Sleep

Exploring the Beneficial Effects of Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone best known for its role in preparing the brain for sleep. Due to its effectiveness in this respect, it’s the primary ingredient in many sleep supplements. Outside of the United States and Canada, melatonin-based formulas are only available with a doctor’s prescription. While some argue that using melatonin for sleep isn’t always effective, people suffering from insomnia find that it can help them sleep better in most cases. We already know that there are many positive effects of melatonin, but new research is still uncovering more benefits provided by this amazing hormone.

What is Melatonin?

To understand melatonin and its effect on the body, it’s important to first understand how and why it’s produced. Our bodies rely on a biological clock to function, known as our circadian rhythm. Among the other bodily functions it regulates, the circadian rhythm helps the brain differentiate between wakefulness and sleep. This is a process that relies on the changes between light and dark. As the sun goes down and the sky gets darker, the brain recognizes that it’s soon nearing time for sleep and releases melatonin to promote drowsiness.

Unfortunately for those who work irregular shifts, melatonin production is inhibited during the day, which is why it’s harder to get to sleep in the mornings and afternoons. People who follow irregular sleep schedules experience insomnia and other sleep disorders more commonly because the production of melatonin has been interrupted. This is also why a sleep formula containing melatonin can be more effective for those who work these types of schedules. Their bodies need that extra boost of melatonin during the day, when their brains won’t naturally produce the hormone in sufficient quantities.

What are the Positive Effects of Melatonin?

There have been multiple studies on the effects that melatonin has on the body, leading to the discovery that it can do more than just help you get a good night’s sleep. One of the surprising effects of melatonin is that it can help alleviate the symptoms of jet lag. A study that started in 2010 and lasted for four years looked at the effects that melatonin had on 142 travelers. In that study, researchers found that subjects who were given melatonin supplements experienced less severe jet lag symptoms than travelers who were given a placebo. Those taking the supplement experienced more restful sleep, reduced instances of daytime tiredness and fewer digestion problems.

Melatonin was also found to help people suffering from delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, or DSWPD. This is a condition in which the individual can’t fall asleep until 2:00 a.m. or later and end up sleeping well into the afternoon. Including a 2016 study of 52 subjects, research has found that taking melatonin supplements at the right time in the evening helped people with DSWPD to fall asleep earlier. They also fell asleep faster, taking an average of 22 minutes to nod off.

A 2015 research project looked at 774 patients and found melatonin was also effective in reducing anxiety prior to surgery. Many people suffer severe bouts of anxiety just before undergoing a surgical procedure, but taking a melatonin supplement seemed to alleviate those emotions. While it wasn’t clear whether or not melatonin was effective in treating post-surgery anxiety, it was found to be just as effective as anti-anxiety medications in treating pre-surgery anxiety.

Research into the positive benefits of melatonin is ongoing. Current and future studies are looking into the hormone’s effect on cancer symptoms, high blood pressure, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and intestinal illnesses.

How Can You Get More Melatonin Naturally?

Take a Supplement

As the previously cited studies show, a melatonin supplement can help you maintain adequate levels of melatonin when you need it most. A high-quality melatonin supplement can be beneficial because a single dose contains a sufficient amount of melatonin to help you get the restful sleep you need. Additionally, certain time-controlled melatonin formulas ensure the melatonin will have the best possible effect on your sleep cycle.

Get More Daylight

Sunlight is beneficial in controlled exposure, because its rays encourage vitamin D production in the body. Additionally, exposing yourself to natural daylight will help regulate your circadian rhythm. The sun’s rays help promote the production of serotonin, which the brain needs to produce more melatonin. In this way, getting more sunlight in the mornings promotes more efficient melatonin production in the evenings.

Turn Off Your Electronic Devices

Most people don’t realize the harm they’re doing when they use their smartphone or tablet just before bed. The blue light that these screens give off disrupts the circadian rhythm, preventing the brain from producing sufficient levels of melatonin. Doctors recommend shutting off all electronic devices at least one hour before your bedtime to give the brain enough time to adjust. This will ensure the hormone will be properly released as you near your bedtime.

Eat Melatonin-Rich Foods

There are certain foods that promote the production of melatonin, so you should consider adding these foods to your diet to ensure you’ll sleep better. Some melatonin-rich foods include asparagus, corn, cucumbers, olives, nuts and seeds. Barley and rolled oats are also helpful in promoting melatonin production.

