Humans like all other living organisms are subject to daily cyclical changes and have over time developed an endogenous circadian clock that controls all relevant aspects of our physiology. Circadian rhythms coordinate all biological processes and control systemic homeostasis by synchronizing cellular biochemical reactions and tissue function.

A master clock within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) orchestrates the diurnal oscillation of multiple peripheral tissue clocks. While the SCN is entrained by light, the peripheral clocks are entrained mainly by food and hormones such as cortisol.

A growing body of evidence shows that the microbiome has circadian rhythmicity governed by the host and in turn, microbes contribute to the maintenance of the host circadian clock function. Stressors such as altered sleep and eating patterns may disturb the host circadian system and also influence the gut microbiome leading to changes in gut microbiota composition that accompany several sleep disorders and pathologies with comorbid sleep disturbances.

As such diet, sleep and stress are major factors that we can modulate to harness these biological rhythms.

In this seminar, our presenters will review the current evidence associating gut microbiota with factors that impact the host circadian-metabolic axis, such as light/dark cycles, sleep/wake cycles, and stress response.

They will provide you with clinically relevant herbal and nutritional solutions to modulate the microbiome, enhance sleep, and promote resilience in order to entrain circadian clocks.