Good Gut, Good Energy

Good Gut Health

The gut has thousands of bacteria. When the gut is healthy the bacteria talk to your organs and your immune system which is why a healthy gut is so important to our health.¹ When the bacteria in our gut are out of balance, our energy and sleep may suffer.

How Our Gut Affects Our Energy 

When our gut is healthy, we have more energy for daily tasks. The body makes energy from the foods we eat. With a healthy gut, the intestines can take the calories out of food to make the energy our bodies need. The health of our gut also affects how well we sleep. A study on fifty-eight patients with trouble sleeping had less diverse gut bacteria than people who did not have problems with sleep.² Another study linked a diverse gut to longer and better sleep.³ Not sleeping may affect our energy since we are less likely to go into the last stage of non-REM sleep.⁴ The last stage is our deep sleep stage which may improve our energy because it allows our body to make energy for our cells.⁴

How Can We Make Our Gut Healthy?

Eating foods from the Mediterranean diet is a way to keep the gut in balance since it contains foods with fiber from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, foods with prebiotics (garlic, bananas, onions, apples, beans), probiotics found in yogurt and cheese like feta, cheddar, and gouda and extra virgin olive oil which is helpful to the intestines.^5,6

Summary

Studies have linked the health of our gut to how well our bodies can make energy from the foods we eat and how well we sleep. Eating foods of the Mediterranean diet may help improve the balance of our gut bacteria which may lead to better energy throughout our day. If you are struggling with low energy you may need to improve your gut health. We can help you get some more pep in your step!

 

References

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2. Pacheco A P, Cedernaes J, Benedict C. Gut microbiome as a therapeutic target in the treatment of sleep disorders: where we are. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2021; 60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101547.
3. Smith R P, Easson C, Lyle S M, et al. Gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology in humans. PLoS One. 2019; 7(14):10. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222394.
4. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/how-sleep-boosts-your-energy
5. Garcia-Montero C, Fraile-Martinez O, Gomez-Lahoza M. Nutritional components in western diet versus Mediterranean Diet at the gut microbiota–immune system interplay. Implications for health and disease. Nutrients.2021; 13(2):688. doi10.3390/nu13020699.
6. Marcelino G, Hiane PA, Freitas KC, et al. Effects of olive oil and its minor components on cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, and gut microbiota. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1826. doi: 10.3390/nu11081826.