Sleep on Your Back

This position is a popular yoga pose that’s commonly called the corpse pose, because it helps the body reach a deeper state of relaxation. As you lay on your back and breathe deeply, the brain will begin releasing a higher concentration of melatonin. This is why many people find it easier to fall asleep in this position.

The Truth About Tryptophan: Why Your Turkey Isn’t Making You Tired

Nov 27 by Ewcopywriting

Tryptophan, a compound found in turkey, is often erroneously blamed for that sleepy feeling you get after eating a big Thanksgiving meal. It may surprise you to learn that while tryptophan does start off a chain of reactions that results in the release of melatonin, the “sleep hormone,” there is actually less tryptophan in turkey than in many other commonly consumed foods. Even chicken, which many of us eat regularly throughout the year, contains higher levels of tryptophan than turkey. As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s especially important to understand the truth about tryptophan.

The Truth About Tryptophan and Human Health

Because tryptophan is found in a number of foods we eat all year long, it can’t be said that eating turkey is any more likely to cause sleepiness than eating other foods. On holidays like Thanksgiving, in all likelihood it’s the high amount of fats, sugar and carbs in the meal that are zapping your energy — not the turkey. Even so, the tryptophan in turkey does play an important role in human health, and eating turkey on Thanksgiving can benefit you in a few different ways.

Tryptophan is an amino acid that triggers the production of serotonin, a mood-elevating hormone. Research has found that not getting enough tryptophan in your diet can actually cause a serotonin deficiency. While serotonin does help the body produce more melatonin, as mentioned above, it primarily benefits the mind and body in other ways. If you’re prone to the holiday blues, eating turkey leftovers in the coming weeks could help you feel more like yourself. As a mood-boosting hormone, serotonin gives you that feel-good vibe that you experience when doing something enjoyable. Since it helps you feel better, it makes sense that serotonin can help alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety. In fact, many people now refer to serotonin as a natural antidepressant.

Other than depression and anxiety, serotonin also influences many other health conditions. For instance, a serotonin deficiency can cause short-term and long-term memory problems. Conversely, people who eat more foods rich in serotonin-fostering tryptophan experience greater memory recall. Tryptophan has also been found to be effective in helping children with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, by boosting the level of serotonin in the brain. Children suffering from ADHD have been found to have a significantly lower level of tryptophan in the brain, exhibiting less than half the amount found in healthy children’s brains.

Since getting enough tryptophan results in higher serotonin levels, research has determined that it can be effective in helping relieve PMS symptoms in women. Serotonin works to stabilize the mood and reduce feelings of irritability. Women who experience more severe mood-related PMS symptoms can increase their serotonin production by taking a supplement that contains tryptophan.

Tryptophan: One Reason Vegans Shouldn’t Skip the Turkey

When it comes to serotonin deficiency, it may seem that simply eating more foods that provide the body with serotonin is the answer, especially for vegans or vegetarians. Since serotonin is commonly found in many plant-based foods, it’s easy to assume that eating these foods will help your body benefit from the increased levels of serotonin without forcing you to give up your lifestyle. Some examples of serotonin-rich natural foods include bananas, cherries, eggplant, grapes, potatoes and tomatoes.

While there are many more natural foods that provide serotonin, eating these foods actually won’t increase serotonin levels in your brain. This is because serotonin is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier once ingested, so it will never make it to the parts of the brain that need the hormone. The truth about tryptophan is that it’s vital for the production of serotonin, since it is able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Once there, it begins contributing to the production of serotonin. Therefore, to ensure adequate serotonin levels in the brain, it’s necessary to eat foods that are rich in tryptophan, such as most types of meat.

In addition to red meat, tryptophan can be found in seafood and poultry of all kinds. Other foods containing adequate amounts of tryptophan include:

cheese
chickpeas
eggs
nuts
aats
seeds
soy

In striving to eat tryptophan-rich foods, it can be tempting to adopt a high-protein diet, can defeat the purpose of altering your diet in the first place. As you eat more protein-rich foods, you’re introducing other types of amino acids into your blood stream, all of which compete for transportation to the brain. In this situation, you won’t necessarily experience a boost in serotonin levels even though you’re eating more tryptophan-rich foods. If you’re consuming more tryptophan and wondering why you haven’t experienced a change in your emotional state, you may be experiencing this problem.

