Sara Marín, microbiota expert warns: “If you get up at 8 every day and around midday on the weekend...”
The health professional appeared on ‘Your friends the hormones’ podcast, sharing several tips for getting a better night’s sleep.
Getting enough high-quality sleep is essential for proper physical and mental recovery. Rest allows the body to consolidate memory, regulate emotions, repair muscle tissue and eliminate toxins, among many other critical functions.
That is why so many people, hoping to sleep longer and better, scour the internet for tips, hacks or tools that might help. Recently, microbiota expert Sara Martín appeared on the podcast Tus amigas las hormonas, (’Your friends the hormones’) hosted by Isabel Viña, where she shared a series of practical recommendations for improving sleep.
@isabelvinabas Así aprenderás a dormir mejor 🥰 Te notas cansado sin motivo claro? ¿Estrés que se te va al cuerpo, digestiones pesadas o sueño que no descansa? En este episodio de Tus amigas las hormonas, converso con Sara Marín (@uncafecontudoctora) doctora y experta en microbiota y salud femenina, sobre cómo el cortisol, el estrés crónico y el estado del intestino pueden influir en la energía, el ánimo, la digestión y el descanso. Hablamos de cuándo el cansancio puede entrar dentro de lo habitual y cuándo conviene hacerse mirar, de señales de alerta que no deberían ignorarse, y de por qué normalizar síntomas digestivos como hinchazón o reflujo puede retrasar un diagnóstico y cuándo conviene dejar de normalizarlos o pensar en alteraciones como el SIBO. También entramos en la ansiedad corporal y la somatización: cuando “no te pasa nada en la cabeza”, pero el cuerpo está hablando. En la parte final, abordamos el uso (y abuso) de fármacos para dormir, qué hábitos modernos están destrozando el sueño, y una mirada clara a la salud femenina: qué cosas del ciclo menstrual no deberían normalizarse y cómo la microbiota y las hormonas se relacionan más de lo que parece. Un episodio divulgativo, práctico y muy aterrizado para entender tu salud con más criterio. Podéis ver el episodio completo en YouTube, Spotify, y cualquier plataforma de audio gratuita buscando “tus amigas las hormonas”
♬ sonido original - Isabel Vina
“What simple and practical advice would you give on sleep?” she was asked. Martín did not hesitate. “One thing that really affects me is eating dinner late. Insulin and melatonin are enemies. If one is present, the other isn’t. So if insulin is active, melatonin steps aside,” she explained.
According to the specialist, when the body is busy digesting food, it is not in an optimal state for sleep. “Your body activates or deactivates functions depending on what you do or don’t do. You should have dinner at eight, nine at the latest,” she said, although this will depend on the time you go to bed.
Why weekend lie-ins can disrupt your circadian rhythm
Martín also pointed to another common habit – sleeping in on weekends. “If you wake up at eight every day and then on the weekend you wake up at one in the afternoon, your body needs three days to recover the circadian rhythm you disrupted,” she revealed.
Viña expressed surprise, but Martín insisted that although many people rely on weekend catch-up sleep, that lost rest does not truly come back. “Just because you sleep four extra hours that day doesn’t mean you recover the week’s sleep,” she concluded.
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