Steven Bartlett with Dr. Stasha Gominak
Could sleep problems connect sunlight, brain stem chemistry, and gut bacteria? The episode explores a clinical hypothesis linking vitamin D and B vitamins with the ability to sleep.
Her clinical observations lead her to hypothesize that modern indoor lifestyles cause a vitamin D deficiency that disrupts brain stem sleep centers and impairs the gut microbiome.
In her proposed model, vitamin D receptors in the brain stem help produce acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that drives the parasympathetic nervous system and regulates paralyzed transitions into REM sleep.
Under this hypothesis, a symbiotic relationship exists where human vitamin D supports a healthy gut microbiome, which in turn acts as the primary manufacturing system for eight essential B vitamins.