Your Health, Your Gut, and Supplements

Your health, your gut, and supplements.  Ideally, all of our vitamins and minerals should come from a well-balanced diet, but for many of us, that’s not the case. Most of us want to make better choices, but the temptation of high-calorie options with low nutritional value is very real, especially when we’re on the go or too tired to cook. 

Alternatively, some of us just don’t like the food we should be eating. I bet you have at least one friend who doesn’t eat fruit or another who rarely eats vegetables.

The bottom line is we’ve got gaps in our nutrition and that can negatively affect our sleep, mood, and even our memory.  The good news is supplements can help fill those gaps. So let’s look at how maintaining gut health with nutritional supplements can help regulate sleep, maintain mental health, and improve memory.  Our TLS ACTS- Adrenal, Cortisol, Thyroid & Stress Support Formula, and Prime- Cognitive Memory Support are supplements which can assist you in these two areas. 

Sleep is critical to our well-being. It recharges and restores us allowing us to take on the day’s challenges and responsibilities. In fact, some major restoration is taking place as we slumber, like muscle growth and tissue repair. And did you know your brain undergoes a “wash cycle” while you’re sleeping? Researchers have learned that the brain’s cerebronspinal fluid assists in “flushing” the brain of potentially toxic proteins.

So with all of that going on, catching an optimal amount of Zs every night must be prioritized. Fortunately, vitamin and mineral supplements can assist in improving the amount and quality of sleep you get.  Here are just a few:

Vitamin B12

B12 is involved in melatonin production, the hormone that helps regulate your circadian rhythms, aka your 24-hour internal clock.  A vitamin B12 deficiency could result in sleep disruption, shorter sleep cycles, and insomnia.

Vitamin B6

This vitamin is a big player in the production of melatonin and serotonin, two hormones that are important in giving us restful sleep and stabilizing our mood. Side note, depression and sleep problems share a strong link. According to thesleepdoctor.com, “Among people with depression, 75 percent or more also have symptoms of insomnia.”

So we know vitamins aid in getting a good night’s sleep, but do you know the role vitamins play in maintaining good mental health? 

Here are just a few examples.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

Deficiencies in B1 can potentially result in mental health problems including memory loss, anxiety, depression, irritability, and insomnia.

Try our Isotonix Advanced B-Complex. It helps the body metabolize proteins, fats and carbohydrates.  It also helps to promote a good night’s sleep.  Isotonix Advanced B-Complex contains all of the necessary B vitamins in an isotonic form, 95 percent absorption happens within 10-15 minutes.  Two capfuls daily and you are good for the day.

Vitamin D

Nicknamed “the sunshine vitamin” because our bodies produce it when exposed to sunlight, vitamin D is important for brain development. Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to depression.

So what about gut health and memory? In previous posts, I’ve referenced the gut being dubbed “The second brain”. Why? Well this is because the gut is home to countless microorganisms that produce hormones and neurotransmitters like serotonin. Serotonin has a big job, not only does it carry messages between nerve cells in the brain, it does so throughout your body. Think of it as your body’s own little rapid courier service. It’s also vital to body functions like regulating and maintaining mood, sleep, digestion, wound healing, and sexual desire just to name a few. So it makes sense that if one’s serotonin levels are either too high or too low, physical and psychological health problems can result.

A study at Johns Hopkins looked at brain scans of people with mild loss of thought and memory ability, and the researchers reported evidence of lower levels of the serotonin transporter. 

Pop quiz. Do you remember the name of the beneficial yeast and bacteria that live in the gut, and make most of the body’s serotonin? If you answered probiotics you’d be right! Good memory folks! 

A recent study had participants take probiotics for four weeks, and then they were given a memory test. After that, they were given a placebo for another four weeks and were tested again. Guess how they did after taking probiotics vs. taking the placebo. That’s right; they scored higher on memory tests after taking the probiotics. And guess what, they also reported less anxiety and stress! 

So speaking of probiotics, as I mentioned in a previous post I’m a big fan of Probiotics 10™. It’s packed with beneficial bacteria that support intestinal/gastrointestinal health and can promote favourable gut flora. 

For better sleep, I turn to Isotonix Essentials® Turn Down. Containing the amino acid Tryptophan, and several vitamins and minerals including vitamin c, vitamin b6, potassium, and calcium which helps to promote relaxation, stabilize mood, and supports healthy sleep quality. 

So you see how beneficial supplements can be to the gut, and how a healthy gut supports our cognitive health. A healthy gut is a happy gut. Follow my detox program to help maintain a clean, healthy, happy gut. Contact me for more information. 

If you have any questions or thoughts on what I’ve shared please leave a comment. You can also reach me by email at [email protected].