Could Pieces of Bacteria in Your Brain Affect Your Sleep? Here's The Science.

Sleep is one of the essential physiological needs for human survival, alongside food, water, and air.

But sleep is socially driven, influenced by environmental and personal factors, and a recent study suggests it may be affected by fragments from bacteria.

Historically, scientists have thought it unlikely that gut microbes affect physiological sleep regulation.

The recent study , published in , indicated bacterial cell wall components (peptidoglycan) have been found in areas of the brain called the brainstem, olfactory bulb, and hypothalamus.

Peptidoglycan, also known as murein in scientific lore, is a strong, mesh-like layer outside the plasma membrane of most bacterial cells.

This helps contain the bacteria's shape and rigidity. Without peptidoglycan, bacteria would just be litt