The gut-sleep-brain axis: Targeting the gut microbiota and sleep quality by individualized non-pharmaceutical approaches to promote healthy ageing

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Our ultimate vision is to develop an intelligent sleep enhancement platform (ISEP) that would ultimately target the promotion of healthy longevity that is broadly accessible, sustainable, avoids pharmaceutical agents and has a range of solutions tailored for various needs and users ranging from health practitioners, through care homes to finally end users (e.g. people with sleep problems and their family members). In contrast with other existing online platforms that serve similar purposes, ISEP would target the older population and would not anchor to one type of intervention (e.g. CBTi), which has limited efficacy in older people, but build on the combinations of cutting edge innovative approaches such as the modulation of gut health, brain electric activity in sleep, as well as psychological/behaviour approaches (e.g. CBTi, mindfulness). We believe that the future of health technology lies with personalised interventions that predict efficacious intervention based on individual features, reliably monitor physiological changes and provide intervention adjustment in real-time or nearly real-time. For this to happen the quality of monitoring/data acquisition, data analysis, feature extraction and the range of interventions all need progress. Our proposal will address some of these aspects.Based on the feasibility and effect size results from the current study we plan to pursue further research to improve the technology including other dietary supplements and non-pharmaceutical methods to improve sleep with similar or better features, optimise the dosage, timing and length of administration and reliably track impact. Finally, we aim to develop broadly accessible online applications that will provide individualised guidance on a range of interventions adjusted to individual needs and with the best predictable outcome taking into account accessibility, affordability and possible side effects. This tool will not only help both the primary and secondary health care professionals but the everyday end user as well. Finally, by improving sleep our proposed approach could be employed as a preventative treatment strategy and prospectively lower economic and non-economic costs of treating and caring for individuals with dementia. Prevention is key for improving the quality of life in later stages of life and sleep and diets are two important contributors in this strategy.