• Sleep microbes
• Interactions with the immune system
• Understanding correlations
What is already known on this topic
For a long time, scientists have suspected that the gut microbiome can influence sleep quality, but studies that looked at the link between gut microbes and sleep deprivation have yielded conflicting results.What this research adds
To assess how gut microbes are associated with sleep physiology, researchers analyzed the rest/activity cycles and the gut microbiota of 40 men. Some bacteria such as Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were linked to better sleep, while others, including Lachnospiraceae and Corynebacterium, were correlated with decreased sleep quality.Conclusion
Although it’s unclear if the findings apply also to women, understanding whether and how gut microbes influence sleep may lead to new ways to improve sleep through the manipulation of the gut microbiota.
The microbes in our gut might affect how well and for how long we sleep, according to a new study. The findings, published in PLOS ONE, may lead to new ways to improve sleep through the manipulation of the gut microbiota.
For a long time, scientists have suspected that the gut microbiome can influence sleep quality, but studies that looked at the link between gut microbes and sleep deprivation have yielded conflicting results.
To assess how the gut microbiota correlates with sleep physiology, Robert Smith at Nova Southeastern University and his colleagues analyzed the rest/activity cycles and the gut microbiota of 40 healthy men.
Sleep microbes
Total microbiota diversity was associated with increased sleep efficiency and total sleep time. Bacteria such as Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were linked to better sleep, while other microbes, including Lachnospiraceae and Corynebacterium, were correlated with decreased sleep quality.
People with high abundance of Coprococcus bacteria in their gut tended to wake up more often, while those with Erysipelotricheaceae and Holdemania bacteria tended to wake up less.
Interactions with the immune system
Since gut microbes interact with immune molecules such as IL-6, which is an important factor in sleep regulation, the researchers set out to test correlations between IL-6, the gut microbiota, and sleep.
IL-6 was linked with microbiota diversity and positively correlated with time in bed and total sleep time. Seven bacteria from the Proteobacteria family, including Sutterella, Desulfovibrio, Bilophila, and Pseudoalteromonas, were positively correlated with IL-6. This suggests that the gut microbiota composition is somehow associated with the production of sleep-regulating molecules such as IL-6. However, the mechanisms and metabolites that link these systems remain unknown.
Understanding correlations
The researchers caution that the study didn’t find a causal link between microbiota composition and sleep physiology. More work is needed to understand the role that the gut microbiota plays in producing and regulating sleep-modulating metabolites.
It is also unclear if the findings apply to women, since the study was limited to men. But the researchers suspect that the effects on women could be similar, or even more pronounced, since sleep deprivation has worse effects on women compared to men.
