Having Sleep Trouble? Try Including Prebiotics in Your Regular Diet

While all the food we eat gets digested for nutritional gains, prebiotics are a very specific type of food which is non-digestible yet healthy. Consuming a non-digestible ingredient, allows the growth of bio-cultures by reaching the intestine and allowing fermentation, unaffected by the digestion process. Therefore, prebiotics are responsible for a healthier digestion. Prebiotics are considered as a functional food; used for proper functioning of body organs and systems. The consumption of functional food is rising alarmingly. Amongst many of the benefits of eating prebiotics like improved digestion, better metabolism etc., a recent study has found that it may help you fight stress as well.A new study conducted by University of Colorado Boulder highlights the benefits of prebiotics as food for the good bacteria in the gut which also helps in improving sleep. Prebiotics refers to the dietary fibers which are found in food items like raw onion, raw garlic, leek, cooked onion and raw asparagus. Prebiotics lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, help in improving digestion, reduce the risk of obesity and results in better hormonal balance. Now, researchers are also saying that they can help in giving you good sleep. (Prebiotic Foods Versus Probiotics: What's Best For Our Diet?)
 
In the study, scientists fed a three week old male rat, a diet which contained prebiotics and kept a check on the rat’s body temperature, gut bacteria and sleep-wake cycles. It was found that the rat that was fed the diet containing prebiotics spent more time in non-rapid-eye-movement sleep than the ones who took a non-prebiotic diet. The rat also spent more time in rapid-eye-movement sleep. This stage of sleep helps in relaxing your mind and overcoming stress. Moreover, stress reduces the healthy gut bacteria present in our body while prebiotics helps in maintaining them and also normal temperature fluctuations in the body even when exposed to stress.