According to the study’s authors, the research, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports, could eventually result in new approaches to treating sleep disorders, which affect 70 million Americans.

The majority of people are familiar with probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods such as yoghurt and sauerkraut. Recently, scientists have developed an interest in prebiotics — dietary compounds that are indigestible to humans but provide nourishment for our microbiome, or the trillions of bacteria that live inside us. While not all fibers are prebiotics, a number of fibrous foods, such as leeks, artichokes, onions, and certain whole grains, are.

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To do their research, the researchers began adolescent male rats on either standard chow or chow supplemented with prebiotics and monitored a variety of physiological parameters before and after the rats were stressed.

As previously reported, those on the prebiotic diet slept more restorative non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Additionally, they spent more time in rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep following stress, which is believed to be critical for stress recovery.

While rats fed standard chow experienced an unhealthy flattening of their natural temperature fluctuations and a decrease in the healthy diversity of their gut microbiome following stress, those fed prebiotics were protected from these effects.

This study sheds light on the ways in which prebiotics can aid in stress reduction.

The researchers measured metabolites, or bioactive small molecules produced by bacteria during the breakdown of food, using a technique called mass spectrometry.

They discovered that rats fed a prebiotic diet had a significantly different “metabolome,” or composition of metabolites. Theirs was higher in dozens of them, including fatty acids, sugars, and steroids, all of which may influence behaviour via gut-brain signalling pathways. Additionally, the rats’ metabolomes appeared to be altered following stress.

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For example, rats fed standard chow exhibited dramatic increases in allopregnanolone precursor and Ketone Steroid, two potentially sleep-disrupting metabolites, whereas those fed prebiotic chow exhibited no such increase.

While prebiotic dietary fiber is unquestionably beneficial, it is unknown whether simply eating foods high in it can promote sleep. The rats were given extremely high doses of four distinct prebiotics: galactooligosaccharides, which are found in lentils and cabbage; polydextrose (PDX), an FDA-approved food additive frequently used as a sweetener; lactoferrin, which is found in breast milk; and milk fat globular protein, which is abundant in dairy products.

“You’d probably have to eat a whole lot of lentils and cabbage to see any effect,” said the study author.

Prebiotic supplements already abound on natural food store shelves. But Fleshner said it’s too soon to say whether a supplement or drug containing such compounds would be safe and effective for everyone. Depending on what their microbial make-up is, different people might respond differently.

“These are powerful molecules with real neuroactive effects and people need to exercise some caution,” the author further added.

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Finally, the study’s author believes that the knowledge gained in their laboratory will result in the development of a new class of options for people who are unable to sleep but dislike taking narcotics.

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