Constipation & Chronic Sleep Deprivation


If you have trouble getting quality sleep regularly – don’t worry you’re not alone. Nearly 70% of Americans have sleeping problems that lead to a whole host of issues like mood disorders, auto accidents, decreased performance and surprisingly, constipation. Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to all of these factors, but here we will examine its role in chronic constipation.


Sleep Deprivation & Its Effects

While most Americans know that getting enough sleep is crucial, a poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that from 2001-2009, the number of Americans who sleep less than six hours each night rose from 13% to 20%. This lack of sleep has a some amazing effects, including:


  • Functionally drunk - after being awake more than 18 hours, people show functional deficiencies that are nearly the same as being legally drunk. This is a factor in many auto accidents around the world.

  • More mistakes and impaired judgment - even moderate sleep deprivation (getting 4-5.5 hours of sleep even one night) can lead to more mistakes on standardized tests and impaired judgment in making decisions, especially those that require emotional ability.

  • Decreased Immune System Functioning - sleeping less than 7 hours a night makes one three times as likely to develop a cold when exposed to others who are sick. It is this link to the immune system that is the key between constipation & chronic sleep deprivation.

    • Constipation & Chronic Sleep Deprivation

    Researchers continue to demonstrate how the immune system is compromised by lack of sleep. In a study done on sleep deprived rats in Maryland, researchers found that pathogenic microbes were able to enter the bloodstream due to severely weakened immune response. Another study looked at men who had been administered a flu vaccination after having received only four hours of sleep a night for four nights versus men who were sleeping normally. Ten days after vaccination, the sleep deprived men had a much lower immune response and were producing half as many flu fighting antibodies.


    This reduction of antibodies in the system has dire consequences for the intestinal tract. Each night during sleep, the white blood cells and natural killer cells jump into action and fight the pathogenic microbes attempting to procreate in the intestines. When these antibodies are impaired, the harmful microbes are able to proliferate and kill the beneficial bacteria in the gut. These beneficial bacteria, or probiotics, produce crucial by-products that help the colon contract and allow for a natural laxative effect – preventing constipation. Chronic sleep deprivation slowly erodes the body’s defenses and leaves the intestines open to infiltration.


    If you are having difficulty with constipation, your sleep patterns may be part of the issue. In addition to getting enough sleep, a probiotic supplement would be helpful to support your beneficial bacteria in their fight against harmful microbes. Typical herbal laxatives don’t provide any probiotic support, but StayRegular is a natural constipation remedy that uses probiotics as well as herbs, vitamins, and minerals to relieve constipation. Laxatives often don’t address constipation in this holistic way – so it is helpful to understand how a laxative works to see if it could help address the issue of constipation and sleep deprivation.