The bacteria in your stomach and digestive system have a larger impact on a person’s health than most people realize. These bacteria assist with a number of crucial functions, like your metabolism, your immune system, and even your brain health. Your gut is home to a variety of good and bad bacteria, and if the ratio of these two groups becomes unbalanced in the wrong way, it can lead to a variety of negative health effects.
If you find that you’re getting sick more than you used to, your stomach seems to be upset more frequently, or you’ve developed some irregular bowel habits, it may be time to work to reset your gut health. Below, we explore some of the ways that you can help to reset your gut health to promote an overall healthier lifestyle.
How to Improve Your Gut Health
With a little foresight and an increase in healthy habits, we’re confident that you can improve your gut biome, but for best results, consider syncing up with a care team who can assess your individual needs in person. At LX Medical, our personalized and comprehensive approach to digestive health can help you improve your overall health on the microbial level.
Aside from connecting with a team of medical professionals who can help you on your journey to reset your gut health, here are some tips to improve the good bacteria in your stomach:
- Revamp Your Diet – Take a closer look at the foods you are putting in your body and see where you can make improvements. Try to eat a range of healthy options full of vitamins and minerals. These natural nutrients can help to stabilize your gut health, while sugars and processed carbohydrates can serve to throw the bacteria balance out of whack. Make some modest changes to your diet over the course of a few weeks so that these changes have a better chance of becoming a long-term habit.
- Regular Exercise – One of the best things you can do for your gut health and your whole body is to seek out regular exercise. Exercise has been clinically proven to help foster the growth of good bacteria and contribute to a more diverse bacteria biome, which can aid in digestion and immunity. Consistent exercise can also strengthen the muscles of the digestive tract so that they can more easily push food throughout your system, which can lead to more regular bowel movements.
- Stress Management – Stress isn’t just in your mind, as it can also have physical effects on your body, including your digestive health. Increased levels of cortisol – the stress hormone – can negatively affect the balance of bacteria in your gut. Working to reduce stress in your life can significantly improve your gut health, but we understand you can’t just snap your fingers and remove stress from your life. It’s also important that you find ways to confront and overcome stress when it presents itself. Meditation, deep breathing exercises, or similar mindfulness techniques can all be effective ways to alleviate stress when it manifests.
- Improve Your Sleep Quality – Sleep is a restorative process that allows your body to recover from the rigors of the day, and it’s true for your gut biome as well. Sleep deprivation has been shown to throw off the balance of bacteria in our gut, and you can help fight back by working to prioritize your sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up around the same time each day, keep your bedroom cool and dark and turn off electronics or sources of light that could lead to sleep interruptions.
- Limit Stimulants – Caffeine and alcohol are stimulants that can negatively impact our gut health, especially if consumed in excess. Similarly, smoking can cause problems for your gut health and increase your risk of digestive issues like Crohn’s or peptic ulcers. Curbing your intake of these substances can help to reverse your gut health in short order.
- Take Probiotics – Talk with your medical team about adding a probiotic to your daily routine. Probiotics are supplements that help to improve the amount of good bacteria in your gut and promote improved digestion and immunity. If you’re going to take a daily probiotic, don’t let it be the only treatment you pursue. Pair probiotics with other active interventions listed above for best results.
- Try Prebiotic Fiber – A good quality prebiotic helps fuel the good bacteria and starve out the bad bacteria. It also slows digestion down and can increase absorption of nutrients, as well as help curve sugar spikes during a meal. Not all prebiotics are made equal, and you want to get a really high quality, diverse prebiotic fiber that feeds good bacteria all the way down your digestive tract, not just the upper part of the digestive system which is how most prebiotic fibers are produced.
- Consider Regenerative Treatments – Regenerative treatments may help regulate your metabolism and appetite, and enhance your overall gut function. At LX Medical, our highly skilled medical professionals offer a wide range of regenerative treatments for gut health.
Contact LX Medical
Consider these tweaks to your regular routine and consult with the care team at LX Medical if you want to take more control over your gut health. For more information, or for help with a different health issue, give our team of Minnesota gut health professionals a call today at (651) 565-9633.
