Coping with stress – try prebiotics

If you have disturbed sleep due to or after a stressful event, try prebiotics.

Now, what’s prebiotic. Prebiotics are certain types of non-digestible fibers that probiotic bacteria feed on, such as the fibers found in many plant sources like asparagus, oatmeal, chicory, artichokes, raw garlic, leeks and onions. Prebiotic is also found in breast milk.

Studies show that prebiotics may help improve sleep and also act as a buffer against the physiological impacts of stress.

Research suggests that prebiotic fibers may help protect the beneficial bacteria in your gut and restore healthy sleep patterns after a stressful event.

The findings of the research showed that stress could upset the gut’s microbiome, as well as restful sleep, both essential for a healthy life.

‘Acute stress can disrupt the gut microbiome,’ said Agnieszka Mika, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder, in the US.

A diet rich in prebiotics was found to increase beneficial bacteria as well as protect gut microbes from stress-induced disruptions. In addition, prebiotics also lead to the recovery of normal sleep patterns, since they tend to be disrupted after stressful events.

‘So far no adverse effects from prebiotics have been reported…and they are found widely in many plants, even present in breast milk, and are already commercially available,’ Mika added.

Although the research was done in rats, the results may be relevant in humans, noted Robert S. Thompson from the University of Colorado Boulder.

The research was published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.

If you are a generally stressed out person and if you want to improve your sleep, it may help if you take legume, oatmeal, chicory, artichokes, raw garlic, leeks, asparagus and onions!