Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese
  • Polish
  • Ukrainian

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. The power of your gut
  3. Insomnia in the elderly: are gut microbiota to blame?
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • News
    • Thematics folders
    • Thematic pages
    • Microbiota Q & A
    • Patients Stories
    • Experts' point of view
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo
The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. The power of your gut
  3. Insomnia in the elderly: are gut microbiota to blame?
The power of your gut

Insomnia in the elderly: are gut microbiota to blame?

Sleep
The gut microbiota Diet

Show me your microbiota, I’ll tell you if you sleep well (and cogitate). This is, roughly speaking, the conclusion of a study that has demonstrated an interrelationship between sleep disorders, cognition and gut microbiota in the insomniac elderly.

The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • News
    • Thematics folders
    • Thematic pages
    • Microbiota Q & A
    • Patients Stories
    • Experts' point of view
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your friends might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
Insomnie chez les personnes âgées : le microbiote intestinal impliqué ?

About this article

Created 19 January 2023
Updated 10 June 2024

It’s hard to sleep like a baby when you’ve already celebrated your 65th birthday. At this age, one person in two suffers from chronic (sidenote: Insomnia Difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep, waking up early or feeling unrefreshed on waking. Severity is measured in terms of frequency of occurrence and daytime impact on everyday activities and on social and cognitive performance. Insomnia can be acute if it lasts less than a month, or chronic if it lasts more than 6 months.  Amatéis, C., Büla, C., Insomnies chez les personnes âgées : quelle approche ?, Rev Med Suisse, 2007/132 (Vol.-7), p. 2537–2541. ) , which aggravates age-related (sidenote: Cognition All the mental processes related to knowledge that involve attention, learning, intelligence, language, memory, perception, decision-making, problem-solving, reasoning, etc. Cognition_National Cancer Institute ) disorders. But rest assured: researchers are working hard to decipher the underlying mechanisms, about which we still know little.  One team decided to study gut microbiota, revealed several years ago as being capable of influencing brain function1.

50% Insomnia affects approximately 50% of the adult population over the age of 65.

1 in 2 seniors Insomnia affects 1 in 2 seniors, compared to 1 in 3 or even 1 in 6 in the general population.

(sidenote: https://www.revmed.ch/revue-medicale-suisse/2007/revue-medicale-suisse-132/insomnies-chez-les-personnes-agees-quelle-approche )

As we get older, our dentition, salivary function, digestion and intestinal transit come under strain, affecting gut microbiota and causing an imbalance (dysbiosis): the composition and diversity of this mixed flora of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other small (sidenote: Microorganisms Living organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye. They include bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea and protozoa, and are commonly referred to as “microbes”. What is microbiology? Microbiology Society. ) evolve over the years, to the point where the elderly progressively develop a microbiota that is very different to that of younger adults.

03.11.2021 Have you heard of "dysbiosis"? Read more

Changes in gut microbiota linked to insomnia 

In elderly people suffering from insomnia, the researchers found that one bacterial phylum (Bacteroidetes) occupies the lion’s share, while there are fewer Firmicutes and Proteobacteria compared with healthy patients. More importantly, they discovered that in elderly people with insomnia, sleep and cognition alone explain 7.5 to 7.9% of the variation in gut microbiota composition, which has a significant impact, comparable according to a previous study2 to that exerted by medication, blood parameters, digestive transit, diet, health status, weight and height!

Grow old or sleep: one or the other!

Age in itself is not a cause of insomnia, but rather a contributing factor due to health problems associated with advancing age3.

Typical bacteria in insomniacs

They also found that elderly people with insomnia having high levels of Lachnoclostridium bacteria in their guts have high-quality sleep and better cognitive performance. Conversely, lower cognitive performance is associated with more Blautia.
There is no point attempting to deduce causal relationships; it would be impossible at this stage. On the other hand, gut microbiota may one day help in the diagnosis of elderly people with insomnia and cognitive decline. If a causal relationship is ever proven, it could also become a new therapeutic target in the field of aging... and sleep. But by then the sandman will have come and gone multiple times...

