Hello everyone, what I want to bring to light today is how among academics and clinicians there is always more emphasis on how the intestine is our second brain and how intestinal well-being can lead to better sleep or less anxiety.
But let's take one step at a time what binds the intestine to the brain?
The answer is simple: ** THE MICROBIOTA **.
Let's start by explaining that the microbiota is a set of microorganisms that live in our intestine and that perform many functions, from the immune one to that of promoting the absorption of substances and many others. What allows all this is its biodiversity or the diversification of these microorganisms.
Recent studies show that a dysbiosis (lack of the aforementioned diversity) is present in many people suffering from sleep disorders and anxiety.(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28301775/)
All this is due to an alteration of neurotransmitters (GABA, Norepinephrine) and particularly of the serotoninergic system as a decrease in serotonin is involved in the appearance of anxieties and melatonin derives from serotonin and therefore closely related to sleep whose regulation depends precisely on our dear microbiota. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30531975/)
And how many of you have struggled to sleep or have generalized anxieties during this pandemic?
Now the question will be but how do we then improve our microbiota?
For now I hope I have piqued your interest and if the community would like it I would like to go even deeper into the discussion.