Almost 60 million Americans
spend their nights in fitful slumber; tossing and turning, wrestling with the
need to get to sleep, and yet torturously being unable to do so.
We all know those
nights when no amount of counting sheep will work and each hour stretches by
with increasing frustration.
Yet there are many
options to help you sleep better, ranging from meditation to aromatherapy. But
what if the solution was actually in your gut of all places?
Tell Me About The Sleep-Gut Connection!
Believe
it or not, what’s happening in your belly right now will play a factor in how
well you sleep tonight.
Why? Because the
gut influences our brain, and the brain regulates our sleep.
Previously, it was thought that the gut simply oversaw the digestion of
our food. As it turns out, our
gut does a whole lot more than digestion.
Our gut actually has a profound impact on many neurological functions.
In fact, your gut contains so much neural tissue that it has been called ‘the
second brain’.
Furthermore, our gut plays host to over 30 types of neurotransmitters (like the ones found in your
brain). The gut also contains 100
million neurons, which is higher than the amount found in our spinal
cord! And if you need more proof of your gut’s brain-like properties, at least 95% of serotonin - an important
neurotransmitter for cognitive function - is produced in your gut! Whoa, right?
