Do you always feel tied? Whether you suffer from insomnia or just have poor of quality sleep which leaves you waking up in the morning and not feeling well rested, it could be linked to your gut health. A central part of the body’s overall wellbeing, your gut is responsible for generating the majority of your body’s serotonin – which affects mood and sleep. This means that if your gut is suffering from a bacteria imbalance or inflammation, your sleep and energy levels may be affected as well. The good news is there are ways you can significantly improve your gut health – which can make a world of difference.
The link between gut health and fatigue
Your gut is made up of many different species of microbiome – or microorganisms – of which many are highly beneficial and necessary for good health. These microbiome help fuel your body, by digesting the food you eat and absorbing the nutrients from that food.
However, if there is an imbalance of these microbiome – including too many ‘bad’ bacteria – it can lead to problems, including making you tired. Growing evidence shows the link between gut health and fatigue. Those who suffer from a lot of fatigue tend to have less bacterial diversity in their gut. Inflammation in the digestive system can also cause fatigue and make you tired. Chemical signals which are generated during inflammation events can act on the brain and cause tiredness and a lack of energy.
How to improve your gut health
There are ways to improve your gut health, which can help improve your sleep and relieve your tiredness and general fatigue. They could help you get back to bouncing out of bed in the morning and enjoying sustained energy across the day.
1. Eat more good food
Each species of bacteria in your gut requires different nutrients to grow. It is therefore important to eat a diverse range of foods, which can lead to a more diverse range of microbiome. Fresh fruit and vegetables are the best sources of nutrients for healthy microbiome, given they are high in fibre. Beans and other legumes are also high in fibre, which stimulates the growth of gut bacteria. Fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut and kombucha are other gut-healthy foods, as well as foods high in prebiotics and fibre-rich whole grains.
2. Eat less bad food
Some foods and drinks can affect your gut health in a negative way. Try to limit your intake of processed foods, foods which are high in sugar, dairy and red meat. Artificial sweeteners and alcohol are other things which you should look to limit or avoid.
3. Get more sleep
While what you eat can affect your sleep, studies have shown that getting more sleep is also linked to greater diversity of gut bacteria. Try to ensure you are getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
4. Exercise more
Exercise can help increase microbiome diversity, with even low-intensity workouts being beneficial. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.
5. Reduce your stress
Stress can disrupt the structure and function of gut microbiome, which means that finding ways to reduce your stress levels may improve your gut health. If you are regularly stressed, things like exercise, getting more sleep or even meditation could help.
Enlist some expert help
If you are sick of always feeling tired and want to see what better gut health can do for you then you should enlist the help of an expert like Luke Clarke. A Functional Medical Practitioner and Naturopath with decades of experience, Luke is based in Melbourne and can create a holistic tailored plan to help you improve your gut health. Get in touch with Luke Clarke today to arrange a free 10-minute consultation and set yourself on the path to better health by calling 03 8820 0010.