Part 2-Lighting the Way:The Gut-Brain Axis: How Your Microbiome Shapes Mood, Focus & Sleep-Episode 136

In this episode of The NeuroCollective Podcast, Dr. Michael and May Bagnell,IHP continue the Lighting the Way series with a deep dive into the Gut-Brain Axis, exploring how your microbiome shapes your mood, focus, and sleep, especially during the holiday season. They discuss why the gut functions as an ecosystem, how increased sugar, stress, and disrupted routines can suppress immunity and create dysbiosis, and why a healthy microbiome is essential for emotional regulation, dopamine-supported focus, and restorative sleep. You’ll learn about new 2025 research showing gut-to-brain communication occurring in under 100 milliseconds, the critical role of the hypothalamus in stress and hunger regulation, and how poor gut health can quickly lead to anxiety spikes, sleep disruption, mood instability, and attention challenges like ADHD. The episode also offers simple holiday strategies—such as prioritizing protein, choosing one indulgence, going for after-dinner walks, adding electrolytes, maintaining a consistent bedtime, and practicing mindful breathing—to help you protect your brain, calm your nervous system, and enjoy the season with less stress and more resilience. Dr. Michael and May also share how functional neurology tools, including gut-healing protocols, food sensitivity testing, brain-based exercises, and soon-to-come conversations about peptides like BPC-157, can help restore balance. This episode reminds you that small daily choices create big shifts in your health, and that when you support your microbiome, you support your entire brain and body. Remember—you can heal, and we can help.