What's the Root Cause? by Dr Vikki Petersen
"What's the Root Cause?" is brought to you by Root Cause Medical Clinic, featuring Dr. Vikki Petersen—renowned doctor, functional medicine expert, author of "Hiatal Hernia Syndrome" and host of a highly popular YouTube channel.
Dr. Vikki Petersen and her team of clinicians provide cutting-edge solutions in gut health, hiatal hernia syndrome, nutrition, food, hormones, genetics, lifestyle, and more.
You don’t have to accept feeling unwell or struggling with chronic health issues. Your body has the power to heal, and with the right approach, reversing many health conditions is possible. We're here to help you do just that.
Have questions about your health? Contact us today at 727-335-0400 or visit RootCauseMedicalClinics.com.
What's the Root Cause? by Dr Vikki Petersen
How Sleep Affects Gut Health and Hiatal Hernia
Why should you prioritize sleep in your life?
I have a strong interest in everything and anything that affects gut health and inflammation of the gut as that can be the leading source of Hiatal Hernia Syndrome.
Your microbiome affects you brain, immune system and hormonal imbalance, to name a few.
A 2019 study out of Stanford that irregular sleep patterns can lead to changes in the types and abundance of gut bacteria. Specifically more bad bacteria propagate leading to gut inflammation and a lower diversity of organisms. Diversity is very important for optimal gut health.
A healthy gut makes SCFAs (short chain fatty acids) but with poor sleep quality you'll make less of these.
Your microbiome makes neurotransmitters like melatonin, serotonin, and GABA that all influence sleep quality. This has to do with the gut-brain connection which affect each other intimately.
Other systems affected are:
Cardiovascular: sleep deficits damage blood vessels and increase your risk of heart disease.
Brain health: poor quality leads to accelerated brain again, increased risk of stroke, dementia and disruptions in the brain's waste removal system.
Mental health - staying up late negatively impacts your mental health and increases your risk of mental and behavioral disorders.
Diabetes risk: poor sleep increases insulin resistance which not only increases your risk of diabetes but also heart disease, dementia, obesity, fatty liver and PCOS to name a few.
How much sleep do you need? Seven to 9 hours is the sweet spot. Remember that's shooting for 8 hours of sleep, which likely equates to 8.5 hours actually in bed since there is some awake time.
If you're a night owl research from 2024 out of Stanford found that you're more likely to suffer from mental and behavioral disorders if you go to sleep past 1 am.
The "morning larks", as they're called, who like to get up with the sun, had the best mental health.
Try to move yourself to an earlier bedtime gradually if you're a night owl. Gradiently go to bed about 30 minutes earlier every few days.
Don't eat 3 hours before bedtime and enjoy a light stroll after dinner.
Blue light glasses can be helpful, or just dimming the lights in your home is also helpful.
If you need help getting better quality sleep we're happy to help you.
Consider calling us for a consultation: call 727-335-0400.