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In these turbulent times, we all put on our brave faces while our routines are disrupted, our families heartbroken, and our emergency services reach their breaking point, but it’s at night when anxiety spills over into insomnia.
The greater our levels of exhaustion, the less able we are to cope with the stresses before us. Without achieving the full range of sleep patterns, our brains are subjected to a build up of metabolic waste products which can, and do, cause inflammation and damage.
There are ways to break the cycle of sleeplessness that don’t involve the use of proprietary drugs, but they take some effort and forward planning. Common sense practices such as limiting the blue light we receive from screens prior to bed time, having a warm bath or shower, or practicing meditation techniques will all aid a restful state, but how many of us consider feeding the bacteria present in our gut?
Prebiotic is the name given to the fibrous plant matter that provides useful nutrients to the healthy gut bacteria in our bodies. It’s often mistaken for probiotic, which refers to the actual bacterial cultures themselves, and is prevalent in fermented products such as yoghurt and sauerkraut. While it is good to have a diverse colony of digestive bacteria within us, we need to foster the symbiotic relationship by allowing them access to…