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

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. The power of your gut
  3. Tell me about your baby’s gut microbiota and I’ll tell you how well it sleeps
  • 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
    • Thematics folders
    • News
    • Patients Stories
    • Press room
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

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. Tell me about your baby’s gut microbiota and I’ll tell you how well it sleeps
The power of your gut

Tell me about your baby’s gut microbiota and I’ll tell you how well it sleeps

Sleep
The gut microbiota Diet Probiotics Prebiotics: what you need to know

Is there a link between our little ones’ sleep and the microbiota in their digestive systems? Might this influence their behavioral development? A Swiss team has just found an answer to these questions.

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
    • Thematics folders
    • News
    • Patients Stories
    • Press room
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

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

About this article

Created 10 March 2022
Updated 27 May 2022

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”, “Rock-a-Bye Baby”, ““Puff the Magic Dragon”... Every night, you go through your repertoire of lullabies to send your child off to sleep. All in vain. Far from falling asleep, your adorable tot claps its hands and feet, and its wide-open eyes plead to hear you sing. It even seems to want an “encore”! But at what point will your baby finally sleep all through the night? Great news: there are ways to make sure your baby sleeps like a log from dusk to dawn. These solutions seem to involve the gut microbiota, the community of microorganisms in the digestive system, whose composition evolves during the first years of life.

Sleep: bacteria involved from three months

Recent studies carried out on more than 160 infants have shown a link between an infant’s gut flora and its sleeping habits. Infants who slept more during the day had lower gut microbial diversity than those who saved their sleep for nighttime. Moreover, the quality of infants’ nighttime sleep seems to depend on the type of bacteria present in their gut and on the maturity of their gut microbiota. This effect is clear from three months.  This is an important discovery, since up till now these links had only been known in adults.

Highlight

The quality of infants’ nighttime sleep seems to depend on the type of bacteria present in their gut and on the maturity of their gut microbiota.

Influence on future behavior 

Furthermore, brain activity during sleep at six months appears to vary according to the bacteria in the gut. It also appears to predict gut microbial diversity at one year. In short, sleep and microbiota seem closely connected and develop together over time. Should parents of children who have difficulty sleeping be worried?

On the contrary, the authors of the study reassure us that: “Sleep and gut microbiota can be readily modified. Sleep can be tailored with behavioral interventions through educational and behavioral strategies by the parents. Gut microbial composition can be modified by diet or orally ingested prebiotics and probiotics added to infant formula.”

However, these avenues still need to be validated through clinical trials. So while young parents wait for miracle foods or probiotics that could save their nights – and their voices – it’s important for them to pamper their babies’ gut microbiota.  What’s more, antibiotics, which greatly disturb the gut microbiota, should be used even more sparingly.

Sources

Schoch SF, Castro-Mejía JL, Krych L et al. From Alpha Diversity to Zzz: Interactions among sleep, the brain, and gut microbiota in the first year of life. Prog Neurobiol. 2021 Dec 16;209:102208.

Tags
Sleep Antibiotics Infant Dysbiosis Baby health

en_view en_sources

    See also

    Actu GP : Le microbiote intestinal, la clé d’un sommeil de qualité ? Is the gut microbiota the key to high-quality sleep?
    The early bird catches the best microbiota
    Created 10 March 2022
    Updated 27 May 2022

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Sleep

    Related microbiotas

    The gut microbiota

    Related topics

    Diet Probiotics Prebiotics: what you need to know
    The power of your gut

    The gut microbiota

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

    Find out more

    Functional gastrointestinal disorders

    Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGDs), the most common intestinal afflictions, are a collectio...

    Find out more

    Digestive disorders

    Find out more

    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), previously called a “functional bowel disorder”, is the most common g...

    Find out more

    Probiotics

    Probiotics: essential information for understanding and choosing them correctly. What exactly are pro...

    Find out more

    Pediatric disorders

    Find out more

    How our gut constantly talks to our brain

    Our gut, often called our “second brain”, owns 200 million neurons (enteric nervous system), hosts se...

    Find out more

    Prebiotics: what you need to know

    With just one different letter separating prebiotics and probiotics, no wonder they get confused! To ...

    Find out more

    Latest news

    News
    Obésité et microbiote : une bactérie aggrave l’effet d’une alimentation riche en graisses
    15.05.2023

    Obesity and microbiota: A bacterium worsens the effect of a high-fat diet

    Read the article
    Photo: Une « super bactérie » pour combattre les effets de la dénutrition ?
    26.04.2023

    A “super bacterium” that combats the effects of malnutrition?

    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: Fatigue chronique : une seule bactérie vous manque, et tout votre corps est épuisé
    25.04.2023

    A single bacterium is missing for you, and your whole body is tired

    Read the article
    06.04.2023

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome and microbiota: is there a link?

    Read the article
    05.04.2023

    My family, my roommates, my neighbors... and my microbiota

    Read the article
    Photo: Homepage LP - World IBS Awareness Month
    20.02.2023

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): what is the role of the microbiota?

    Read the article
    Patients stories - logo
    21.11.2022

    Patients stories: living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

    Read the article
    My health, my microbiota
    Follow our Facebook page
    Our marvelous microbiota
    Get to understand our microbiota and the role they play in our body
    Find your dedicated section
    Healthcare professionals
    • 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
      • Thematics folders
      • News
      • Patients Stories
      • Press room
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    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

    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
      • Thematics folders
      • News
      • Patients Stories
      • Press room
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    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
    • YouTube

    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

    Obésité et microbiote : une bactérie aggrave l’effet d’une alimentation riche en graisses
    15.05.2023

    Obesity and microbiota: A bacterium worsens the effect of a high-fat diet

    Read the article
    Photo: Une « super bactérie » pour combattre les effets de la dénutrition ?
    26.04.2023

    A “super bacterium” that combats the effects of malnutrition?

    Read the article
    Photo: Fatigue chronique : une seule bactérie vous manque, et tout votre corps est épuisé
    25.04.2023

    A single bacterium is missing for you, and your whole body is tired

    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
      • Thematics folders
      • News
      • Patients Stories
      • Press room
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    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
    • YouTube

    © 2022 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Cookies Policy
    • Data protection policy
    • GTU
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    Biocodex logo