Theravive Home

A new study published in the Journal of Sleep looked at the associations of sleep and the oral microbiome among adolescents and young adults in the United States.

“We aimed to investigate whether different sleep durations, especially insufficient or excessive sleep, are associated with changes in the richness and evenness of oral microbial communities, a largely unexplored area in adolescent sleep health research," study author Marie-Rachelle Narcisse told us.

The researchers hypothesized that sleep duration would be associated with variations in oral microbiome diversity. Based on previous evidence linking gut microbiome dysbiosis to sleep disturbances, they expected similar patterns to emerge in the oral microbiome, particularly that poor sleep could be associated with reduced microbial diversity.

“The human mouth is one of the most densely colonized microbial habitats in the body,” Narcisse told us. “While research on the microbiome has predominantly focused on the gut in relation to physical and mental health, we must recognize that the mouth is the gateway to the gut.” 

The mouth is an entry point for pathogens that can lead to chronic conditions, including gum inflammation and dental caries. Adolescence is a pivotal period marked by biological changes in sleep-wake cycles. Yet, studies examining associations between sleep health and the oral microbiome during this stage of life are scarce. 

“Our findings suggest that targeting the oral microbiome to improve adolescent sleep health, or conversely, improving sleep to influence the oral microbiome, holds the promise to offer more accessible, cost-effective intervention strategies than approaches focused solely on the gut,” Narcisse told us.

The research team used cross-sectional data from the NHANES survey, analyzing a nationally representative sample of 1,322 individuals ages 16-26 years. Oral microbiome diversity was measured using four standard alpha diversity indices. Sleep duration was self-reported and categorized per the American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines. 

The researchers applied generalized linear models, adjusting for covariates and the complex survey design, to test the associations between sleep categories and oral microbiome diversity metrics.

“We found that participants with long sleep durations reported significantly higher oral microbiome diversity across multiple metrics compared to those with healthy sleep durations,” Narcisse told us. “This suggests a link between extended sleep and enhanced microbial diversity in the oral cavity.”

Over twenty years ago, Nobel Laureate Professor Joshua Lederberg described the microbiome as "the ecological community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our body space and have been largely overlooked as determinants of health and disease." Since then, growing evidence has shown that disturbances in sleep health can alter the microbiome, particularly within the gut, leading to dysbiosis, an imbalance in microbial composition and function. 

“However, most research has focused primarily on the gut microbiome,” Narcisse told us. “It was eye-opening to see our study highlighting the potential role of sleep health in shaping the oral microbiome, bringing renewed attention to Lederberg’s early insight.”

The study results indicate that the oral microbiome may exhibit distinctive alterations in individuals with varying sleep durations. Narcisse believes it would be interesting to investigate whether microbial shifts among individuals with sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia, determine possible biological mechanisms linking microbiome composition with sleep physiology. 

“As we advance, our study calls for longitudinal and intervention studies that employ a causal inference framework,” Narcisse told us. “Such studies could pave the way for personalized microbial therapies as adjunct treatments for sleep disorders. Oral microbiome research holds promise for translational applications in sleep medicine. It may be integrated into broader frameworks for understanding sleep health.”