To correct the problem, take a look at your diet and try to increase your intake of tryptophan-rich foods without adding more protein to your diet. The best foods for vegans and vegetarians to consume are spinach, asparagus, soybeans, peanuts, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. Along with Swiss, Parmesan and cottage cheeses, these foods are rich in tryptophan, so they can help increase the production of serotonin without forcing you to make undesired dietary choices. Supplements like Tryptochron provide both tryptophan and 5-HTP, which are both compounds used by the brain to produce more serotonin. Tryptochron also contains certain B vitamins which are vital for the process of converting tryptophan into serotonin.

In addition to sticking to a healthier diet, you may want to increase your level of physical activity and incorporate relaxation techniques into your daily routine. Stress and anxiety can inhibit the way tryptophan is processed in the body, so more exercise, yoga, meditation and other similar practices can help your body transform tryptophan into serotonin more efficiently.

Why You Should Always Take Vitamin B6 in the Morning

May 16 by Ewcopywriting

Most people are aware of the importance of getting sufficient vitamins in our daily diet, whether from foods or from supplements. However, new research suggests that it is also important to get these critical nutrients at the correct time of day. This may be particularly important with vitamin B6, a vitamin that plays a key role in energy production. Could the timing of your vitamin intake have an impact on your health and well-being? Should you be taking vitamin B6 in the morning? Read on to find out.

Vitamin B6’s Role in Energy

Like many B vitamins, vitamin B6 is best known for its role in energy production. Also known as pyridoxine, this vitamin acts as a cofactor in several important metabolic processes. Most notably, it is crucial in creating energy for our cells. Although taking more than the daily recommended amount of vitamin B6 has not been found to increase energy per se, not having enough of this nutrient can cause fatigue as well as other unpleasant symptoms.

Vitamin B6 also plays an important role in the creation of certain neurochemicals. Perhaps most significantly, it plays a critical role in the creation of serotonin from its precursor tryptophan. Even a mild deficiency of vitamin B6 can negatively affect serotonin levels, leaving us feeling fatigued and out of sorts. When serotonin levels drop, people may experience a wide variety of unpleasant effects, including changes in their circadian rhythm and mood.

Although serotonin levels are important to our health in a variety of ways, there are very few medications that work to help to keep this hormone stable. SSRIs, antidepressant drugs that increase serotonin, can cause increases in blood serotonin. However, the increase is often very small. For many people, the best way to influence serotonin levels is to take vitamin B6, tryptophan and other substances that play a part in serotonin synthesis. This naturally encourages the body to create more of this key hormone, solving the root problem without side effects or risks.

Serotonin and Sleep

Why do we need so much serotonin in the first place? Serotonin is one of the most effective multi-taskers in the human body, affecting almost every aspect of our health. Produced in the pineal gland along with melatonin and other neurochemicals, this hormone is best known for its role in creating a sense of happiness and well-being. However, it also has other important functions. For example, it has critical roles in heart health, digestion and even metabolism.

Most notably, serotonin appears to be extremely important in sleep regulation. When levels of this hormone are high, we feel energetic and alert. When they are low, we are more likely to feel sleepy. Sometimes this sleepiness is necessary and healthy, such as at night when we are trying to sleep. Serotonin does not just help us to sleep, but also promotes healthy sleep-wake cycles. Our levels are lowest when we are in REM sleep, which is the phase in which we dream.

Although higher levels of serotonin are associated with greater happiness and well-being, timing is an important factor. High levels of serotonin are most beneficial during the day, while they could actually cause insomnia if this hormone is high at night. As with all other aspects of health, timing is an important factor.

Why Take Vitamin B6 in the Morning?

Because vitamin B6 is important to the manufacture of serotonin, it is best taken when we first awake in the morning. We sleep more soundly and dream best when our serotonin levels are low. On the other hand, we benefit from a boost of serotonin during the day. Taking B6 as well as other energy-promoting vitamins in the morning just may give you the extra energy and mood boost that you need to get the day to a pleasant and productive start.

Although it may seem unusual that time of day matters in taking vitamins, new research in the field of chronobiology is discovering an increasing number of ways that timing can make a huge difference in health. In addition, to vitamins, several medications have been found to be more effective or have fewer side effects when taken at specific times of the day. The more we can work with our internal clocks, the better results we can expect.

Getting Your Day Off to a Great Start

Although supplementing with vitamin B6 is a great way to boost morning energy, there are several healthy and natural ways to make sure you have the get-up-and-go that you need to get up and go. Make sure you get around six to eight hours of rest every night. Go to bed and awaken at the same time every day to ensure that your circadian clocks keep ticking on time. Rather than a cup of coffee, reach for a healthy breakfast and a multivitamin with B6 as well as other vitamins that promote energy.