The gut microbiota

Learn more
Sources

1. Haimov I, Magzal F, Tamir S et al. Variation in Gut Microbiota Composition is Associated with Sleep Quality and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults with Insomnia. Nat Sci Sleep. 2022 Oct 6;14:1753-1767.

2. G, Joossens M, Vieira-Silva S, et al. Population-level analysis of gut microbiome variation. Science. 2016;352(6285):560–564.

3. https://www.revmed.ch/revue-medicale-suisse/2007/revue-medicale-suisse-132/insomnies-chez-les-personnes-agees-quelle-approche

Tags
Sleep Aging Food Diet Cognition Dysbiosis Microbiome Flora

    See also

    Actu GP : Le microbiote intestinal, la clé d’un sommeil de qualité ? Is the gut microbiota the key to high-quality sleep?
    Centenarians: does the secret of their longevity lie in the gut microbiota?
    Created 19 January 2023
    Updated 10 June 2024

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Sleep

    Related microbiotas

    The gut microbiota

    Related topics

    Diet
    The power of your gut

    Microbiotalk : short conferences on antimicrobial resistance

    Breaking the silence: a global conversation on antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AM...

    Find out more

    Functional dyspepsia

    Despite its strange-sounding name, functional dyspepsia is a common digestive disorder. Characteristi...

    Find out more

    The gut microbiota

    Gut microbiota: why is it that important for your health? We have trillions1 of bacteria that po...

    Find out more

    Travelers’ diarrhea

    It's not what you think... Notice to globetrotters and travelers who’ve fallen victim to the dreaded...

    Find out more

    Fecal transplant: a promising route?

    This will surprise more than one person: using stool for therapeutic purposes did not start yesterday...

    Find out more

    Expert Interview : Dr Julie Lemale

    Dr. Julie Lemale is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist at the Armand Trousseau Hospital (AP-HP, Paris) an...

    Find out more

    Probiotics, a promising solution?

    Probiotics are “live microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts) that, upon ingestion in sufficient concentrati...

    Find out more

    Expert interview : Pr Patrice D. Cani

    Modulating the gut microbiota: effective for losing weight? While the study of gut microbiota opens ...

    Find out more

    Latest news

    News
    13.05.2025

    When sodas harm your microbiota and your health

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    Downside of fruit and vegetable juices for gut health

    Read the article
    Allergies : et si tout venait du microbiote ?
    28.03.2023

    Allergies: and what if it all started with the microbiota?

    Read the article
    Photo LP: Sensibles à l’E466 ? Votre microbiote a son mot à dire
    15.04.2025

    Sensitive to E466? Your microbiota plays a role

    Read the article
    23.04.2024

    Bacterial diarrhea: the only case where antibiotics can be used

    Read the article
    Patients stories - logo
    21.11.2022

    Patients stories: living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

    Read the article
    Actu GP : Bière sans alcool, le microbiote intestinal en raffole !
    15.10.2019

    Non-alcoholic beer: the gut microbiota just loves it!

    Read the article
    Actu GP : Le régime méditerranéen contre la fragilité des seniors ?
    28.05.2020

    Does the Mediterranean diet protect the elderly against frailty?

    Read the article
    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • News
      • Thematics folders
      • Thematic pages
      • Microbiota Q & A
      • Patients Stories
      • Experts' point of view
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo
    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese
    • Polish
    • Ukrainian

    Browse the site

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • News
      • Thematics folders
      • Thematic pages
      • Microbiota Q & A
      • Patients Stories
      • Experts' point of view
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the microbiota community and receive "The Essentials" once a month to stay up to date with the latest news on the microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    13.05.2025

    When sodas harm your microbiota and your health

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    Downside of fruit and vegetable juices for gut health

    Read the article
    Photo LP: Sensibles à l’E466 ? Votre microbiote a son mot à dire
    15.04.2025

    Sensitive to E466? Your microbiota plays a role

    Read the article

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community and receive once a month “The Essential” to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • News
      • Thematics folders
      • Thematic pages
      • Microbiota Q & A
      • Patients Stories
      • Experts' point of view
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    © 2025 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Legal notice
    • GTU
    • Data protection policy
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    • Digital accessibility : partially compliant
    Biocodex logo