Infant Sleep Problems
Sleep is an essential component of growth and development for infants and kids. During the first part of life, our bodies go through tremendous changes that occur while sleeping.
The birthing experience can be stressful on the baby’s body and nervous system. Infant chiropractic treatment can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to allow the baby’s nervous system to calm resulting in improved sleep patterns, including less time to fall asleep, deeper sleep and less frequent waking, less disrupted sleep and decreased restlessness.
Newborn sleep can be tricky because newborns have nights and days mixed up, and until their biological clocks figure that out there won’t be much difference in sleep between the two. Also, babies need to eat frequently and this affects long stretches of sleep.
Tips to encourage your baby to sleep better:
- For the first 4-6 weeks, your baby will be up feeding every few hours. In the meantime, you can encourage your baby to transition to “normal” waking hours by keeping him in brightly lit and active areas during the day and creating a quieter and darker environment at nighttime.
- When babies sleep their arms and legs often extend out like they are falling (Moro Reflex). Swaddling (a blanket wrapped snuggly around your baby’s body) can help prevent the baby from startling them awake.
- Develop a sleep routine in the nursery by starting with a warm bath, maybe a little massage and putting them in their comfy sleeper singing or playing a soft lullaby. Feed them and put them to bed. This is a great way to cue the body and the brain to settle down for sleep.
Treatment
Infant chiropractic adjustments help your baby feel more comfortable, with less time to fall asleep, deeper sleep and decreased restlessness and this means better sleep for the whole family.
Dr Natasha Hayden is a pediatric and prenatal chiropractor that is passionate about helping her community discover just how good their bodies are designed to feel, so they can do more of what they love.
Your health goals are within reach with the support of our team.
