Does Vitamin D Help Babies Sleep?
It’s important that babies and young children get the right nutrients, minerals and vitamins to keep them on track with their developmental progress. We want to make sure their little bodies are running at full capacity. If you notice your little one isn’t getting enough sleep, it could be that they’re missing the right levels of a key vitamin. So, does Vitamin D help babies sleep? Let’s find out…
What do the studies say?
Many studies have been undertaken to see whether Vitamin D plays a role in sleep patterns. The majority of theses studies have indicated that human beings in general require a good dose of Vitamin D in order to help them sleep sweetly and deeply through the night.
A Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study stated that “Vitamin D deficiency in children was associated with objectively measured decreased sleep duration and poorer sleep efficiency. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency was associated with delayed bedtimes, suggesting that vitamin D and circadian rhythm could be related.”
Many other studies mirror this conclusion.
What else does Vitamin D do?
Vitamin D is super important, not just to help maintain regular sleep patterns, but for bone growth and development too. It helps us absorb calcium into our bodies so that it can help strengthen our bones. This is particularly important for children (even babies in the womb). This is because their bones are still at the crucial developmental stage.
How can I make sure my baby has enough Vitamin D?
The hardest part about getting enough Vitamin D is that it mostly comes from the sun. A few food sources contain it (like egg yolk and some fish varieties) but the majority of it is what we get from being outdoors.
So, if you think you or your little one may be deficient in Vitamin D, go and speak to your health professional who can do a few tests and may recommend supplements, depending on the results.
Sleep sweet and deep my dears! x
Learn how food can impact baby sleep patterns!
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