It doesn’t take a genius to work out that motherhood does crazy things to your metabolism. You spend your existence craving coffee whilst subsisting primarily on the discarded crusts of your buttered toast spawn. Breakfast is at 5am and consists of leftover weetbix and arrowroot biscuits, after which you spend most of the day starving because you have no time to eat. Then 4pm hits, you lose your sh*t and eat three cupcakes - which is just enough to take you through to double dinner (the dinner your child didn’t eat but you can’t throw away, followed by the dinner with dad after the child goes to sleep). Either way, it’s mostly pasta and cheese with a pea or two thrown in for good measure.
If we’re honest with ourselves, it’s no wonder we start piling on the flabby stuff once children are around. But what if I were to tell you that your typical ‘mum diet’ is not entirely to blame? That sleep (or your distinct lack of it) is a major league player in the whole mummy metabolism game, and your tummy - or the bacteria that inhabits it - is calling the shots.
You see, the link between sleep, obesity and other metabolic diseases (such as diabetes) has been known for a while now, seen especially in those who do shift work. But it’s only recently that researchers have been able to explain why.
The inner world of your gut bacteria
Dr Amy Reynolds, of Central Queensland University, has been researching a possible relationship between gut microbiota and sleep cycles.
She’s found that, just as we have sleep cycles, so too do the microbes in our gut. “Some of those microbes in the gut actually display their own circadian rhythm, so they peak and decline at specific times of the day,” she said.
What this means for mums is that our crazy sleep patterns may be throwing out the circadian rhythms of the gut, making it more vulnerable to bad bacteria and an inability to metabolise effectively.
The study that made for a lot of tired mice
AÂ new study, published in Nature, Â has found that mice who are sleep-deprived suffered from an overgrowth of “bad” bacteria in the gut.
“What that suggested is that when mice don’t get enough sleep that the balance of bacteria in the gut is changed and the richness of bacteria that lives in that gut is changed,” Dr Reynolds says.
“This results in the lining of the gut not being as preserved or intact to protect against ‘bad’ bacteria getting out into the body.”Other symptoms the sleep-deprived mice displayed were a tendency to overeat as well as signs of inflammation.
Dr Reynolds summarises the research by noting: “We’re really seeing in those mice a profound physiological response that is not promoting healthy wellbeing.”
You know what bad bacteria love best? Sugar. Â Waaaaaaah!
Sound familiar?
While I can certainly relate to the need to eat more when tired, Dr Reynolds points out, because human gut bacteria is so varied, that further research is needed before they can get clear results.
She also explains that the relationship between sleep and our little bacterial colonies is most likely a bidirectional one.
“Sleep may well affect the microbiota but also in the other direction, that those microbiota might have an impact on sleep quality,” she said.
So while the truth may be depressing, - not only is our lack of sleep messing with the health of our guts, but our messed up digestive systems are then ruining our ability to get sleep when we need it - the insights gained from this research could make a big difference to many of us.
“A huge percentage of the population are working shift work and they’re not the only ones experiencing disrupted sleep, when you think about new parents, people working long hours, our emergency services workers,” Dr Reynolds says.
“We’ve got lots of people in society who support us by working 24/7, so to help them through that process and maybe find some new health opportunities or therapeutic opportunities to help them support their health outcomes is really important.”
And in the meantime, take a probiotic or five. Just in case.
