Characteristics of gut flora in children who go to bed early versus late

Abstract

Investigating the characteristics of the gut flora in children who go to bed early versus late. The study sample consisted of 88 healthy children aged 2–14 years, with an equal number of boys and girls. The researchers collected faecal samples from all participants and sequenced the genome of their gut flora. Findings indicate that beta diversity was statistically significant at the genus level for both the early and late sleeper groups ( P = 0.045). Furthermore, alpha diversity indicators, including Simpson’s index ( P = 0.0011) and Shannon’s index ( P = 0.0013), exhibited higher values at the genus level. The differences observed in terms of species diversity, abundance, and metabolic pathways offer potential avenues for implementing pharmacological interventions aimed at addressing sleep disorders in children. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-75006-y.