Associations between sleep and the gut microbiome in adults with colorectal cancer and their caregivers

Adults with cancer and their caregivers have elevated levels of sleep disturbances. In this cross-sectional exploratory study, we examined associations between subjective sleep indices and gut microbiome features among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and their sleep-partner caregivers. Forty participants (20 patient-caregiver dyads) completed sleep diaries, stool sampling, and dietary intake questionnaires individually. Patients and caregivers had comparable demographics, dietary and sleep indices. However, patients had significantly different beta diversity (p = .005) and alpha diversity (Inverse Simpson: p = .029) as well as 7 more and 6 less differentially abundant taxa compared with their caregivers. Furthermore, only patients categorized with high sleep efficiency (SE) (≥ 85%) also had higher gut microbial diversity (Inv Simpson: p = .019 and Shannon Index: p = .035). Additionally, some oral and gut microbes were differentially abundant in patients between patients with high or low SE scores. Overall, this study highlights a link between sleep health and gut microbiome characteristics in patients with CRC. Further research is warranted to replicate the current findings with a larger sample, which will allow for the identification of pathways linking sleep to gut microbiome and the development of proper psychobehavioral sleep interventions for adults with cancer and their caregivers to ultimately improve their overall well-being.