The Little-Known Connection Between Melatonin and Fertility

Nov 26 by Ewcopywriting

Many people associate melatonin with sleep — with good reason. Helping to regulate and maintain the circadian rhythm appears to be the most important and best-known role of this pineal gland hormone. However, melatonin also plays a variety of other important roles in the human body. According to recent studies on melatonin and fertility, it may play a very important role in helping couples to conceive.

Infertility: A Growing Modern Problem

For reasons that doctors and scientists do not fully understand, an increasing number of people are struggling with infertility. Only one in six couples trying to conceive will be able to do so in a reasonable amount of time, generally defined as around a year.

Infertility has classically been seen as a female problem, but men are contributing increasingly to low pregnancy rates. Causes that can be attributed to the male are now behind around 30 percent of infertility cases. For reasons that are not completely understood, sperm counts around the world have dropped dramatically and are continuing to fall. An increasing number of couples are seeking IVF and other fertility treatments, making reproductive technology one of the fastest growing fields of medicine. Despite this medical assistance, birth rates in the developed world are below replacement rates and continuing to fall.

What is causing this decline in fertility? There are several hypotheses, including estrogens in the water supply, increased pollution of water and air, radiation from smart devices and a general inclination to wait until later in life to conceive. Regardless of the cause, several studies suggest that melatonin may be part of the answer.

Could Melatonin Affect Egg Quality?

The rise in in-vitro fertilization has allowed scientists to study in depth what factors make an egg healthier and more likely to successfully become an embryo. The life cycle of an egg is complex and extremely important to fertilization, making it a popular avenue of study in the fertility world. Eggs, or oocytes, spend most of a woman’s life dormant in her ovary. When stimulated, a single egg begins to mature and resumes cell division. It matures in a follicle until it is released. From here, it travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus, where it is hopefully fertilized. If a couple is undergoing IVF, the egg is instead harvested.

Melatonin fluids in follicular fluid have been found to predict the health of the future egg. Melatonin also appears to protect eggs from oxidative stress during the collection and fertilization process, which in turn improves the chances of successful fertilization and implantation.

Simply giving melatonin to women trying to conceive has been found to improve egg quality as well as increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. Although these are all small studies, they definitely suggest that melatonin is crucial to conceiving and carrying a pregnancy, especially for women struggling with infertility.

Melatonin and Fertility in Males

Melatonin is important to the fertility of women, but it also appears to play a role in the fertility of men. High melatonin levels have been linked to sperm quality in both living men and in storage for insemination. This appears to be partly due to melatonin’s role as an antioxidant, preventing damage to DNA in semen.

However, melatonin may play another role as well, one that is increasingly important in the modern world: protecting sperm from damage due to pollutants. For men who live in areas where water and air quality are affecting fertility rates, this could be an immense advantage.

Although melatonin alone cannot cure male infertility (that we know of, at least), it appears to have an important role in male fertility. Men who are on the borderline between infertility and conception may especially benefit from taking a nightly supplement or from taking care to keep their natural production of melatonin high.

Links Between Circadian Rhythm and Fertility

Many of these studies have been performed in-vitro, on eggs that are fertilized in dishes for use in IVF and other reproductive technologies. However, the findings also likely apply to conceptions that occur the natural way. Because melatonin is a natural antioxidant and free radical scavenger, it can prevent cells from getting damaged from respiration and other activities. This is likely part of the reason that both eggs and sperm fare better when exposed to melatonin.

However, there may be other causes of the link between a healthy circadian rhythm and fertility. Melatonin appears to contribute to healthy hormonal cycles in women, which are essential for conception and pregnancy. In addition, people who have irregular melatonin may also have other health risk factors such as obesity or type 2 diabetes, as both of these have been linked to low melatonin levels.

There definitely appears to be a link between melatonin and fertility rates; one that may become increasingly important as infertility rates increase around the world. Although the causality remains in question, people nonetheless may find they are more fertile when they lead a healthy lifestyle, including getting plenty of sleep and keeping their circadian rhythm well-regulated.

