How your gut is sabotaging your sleep and 6 simple ways to fix it

The key to getting a better night’s rest could lie in your belly.“Your gut and brain are deeply connected.Poor gut health can be a major contributor to sleep disturbances,” Sam Tejada, author of “How to Win in Modern Wellness,” told The Post.While digestive issues, including reflux or bloating, are “obvious obstacles,” Tejada explained that it’s more than just physical symptoms like nausea and gas that could be keeping you up.Good sleep, Tejada said, begins in the gut.“About 90% of serotonin, which converts into melatonin, is produced in the gut.

If your gut is unhealthy, it’s difficult to absorb the nutrients from foods or supplements, and it can disrupt serotonin levels and, in turn, melatonin production,” he explained.He noted that an imbalanced gut can lead to chronic inflammation, which puts stress on the nervous system and can leave you high strung when its time to bed down.“The gut microbiome plays a role in regulating circadian rhythms.

Certain gut bacteria help produce neurotransmitters that support deep sleep.”How important is gut health? New research reports that Parkinson’s disease may even begin in the gut.Plus, oncologists have partly blamed a concerning rise in youth cases of colon cancer on lifestyle factors like a lack of exercise, the Western diet and excess sugar consumption.Meanwhile, a March 2022 study from New York’s Clarkson University found a possible link between a person’s gut health and personality. If your gut is ruining your sleep, that could indirectly lead to even more problems.The cumulative effects of insufficient sleep are enough to keep you up at night: lack of shut eye is associated with impaired cognitive functioning, poor immunity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart and kidney issues, depression, and increased inflammation, which can lead to different kinds of chronic health conditions and diseases.Tejada, who previously shared his insights on the best time to take sleep suppl...