Eat Your Way To Better Sleep

That's the title of a blog post by Dr. Michael Breus.

According to Dr. Breus:

Our gut microbiome has a surprisingly crucial influence on our circadian sleep-wake cycle and our sleep quality. Experiments confirm that when specific microbes in our gut are altered, our fundamental states of sleep are disrupted. This limits our ability to recover from stress and is necessary to protect against neurological diseases such as dementia.

This continuous feedback between our gut and brain significantly modulates our responses to stress. When that feedback is suboptimal, it begins a cycle that leads towards metabolic health disorders such as diabetes. Our sleep-wake cycle is part of this loop. Impaired sleep disrupts our metabolism and contributes to inflammatory states and metabolic diseases, which can, in turn, further disrupt our sleep. When our gut microbiome is off-balance our capacity to achieve restorative sleep is profoundly affected.

Here are four tips to start you on the path to a great night’s sleep:

-Our microbes have internal clocks, just as we do. We are at our best when we find our optimal personal method of synchronizing and adjusting to each other. In effect, if you feed your microbes well, they will treat you right.

-Stick to a firm eating schedule and limit fat content. Both of these factors can improve sleep quality. There is an added benefit. These measures help with weight management, which is also mediated by the gut microbiome.

-Keep calories the same, but make your meals smaller and more frequent. Studies show that this improves sleep quality and metabolic parameters such as blood glucose or serum lipid levels.

-Try adding either prebiotics or probiotics to your diet. These offer your microbial partners the nutrients they need.

But what should you eat and when? I talked about when in this blog post and what in this one. Is there a connection between chronotypes and doshas? I'm looking into it...hopefully I'll let you know soon.

Interesting days

Today - Weatherman’s Day, World Nutella Day, Chocolate Fondue Day and Western Monarch Day

Tomorrow - Lame Duck Day and Frozen Yogurt Day

Next Monday - Darwin Day, Clean Out Your Computer Day, Plum Pudding Day and Lost Penny Day

March 5 - Fun Facts About Names Day, Cheese Doodle Day, Absinthe Day and Multiple Personality Day