Now, struggling insomniacs may find relief with a \u201ccrapsule\u201d before bedtime, according to new research<\/a> from China.<\/p>\n Insomnia often stems from a combination of factors<\/a>, such as stress, daily habits, sleep schedule, health issues and more.<\/p>\n Emerging research has found another culprit, indicating the gut microbiome may play an important role in how well we sleep.<\/p>\n A poop transplant \u2014 otherwise known as a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) \u2014 improved chronic insomnia in several adults, according to a small study published in the\u00a0Journal of Internal Medicine.<\/p>\n Recruiting 80 adults with long-term insomnia, half of the participants were first given two days of antibiotics to clear out existing gut bacteria.<\/p>\n They then received 60 FMT capsules containing gut bacteria isolated from fecal samples of healthy donors who were deemed good sleepers, with a booster dose of 20 capsules two weeks later.<\/p>\n Researchers used an overnight sleep assessment called a polysomnography that records brain waves, eye movements, heart rate, oxygen levels and breathing patterns to determine how well participants slept.<\/p>\n Sleep efficiency \u2014 the percentage of time spent asleep while in bed \u2014 of the group taking the \u201ccrapsules\u201d increased from 79% before the transplant to 93% after one month of treatment.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the other half who took placebo pills experienced barely any increase in sleep efficiency, shifting from around 85% to only 87%.<\/p>\n The treated group also woke up less throughout the night, a key sign of insomnia, with time spent awake after falling asleep dropping from 79 to 17 minutes.<\/p>\n The placebo group\u2019s sleep-wake time actually increased from 37 to 42 minutes.<\/p>\n The group treated with a fecal transplant continued to self-report improved sleep even up to six months after treatment.<\/p>\n While the findings are promising, the study group was small, with sleep only being measured once after one month of treatment.<\/p>\n Also, the incorporation of antibiotics makes the results of better sleep unclear as to how much influence the poop transplants had.<\/p>\n Overall, though, the findings of the study are in line with previous research suggesting a link between gut bacteria and sleep.<\/p>\n The gut and brain communicate in various ways, including via chemicals made by gut microbes that travel to the brain via the bloodstream, Kenji Hashimoto, a forensic mental health researcher who wasn\u2019t involved with the study, explained to Live Science<\/a>.<\/p>\n These chemicals may steer inflammation, stress responses and the body\u2019s\u00a0sleep-wake control.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depressed-young-woman-lying-bed-138291196.jpg\")
An unexpected potnetial solution for chronic insomnia has been discovered in the form of fecal transplants, or poop pills. amenic181 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gut-bacteria-gut-flora-microbiome-138291175.jpg\")
A fecal microbiota transplant, along with antibiotics, increased time spent asleep in a small group of insomniacs by 13%. Anatomy Insider \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n