Prebiotics — dietary fibres found naturally in foods like artichokes, raw garlic and onions — may help improve sleep and buffer the physiological impacts of stress, a first-of-its-kind study suggests.
Prebiotics are the lesser-known gut-health promoters which serve as food for good bacteria inside the gut. “We found that dietary prebiotics can improve non-REM (random eye movement) sleep, as well as REM sleep after a stressful event,” said Robert Thompson, a PhD researcher at University of Colorado Boulder in the U.S.
Prebiotics are dietary fibres found naturally in foods like artichokes, raw garlic, leeks and onions.
When beneficial bacteria digest prebiotic fibre, they not only multiply, improving overall gut health, but they also release metabolic byproducts. Researchers fed three-week-old male rats a diet of either standard chow or chow that included prebiotics. They then monitored the rats’ body temperature, gut bacteria and sleep-wake cycles — using electroencephalogram (EEG), or brain activity testing over time.
Restorative and restful
Findings revealed that the rats on the prebiotic diet spent more time in non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, which is restful and restorative, than those on the non-prebiotic diet. “Given that sufficient NREM sleep and proper nutrition can impact brain development and function and that sleep problems are common in early life, it is possible that a diet rich in prebiotics started in early life could help improve sleep, support the gut microbiota and promote optimal brain/psychological health,” the researchers said.
After being exposed to a stressor, the rats on the prebiotic diet also spent more time in rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep.
REM sleep is believed to be critical for promoting recovery from stress.
