turn has an effect on our digestion. The vicious circle begins.

Our body is like a clock

Our body is structured like the inside of a clockwork mechanism. There is not just one internal clock, but a series of different clocks that control our entire body - from sleep rhythms and metabolism to psychological functions.

For example, our master clock in the brain ensures that our bodily functions are synchronized with the 24-hour light-dark cycle. This means that when it gets dark, the pineal gland releases the sleep hormone melatonin - we feel tired. When the sun rises, our body releases the hormone cortisol - we wake up. Overall, however, each of our organs and cells has its own biological clock.

As you can now imagine, our intestinal flora is also subject to the control of this clockwork. 

➤ During the day, our digestion works at full speed. At night, it switches to sleep mode!

FACTOR 1: A simple habit - the enemy of our digestion

If we consume large amounts of fatty or highly sugary food late at night, this throws our "gut clock" out of rhythm. You're probably familiar with this - we have a plate of pasta with pesto for dinner and later, when an exciting movie is on, we nibble on a packet of potato chips. 

The result? Our digestion can't switch to the sleep mode it's supposed to be in due to the late food intake and has to continue working. This prevents our body from resting and we fall asleep badly. The quality of our sleep is disturbed and suffers. Sleep disorders then have a negative impact on our intestinal flora, which affects our entire digestion, our health and our well-being.

➤ TIP 1: Try not to eat for 2-3 hours before going to bed. This way you won't put any additional strain on your digestion and you will generally sleep better.

FACTOR 2: Intestinal flora determines the quality of sleep

In a study published in PLOS ONE in 2019, the researchers investigated how gut bacteria affect sleep quality. The sleep quality of the test subjects was examined using modern sleep measuring devices. The results were compared with the composition of the intestinal flora. 

The result? The researchers found that a high diversity of intestinal flora is associated with better sleep. This means that test subjects with good intestinal flora generally slept better and longer than those with less good intestinal flora. It was also found that test subjects with poorer intestinal flora woke up more frequently during the night and the quality of their sleep suffered as a result.

The study shows that there is a direct link between our intestinal flora and the quality of our sleep.

➤ TIP 2: Build up the diversity of your intestinal flora with probiotics.

What happens with a lack of sleep?

Lack of sleep makes chronic illnesses particularly risky!

The quality of our sleep has a major impact on our general state of health. Poor sleep leads to impaired performance and an increased risk of certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease or cancer. On the other hand, good sleep leads to improved health, good concentration and creativity.

The realization that poor sleep and lack of sleep can affect our intestinal health offers an explanation as to why too little sleep can have serious consequences, especially in the case of chronic health complaints.

According to one study, a lack of sleep - sleeping less than 6 hours a night - leads to a more than two-fold increase in the risk of death in people with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure or high blood sugar. According to the study, the risk of cancer also increasesalmost threefold in this risk group . In comparison, the risk of death did not increase in people without cardiovascular disease.

➤ The more diverse the intestinal flora, the higher the likelihood of good health! 

What can we do?

The gut - the steering wheel for our health

A healthy intestinal flora influences the quality of our sleep, our well-being and our health. Make sure you eat a healthy and balanced diet (e.g. alkaline diet). Build up your intestinal flora in a targeted manner (e.g. probiotics).

Sleep - the key to good health

Good sleep is extremely important for our health and helps to prevent two of the most common diseases that are considered the number one cause of death in many countries: Heart disease and cancer. Adults - and especially people with cardiovascular disease - should sleep between 7 and 9 hours a day.

Are you looking for additional support for a good night's sleep? Try melatonin, GABA or ashwagandha. These natural supplements help to improve the quality of your sleep.

Conclusion:

Our sleep and our digestion are essential for good health. The two are directly related. If we have a good and diverse intestinal flora, we sleep better. If we sleep well, this has a positive effect on our intestinal flora. This all fits into our rhythm and our internal clocks can work properly and on time. With this smooth interaction, you reduce the risk of serious illness and do something good for your general health. So make sure you support your digestion and get a good night's sleep again.

 

Sources (in English):

Aich, P. (2019, October). Gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology in humans. PLoS One, 14(10): e0222394, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222394

Nova Southeastern University. (2019, October). "New study points to another possible correlation between sleep and overall good health: Your gut microbiome and quality sleep are interconnected." ScienceDaily. Verfügbar unter: [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191028164311.htm]

Blask, D. E. (2009, August). Melatonin, sleep disturbance and cancer risk. Sleep Medicine Reviews, Volume 13, Issue 4, doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2008.07.007