The Forgotten Pillars of Health and the Role of Stress, Sleep, and the Nervous System
This article continues my eight-week Gut Health Series, a seasonal guide to help you feel grounded, nourished, and balanced leading up to the festive season.
Last week, we explored the foundations of gut health and how small shifts in nourishment can transform your energy.
You can read last week’s article, Reset Your Gut Before Summer, and stay tuned for next week’s focus on blood sugar and energy balance.
This week, we move deeper into the connection between your nervous system, your digestion, and your capacity to rest.
As the end of the year approaches, life often accelerates. Social events multiply, deadlines loom, and sleep routines begin to slip. While many people focus on eating well, few realise that how you breathe, rest, and respond to stress can influence your gut health just as profoundly as what is on your plate.
Stress and sleep are two of the most overlooked pillars of health. Together they form the rhythm that determines how well you digest, absorb, and thrive.
The Gut and the Nervous System
The gut and the brain are in constant conversation through a network of nerves, hormones, and immune messengers. The vagus nerve, one of the longest nerves in the body, is central to this connection. It carries signals both ways, forming what is known as the gut–brain axis.
When the body is calm, the vagus nerve activates the parasympathetic state, the mode of rest, repair, and digestion. Blood flow increases to the digestive organs, enzymes are released, and the microbiome functions in harmony. When stress rises, this communication changes. The sympathetic nervous system dominates, directing blood and energy away from digestion toward the heart, muscles, and brain.
Research shows that chronic stress alters the composition of the gut microbiome, increasing inflammatory bacteria and reducing beneficial species such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium (Moussaoui et al., 2017). Studies from 2023 found that people experiencing prolonged psychological stress show up to a 40 percent reduction in microbial diversity and higher levels of circulating inflammatory markers (Foster et al., 2023). This imbalance not only affects digestion but also mood, cognition, and immune resilience.
Sleep and Circadian Rhythm
Sleep is the body’s natural reset. During rest, the gut lining repairs, the liver detoxifies, and hormones rebalance.
The gut microbiome itself follows a circadian rhythm, a 24-hour cycle of activity that aligns with your sleep-wake pattern. Disrupted sleep changes this rhythm, altering microbial balance and increasing the risk of insulin resistance, anxiety, and digestive symptoms.
A 2022 study in Cell Reports found that just two nights of poor sleep led to significant shifts in the gut microbiota, reducing beneficial Akkermansia muciniphila and increasing inflammation-related strains (Zhu et al., 2022). Another study from the University of Copenhagen showed that people who slept fewer than six hours per night had up to 27 percent higher intestinal permeability, a key factor in fatigue and immune dysregulation (Andersen et al., 2023).
Sleep also influences melatonin, a hormone produced both in the brain and in the gut. Melatonin supports microbial balance and helps regulate motility and repair of the gut lining (Paulose et al., 2016). Late-night eating, alcohol, and exposure to artificial light can all suppress melatonin and disrupt this restorative process.
The Stress and Microbiome Feedback Loop
Your microbes are highly responsive to emotion and environment. They produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, which influence mood, motivation, and relaxation. About 90 percent of serotonin is made in the gut. When the microbiome becomes imbalanced, serotonin production can decline, contributing to anxiety, irritability, and sleep disturbance.
Emerging research from 2024 highlights that microbial metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids, directly communicate with the brain through the vagus nerve, influencing stress perception and emotional regulation (Zhu et al., 2024). These findings reinforce what many naturopaths have long observed: that the mind and gut are inseparable and that healing one inevitably supports the other.
Restoring Balance Before the Festive Season
The end of the year can challenge even the healthiest routines, yet it is also the most important time to reconnect with the basics.
The body thrives on rhythm, consistent meals, rest, movement, and mindful breathing. These foundations create safety for your nervous system and space for your gut to repair.
Start by pausing before meals and taking three slow breaths. This simple act signals your body that it is safe to digest.
Keep your evenings calm and screen-free where possible. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep, and try to eat dinner at least 2 to 3 hours before bed.
Include magnesium-rich foods such as leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, and cacao, which support the nervous system and ease tension.
Sunlight also plays an essential role in resetting the circadian rhythm. Morning light exposure within an hour of waking helps regulate melatonin production and stabilises sleep patterns over time.
These practices may seem small, yet they lay the groundwork for true resilience, the kind that helps you enjoy the festive season with steadier energy and a calmer mind.
Reflection
The forgotten pillars of health are not discoveries. They are reminders of what the body has always known: to rest, to breathe, and to move with rhythm.
As the festive season unfolds, notice how your body feels when you honour these natural cycles.
Your gut, your hormones, and your nervous system are always in conversation. When you slow down enough to listen, they respond with balance, clarity, and calm.
If you have felt your energy dipping as the year winds down, take this as a gentle reminder to slow down, nourish yourself, and honour rest as part of your healing. These next few weeks are an opportunity to restore balance before the new year begins.
Stay tuned for part three of the wellness series for this festive season.