When we look to improve our sleep health and ensure a more restful night’s sleep, we tend to focus on the sleep environment – creating better peaceful conditions around us. However, could the secret to better sleep health actually lie in the gut?

This potential caught the attention of health and wellbeing author and presenter, Dr Michael Mosley, while doing research for his BBC documentary The Truth About: Sleep. 

Supported by science

The Bimuno range of prebiotic supplements has been created through an extensive science research programme that started with the University of Reading back in 2007.

Since then, Bimuno has become one of the most widely studied prebiotics of its kind and is supported by over 90 scientific publications. Bimuno has been developed to specifically target and nourish bifidobacteria, a type of good gut bacteria that produces vitamins that the body needs.

Your good gut bacteria don’t just help with digestion, they can influence many important areas of our physical and mental wellbeing too. For example, did you know that your good gut bacteria can support the immune system – around 70% of which resides in the gut?

Trusted by thousands

Don’t just take our word for it, Bimuno is rated ‘Excellent’ from over 3000 independent reviews on Trustpilot. Looking to begin your own gut health journey? You can read more about their reasons for taking Bimuno and how it has helped them here.

The importance of a healthy gut

Your gut is made up of trillions of good and bad bacteria which co-exist in an ever-shifting composition. In fact, your gut microbiome is as unique to you as your fingerprint.

The gut plays an important role in your overall health and wellbeing. Studies have shown that an abundance of good gut bacteria can positively influence your digestive health. It can also support immunity, mental health, mood, energy levels and even the quality of your sleep!

So, what can we do to give these good gut bugs a helping hand?

Enter Prebiotics

Prebiotic fibre, sometimes called dietary fibre, feeds the good bacteria in our gut. Your gut is a finite space, it can only hold a certain amount of bacteria. Naturally, we want more of the good gut bacteria, which have benefits to the body, and less of the bad. Prebiotics essentially work as a fertiliser to encourage the growth of good bacteria – and leave less space for the bad.

Prebiotics and probiotics may sound similar, but the way they work is very different. Unlike probiotics which add more live bacteria to the gut, prebiotics feed good gut bugs that are already in your gut and therefore are natural to you.

Prebiotics can be found in everyday foods such as bananas, onions, garlic, wholegrain oats and Jerusalem artichokes. Prebiotic fibre can be found naturally in different quantities, which is why it is important to include a variety of plant-based foods in your diet. By doing so, your good gut bacteria become fuelled with different types of prebiotic fibre.

A food-first approach to nutrition should always be the top priority. However, some people may not be able to include enough variety of prebiotic-rich foods in their diet. This is where a prebiotic supplement such as Bimuno may be useful.