Tryptophan and Sleep: Does Eating Thanksgiving Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

Nov 22 by Ewcopywriting

Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks, of family and, most of all, of tradition. Although every American family has a unique way of celebrating this fall festival, most traditions have two things in common: turkey and rest. This has led to a widespread belief that turkey, or more precisely, tryptophan, an amino acid that turkey contains in large proportions, makes you sleepy. Is turkey really what makes you feel so tired on Thanksgiving afternoon? The research on tryptophan and sleep has borne mixed results.

Tryptophan and Turkey: Fact or Myth?

Much of the belief that turkey causes sleep is based on the purported effects of the amino acid tryptophan. Like many essential amino acids, tryptophan is converted to different molecules that are crucial to human health. It is an important building block in several proteins, but it also is important because it is converted to a molecule called 5-HTP. 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin and melatonin, both of which play an essential role in sleep and mood.

Serotonin is best known as the happiness hormone. It is the molecule that is the target of many popular antidepressants. In addition, it plays an important role in digestion. One of the “side effects” of increased serotonin is more energy. Melatonin, on the other hand, is a hormone associated with sleep. Its effects on the human body are many, as it acts as a potent antioxidant and also triggers DNA repair. However, most people who take melatonin will simply notice that it makes them sleepy.

Tryptophan’s role as a precursor to melatonin is the reason that it is so often associated with sleep. For many people, the tryptophan that they eat is converted to both serotonin and melatonin, giving them that happy and sleepy feeling that so many associate with their post-turkey nap. However, the relationship between turkey and sleep may not be so simple.

Links Between Tryptophan and Sleep

Tryptophan has been linked to sleep in several studies. People who take a tryptophan supplement before bed generally wake up better-rested and more alert. They perform better on tests that require concentration and also display less aggression. This change in behavior can even be seen in lab animals. Because tryptophan has to be converted to melatonin in order to induce sleepiness, this effect tends to be more gentle than that seen by taking a sleeping pill or even from taking melatonin.

The problem with linking turkey and sleep is that turkey is not actually the best place to get tryptophan. In fact, chicken has more of this amino acid. Many foods have ample amounts of tryptophan yet are not associated with sleep. This is due to the fact that tryptophan takes a significant amount of time to be converted to melatonin.

First, tryptophan must be transported across the blood-brain barrier, which can take significant time because it basically has to wait in line with other amino acids. Once there, it is converted to serotonin in several different areas of the brain, and then to melatonin in the pineal gland. Eating turkey is not a fast way to fall asleep. On the contrary, your post-turkey dip in energy is likely due to eating a large amount of carbohydrates.

Could a Tryptophan Supplement Help You Sleep?

To keep it simple, tryptophan may not provide a quick way to fall asleep, but it indeed can contribute to your sleeping well. Tryptophan supplements have been shown to encourage higher-quality sleep. However, they may not be the answer to insomnia for some people. In elderly people, for example, this amino acid may have the opposite effect. Older people have a less-functional pineal gland due to age-related changes in blood flow to this gland. As a result, excess tryptophan is converted to serotonin rather than to melatonin, leaving elderly people even more energetic.

People who suffer from insomnia similarly tend to have problems with producing melatonin. As a result, many insomniacs may get the opposite effect as well, getting a boost of energy from the serotonin that is made in lieu of the melatonin they seek.

Getting to Sleep the Natural Way

If you are hoping to sleep better, it may be best to “skip the middle man” and simply take a high-quality melatonin supplement rather than a tryptophan supplement. The effects of melatonin, after all, are what most people seek when they take tryptophan. In addition, behavioral changes such as better sleep hygiene have been found in multiple studies to have the most dramatic effects. Ultimately, there is no guaranteed way to get the sleep you need without the hard work of keeping your circadian rhythm on track. Melatonin can help, but a heaping helping of turkey likely will not.

Increasing Prebiotics in Your Diet Improves Digestive Health, Sleep and More

Oct 22 by Ewcopywriting

Confused about the difference between probiotics and prebiotics and how they work together? Here, we will take a brief look at what probiotics and prebiotics are, break down the differences between these important digestive helpers and learn how increasing the prebiotics in your diet not only improves digestion but also supports immune function, promotes sleep, lowers stress and provides many other benefits.

What Are Prebiotics?

Prebiotics are types of nondigestible fibers and sugars found in certain foods. Because your body can’t break them down completely, these substances pass undigested through the upper parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Once the prebiotic compounds reach the colon, they’re fermented by the bacteria residing in the gut. There, they feed the communities of bacteria that make up the gut’s microbiota.

