Optimal Health Insider
Research broken down for ease of use
Why Poor Sleep Wrecks Your Gut, Hormones, and Mood
Those foggy brain feelings and low energy levels are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what poor sleep does to your body. On a deeper level, disrupted sleep can throw off your gut health, upset hormone levels, and take a serious toll on your mood. We tend...
Why Chronic Stress Starts in the Gut—Not the Mind
When most people think about stress, they picture a mental or emotional overload: tight deadlines, tough conversations, endless to-do lists. But what if sometimes the root of chronic stress isn’t in your head? More and more research is pointing to the gut as a...
What Aging and Inflammation Have in Common (and How to Fight Both)
Chronic inflammation and aging share more in common than most people realize. Research has shown that as we age, our bodies are more likely to experience a persistent, low-grade inflammatory state. So common, in fact, that scientists have given it a name:...
The Science Behind Natural Sleep Aids That Actually Work
If you've ever laid awake at night, staring at the ceiling and willing yourself to fall asleep, you're not alone. More than 70 million Americans have diagnosed sleep disorders, but millions more struggle with occasional insomnia, restlessness, or disrupted sleep that...
The Best Supplements for Energy That Aren’t Caffeine
In today's fast-paced world, caffeine has become the go-to solution for combating fatigue. An overwhelming 94% of Americans consume caffeinated beverages, with 64% indulging daily and over half consuming four or more cups within a 24-hour period. While caffeine...
Reset Your Gut After Holidays, Antibiotics, or Stress
When Your Gut Feels Off After huge feasts, necessary antibiotics, or periods of intense stress, it's common to feel that your digestive system isn't functioning at its best. Bloating, digestive irregularities, or general discomfort could point to issues in your gut...
Natural Ways to Recharge After Burnout or Illness
After recovering from a sickness or burnout you might be back to your routine, working, running errands, even squeezing in a workout, but still not feeling like yourself. That lingering fogginess, low energy, or irritability can be a sign that your body hasn’t fully...
Is Your Gut Microbiome Making You Tired?
Your gut microbiome is the collection of trillions of microorganisms, like bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that live in your digestive system. These microbes do a lot more than help break down food, they also determine how your body absorbs nutrients, keeps inflammation...
Can Your Gut Control Your Cravings? Science Says Yes
The Gut-Brain Craving Connection Ever find yourself reaching for a snack and wondering why? It might not just be about willpower. Emerging research suggests that our gut microbiome—the trillions of microorganisms residing in our digestive tract—plays a significant...
Calm Your Body, Calm Your Mind: Herbs that Support Both
Even if you might not think of yourself as being stressed, it has a way of sneaking up on all of us. It's in the restless nights, the lingering tension in your shoulders, or that constant feeling of being on edge. Subtle signs like these are your body's way of...
B Vitamins and Brain Fog: What’s the Connection?
Ever walk into a room and forget why you’re there? Or reread the same sentence three times before it sinks in? That frustrating cloudy feeling, often called brain fog, is more common than you think. While it’s easy to blame stress or lack of sleep, more and more...
Are Microplastics in Your Blood? What the Latest Science Says
You’ve probably heard that microplastics are in the ocean, in our food, and even in the air we breathe. But the latest research reveals something even more concerning: plastic particles are now being detected in human blood. That means they’re not just passing through...