Have you ever heard the saying, “Listen to your gut”? Odds are this phrase has flown off your lips or passed through your ears at some point. And although this term is traditionally used in reference to honing in on your intuition, one assumption remains true regardless of its application: The gut has significant importance in the body.

With that in mind, this commonplace phrase begins to take on a more practical meaning since there is little to no doubt that the gut is critically important. This is because the gut not only relates to digestive health, but also immune health, mood, mental health, skin health, heart and brain health, and it can even play a role in more serious diseases.

By knowing that the gut is a key element in so many different functions, it is clear that we need to, in a literal sense, listen to our guts. When beginning the journey to getting your gut back on track, it is hard to know the signals that your gut is giving out to let you know it is time for a tune up.

So, what signs should you be listening to and looking out for?

7 Bodily Signs You Need Probiotics

1. Unintentional Weight Changes

Whether the weight is lost or gained, if your weight is changing and you haven’t made any changes to your diet or exercise habits, it may be signaling that your gut is out of balance. This imbalance, for example, can hinder the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, control blood sugar, or store fat.

2. Sleep Disturbances

An unhealthy gut can be associated with sleep disturbances, including insomnia. Serotonin, a hormone that affects mood and sleep, is mainly produced in the gut, so gut damage can impair your ability to sleep well. And if you aren’t sleeping well, that can lead to feeling exhausted or chronically fatigued.

3. Food Intolerances

Experts believe some food intolerances may be related to poor quality of bacteria in the gut. This can lead to difficulty in digesting certain foods, which can then cause bloating, gas, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and other unpleasant issues.

4. Skin Irritation

Skin conditions like eczema may also be related to a damaged gut. Poor diet or food allergies can cause inflammation in the gut which can then lead to “leaking” of certain proteins out into the body. In turn, this may irritate the skin and cause conditions such as eczema.

5. A High-Sugar Diet

Eating a diet that’s high in processed foods, junk foods, and added sugars affects every aspect of health. This includes the balance of good to bad bacteria in your gut—and not in a good way. This imbalance can then cause increased sugar cravings, which can damage your gut further by causing bad bacteria to outnumber beneficial bacteria and, in turn, reduce the species diversity in the gut leading to inflammation.

6. Autoimmune Conditions

An unhealthy gut may also increase systemic inflammation throughout the body, which can negatively alter the proper functioning of the immune system. This may even be associated with autoimmune diseases, in which the body starts to attack itself, mistaking parts of itself for harmful invaders.

7. Upset Stomach

Last but not least, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, and other stomach disturbances may also be signs of an unhealthy or imbalanced gut. A balanced gut will have less difficulty processing food and moving it through the digestive system.

How to Give Your Gut a Boost

Beyond simply knowing what signs to look out for, it is also important to know what you can do to give your gut the boost it needs. Luckily, one of the best ways to support and take care of the gut is by supplementing your gut with probiotics.

You see, found within the gut is the gut microbiome, which is a collection of microorganisms including bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi. This microbiome plays an important role in the overall health and function of the gut. However, many factors can influence the composition of the gut microbiota, some of which are modifiable and others which are not. These include age, diet, physical activity, medications, and your environment.

Because your gut microbiome is affected by what you eat and drink, the stress you’re enduring, and the contaminants you come into contact with, all of which change day by day, a probiotic is a good insurance policy to keep the gut healthy and the immune system strong.

What are Probiotics?

If you haven’t yet heard of probiotics, they have become one of the most popular health movements, for good reason. Probiotics are live microorganisms or beneficial bacteria and yeasts that may positively influence your gut. The most common probiotics are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which can be found in supplements and several fermented foods and drinks.

Not only are these good bacteria gut-friendly, but when taking a food-first approach, they can also be delicious. With a new focus shifting in the direction of consuming probiotics, there’s an abundance of options in markets and grocery stores to find probiotic foods to suit your taste, such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, and even cheese.

Nonetheless, if you have trouble incorporating probiotic foods into your diet, or if you want an extra push in the right direction, you can also supplement with a probiotic. When choosing a probiotic, though, you want to make sure you are choosing the right one for you and your body. That’s why selecting an advanced probiotic supplement, like Pro-X10, is a no-brainer.

Unlike many other probiotics, BioTRUST’s Pro-X10 uses microencapsulation technology to ensure the survival of the probiotic cells, as each live cell is encased in a lipid matrix to help protect it from oxygen, heat, humidity, and other harmful conditions. This is done so that the 10 billion CFUs of 6 super strains of probiotics that Pro-X10 provides can reach the gut to help ward off bad bacteria, rebalance the gut microbiome, enhance digestion, and support healthy immune system function.

Good for Any Gut

Don’t be fooled, though. It’s not only unhealthy guts that can profit from a probiotic supplement. Even a healthy gut can benefit! With the right type of support, your gut can continue to keep you feeling healthy and happy. Furthermore, once on the right track, there are additional steps that can be taken to maintain good gut health, such as by eating healthfully and staying active.

Oftentimes our bodies can be shooting distress flares without us even realizing it, which is why it is important to know the signs to look out for. Our gut is one of the most important components in the body as it plays a role in many diverse functions, so it is essential we are in tune with and prioritizing it as a crucial part of our health.