So, what exactly is the difference then between prebiotics and probiotics? The term “probiotics” typically refers to foods and supplements that contain live microorganisms known to be beneficial to gut health. Conversely, “prebiotics” are compounds that serve as food for the microorganisms that live in the gut. The also-related but less well-known “postbiotics” are the byproduct that occurs as a result of gut bacteria fermenting the prebiotic compounds. Individually, each of these components possesses a number of health benefits while also working together to improve digestive health and overall well-being.

Why Are Prebiotics Important?

The human body is a host to trillions of bacteria, the vast majority of which live within our large intestines. Many of these bacteria are critical to bodily functions. The bacteria in our guts not only aid in the digestion of food and absorption of nutrients but also help to regulate hormone production and neurotransmitter release, with a direct effect on the immune system and the body’s ability to cope with stress.

Because our guts are so integral to many bodily functions, the abundance and diversity of the good bacteria in our guts is important to our overall health. Prebiotics act as a food source for these bacterial colonies that reside within our GI tracts. Working together, prebiotics and probiotics have been shown to significantly improve health outcomes.

What Are the Benefits of Prebiotics?

Prebiotics improve digestion and promote a healthy gut. Acting as food for good bacteria, prebiotics encourage the growth of the beneficial microbes residing in our guts. When these otherwise nondigestible fibers are metabolized by friendly gut bacteria, the byproduct is another group of beneficial compounds known as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs strengthen the intestinal lining, aid digestion, improve the symptoms of inflammatory bowel conditions and may even lower the chances of developing colorectal cancer.

Prebiotics reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that combining prebiotics and probiotics helps to regulate insulin signaling, lower “bad” cholesterol, balance electrolyte levels and reduce blood pressure, all factors that greatly reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular problems.

Prebiotics aid weight loss and the chances of obesity. Numerous studies have indicated that gut dysbiosis can be a contributing factor to weight gain and obesity-related disorders. Increased fiber intake is known to help curb weight gain. Researchers have found that prebiotic fiber regulates the stimulation and suppression of gastrointestinal hormones that control the feelings of hunger and satiation and is associated with a lowered BMI.

Prebiotics can help to reduce inflammation. Inflammation is believed to be a contributing factor for chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and even some cancers. Studies have demonstrated that increased intake of prebiotic fiber lowers systemic inflammation. Research indicates that this association may be due to the production of SCFAs that occurs during prebiotic fermentation.

Prebiotics improve the body’s immune system response. A healthy gut is key to a strong immune system.Recent findings have shown that adding more prebiotics into your diet elevates SCFA levels and increases the expression of antibodies and antioxiants, important for helping the body to fight off illness and disease.

Prebiotics promote healthier, stronger bones. Imbalances to the gut microbiota have been tied to cases of disease and loss of density within bones. According to research, upping intake of prebiotics improves bone strength by increasing calcium absorption and bone density.

Prebiotics may improve sleep quality. Every cell in the human body responds to circadian rhythms, and this includes the microbial life within us. Under normal circumstances, subjects with a higher intake of prebiotics tend to spend more time in the restorative sleep phase, except for after stressful events, which observed longer periods of REM sleep, the phase of sleep thought to help recover from stress. This suggests that prebiotics encourage better, more restful sleep and help to ease stress. Prebiotics also alter the release of hormones such as melatonin and serotonin that are known to play a role in or have an effect on sleep and sleep quality.

Prebiotics help to regulate moods and hormone levels. As our knowledge of the gut-brain connection grows, it’s becoming more and more clear that many conditions, including mental health issues, are affected by gut health. Not only does our gut flora affect bodily function, but studies suggest that our gut’s microbial makeup may even be responsible for how bodily systems, such as our stress response system, are actually developed. Increased consumption of prebiotics has been shown to improve stress responses, reduce cortisol levels and alleviate feelings of depression and anxiety.

How to Incorporate More Prebiotics Into Your Diet

Want to know how you can increase your daily intake of prebiotics? There are a handful of prebiotic-rich foods that you can add to your diet. Remember that, as with most foods, cooking changes the nutritional makeup. For the most benefit, try to consume foods that are raw and unprocessed. Here are a few food choices that are packed with health-promoting prebiotics:

asparagus
chicory root
dandelion greens
garlic
jicama
leeks
onions
under-ripened bananas

Dietary supplements are also available for those unable to fit enough prebiotics into their diet. Look for supplements that combine both prebiotics and probiotics for the greatest impact.