Study reveals immune balancing benefits of probiotics on sleep

While improving sleep and stress of rotation shift workers

Irregular sleep patterns are associated with immune health and may underpin a range of health issues in rotation shift workers. By supporting the intestinal microbiota, probiotic supplements may lessen the negative impact of interrupted sleep on the immune system, new study suggests.

Chr. Hansen, in collaboration with Griffith University, recently completed a study on the impact of stress, sleep, and the immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate the benefits of two independent probiotic strains, Lactobacillus acidophilus, DDS-1^® and Bifidobacterium, UABla-12^™, on the immune system of individuals working rotating shifts.

While the study points to the potential of probiotics to impact the change across markers of stress and the immune system in rotating shift workers, the findings may be applicable to a large, otherwise healthy population dealing with inconsistent sleep – be that new parents, students facing exams, people in stress-filled situations, etc.

Lead researcher Dr. Nic West from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland notes that “probiotic supplements have a history of use in respiratory and gastrointestinal health and this study, one of the first examining the use of probiotics for sleep and the gut-brain axis, provides initial support for supplementing with specific probiotic strains for anticipation stress.”