Review Supports Probiotics/Synbiotics for Sleep Support in Trained Athletes

According to a review published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, probiotic and synbiotic supplements may support sleep in male and female athletes.

Poor sleep, the researchers noted, is common during periods of intensive training or competition, a time when disruptions to the gut microbiome are also well documented. “The microbiota-gut-brain axis provides a plausible framework: microbially derived metabolites and signaling interface with immune, neuroendocrine, and autonomic pathways relevant to sleep architecture and circadian rhythmicity,” the authors wrote. “Despite high and predictable sleep burden in athletes, there has been no focused, transparent synthesis of randomized trials testing probiotic or synbiotic supplementation on sleep specifically in exercised populations that can guide practice.”

As a result, the authors utilized a new analytical method, Synthesis Without Meta-Analysis (SWiM) to group and synthesize the studies’ findings.

Six randomized, controlled trials, representing 180 participants, were included in the review, evaluating four probiotic and two synbiotic interventions lasting between 4 and 17 weeks. The populations of athletes came from multiple sports (football, rugby, running, dancing, soccer, along with military personnel) across four continents, and, across 12 sleep measurements, nine were significantly influenced by probiotics and synbiotics. Most of these significant changes were in subjective measures and, in some cases, sleep latency.

For probiotic supplements, there were significant changes in theta and delta brain waves after four weeks. Significant improvements were also reported for sleep quality and quantity measures. Synbiotics, in athletes, improved measures of sleep efficiency and sleep latency, while, in military personnel, sleep quality improved, and self-reported sleepiness decreased.

According to the authors, a variety of genuinely trained cohorts spanning multiple sports and stress profiles added to the strength of the study, by improving “ecological validity for performance settings.” While the total sample size was small and predominantly male, and results warrant “cautious interpretation” ahead of larger-scale findings, “probiotic or synbiotic supplementation can be considered as an adjunct to established sleep hygiene and scheduling strategies,” the authors concluded.