How Gut Health Affects Our Life

Many of the health issues today focus typically on areas such as heart health, respiratory health, weight, etc. While it’s important that these areas of health get the attention that they deserve, the importance of gut health has for long now been neglected in how significant it is in a person’s general health. In fact, did you know that a healthy gut contributes not just to effective digestion, but also to a robust immune system, healthy sleep, good skin, and much more. Because of this, let’s look further into the importance of gut health and how to improve it.  

 Poor sleep and continuous fatigue 

Would you believe that an unhealthy gut can actually lead to something such as poor sleep. The reason for this is that a majority of the serotonin produced by the body is done within the gut. This is important as serotonin affects mood as well as sleep, and so damage within the gut can in fact hinder your ability to sleep well.  

 Unintended weight changes  

A person experiencing weight changes without having made a change in their diet or lifestyle, may be experiencing so due to an unhealthy gut. This is because an imbalanced gut can hinder the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, regulate blood sugar, and even store fat. 

 Stomach discomfort 

Frequent abdominal pains, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, and other discomforts alike are signs of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – a common condition which affects the digestive system. IBS in fact has been indicated in research to have sometimes been caused by imbalances in the gut bacteria (known as dysbiosis).  

 Skin health 

You may be surprised to hear that your gut health can also have affects upon your skin health as well. The reason is that your gut is in direct communication with your skin, and it plays a part in what’s called ‘skin homeostasis’ – ensuring that it remains clear and healthy. In addition to this, your skin actually has a unique microbiome of its own, which can be thrown out of balance because of an imbalance in the gut. This imbalance can cause further issues down the line, and that’s why we stress on the importance of gut health. 

 Solutions: 

Here are some ways to improve your gut health: 

• Lowering your stress levels through activities such as meditation, exercise, etc. 
• Getting sufficient sleep such as 7-8 hours a night 
• Staying hydrated 
• Eating slowly and chewing properly can promote full digestion and better absorption of nutrients 
• Taking a prebiotic or probiotic – prebiotics promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut, while probiotics provide the live good bacteria itself 

The importance of gut health has perhaps not been taken as seriously as it should have been in the past, however it is no doubt a crucial part of one’s overall health – affecting not only digestion, but also areas such as sleep and skin health. It must be taken seriously, and we hope this article was helpful in shedding light on such an important topic. 

This article contains general information regarding health and well-being. This information is not intended as advice and should not be treated as such. You must not rely on the information on this website as an alternative to advice from medical or educational professionals.