The gut microbiome has a circadian rhythm. Here's how it might affect your health.

Multi-colored computer illustration show a collection of blue-green-colored rod shapes on a red-orange, undulating background.

The gut microbiome, a lively community of microbes that resides in the digestive tract, seems to run on a 24-hour clock. That may be really important for our health — but scientists are just beginning to learn why. Early research hints that the bugs play a part in myriad bodily functions, from regulating sleep to breaking down drugs. 

Evidence suggests that, in adults, the abundance of certain microbes in the gut fluctuates daily. In other words, this flux follows a circadian rhythm, similar to the bodily processes that dictate when we sleep and wake up.