The Link Between Gut & Sleep
It’s well established how important a good night of sleep is for our overall physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. I’m sure you’ve experienced the brain fog, fatigue and lack of concentration that follows a night of restless sleep.
The microbial cells in our digestive system (also known as the gut microbiome) have a large role in supporting our overall health and wellbeing, as they absorb nutrients from the food we eat, produce immune system molecules, influence metabolism, and produce neurotransmitters and other key molecules for our health. Put simply, the more diverse the microbiome, the better your overall health.
Your Second Brain
You may have you heard about the gut-brain connection, or heard the gut being referred to as our ‘second brain’. But what if I were to tell you that you could fundamentally change your mental health and how you feel, by treating your gut?
Sounds “out there”, doesn’t it...
But if you’ve ever “followed your gut”,
had “butterflies” in your tummy from excitement,
or a “knot” in the pit of your stomach when you’ve been worried,
a “gut-wrenching” experience,
“lost your appetite”,
found yourself “hangry” (being a moody-chops because you haven’t eaten in a while),
or had the proverbial “s**ts” with something;
then you’ve experienced the gut-brain connection first-hand, and can probably conceptualise how inextricably linked our gut, mood, and emotions are.
A Gut Feeling
What Is Histamine Intolerance, Could It Be The Cause Of Your Gut Symptoms?
You’ve probably heard of the molecule histamine in relation to allergies and hayfever symptoms. However, histamine serves as more than just a trigger for these conditions. It also functions as a neurotransmitter, playing a role in various bodily processes such as sleep/wake cycles, alertness, arousal, appetite regulation, stress resistance, and anxiety reduction. Additionally, histamine aids in stomach acid production, blood vessel dilation, intestinal muscle contractions, memory, learning, and other vital functions.
How to Improve Your Gut Health
Every person has a unique microbiome, which is influenced by diet, lifestyle, home environment, stress, exposure to toxins or chemicals, past medical history and history of medications. The gut has a significant impact on our overall health, and the more diverse your gut microbiome, the better your health will be.
Our Second Brain
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