Magnesium for babies' sleep: the solution you never knew existed
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If you’re a first-time parent dealing with a child who doesn’t seem to sleep, you’ll probably be exhausted. Here’s some good news - there is a tried and tested method of getting your baby to sleep through the night, and once you discover the solution, you’ll never look back. We’re talking about… magnesium!
Magnesium for babies' sleep: how does it work?
Magnesium plays an important role in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body - apart from helping to prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, it’s also touted as “nature’s muscle relaxant.” Essentially, magnesium calms the central nervous system and acts as a sedative; it also suppresses nerve activity, which means less twitching and jerking whilst you (or your baby!) is asleep.
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Those who have healthy levels of magnesium tend to experience deep, undisturbed sleep, and on the flip side, those who have low levels of magnesium tend to wake up frequently at night. Magnesium deficiency has also been linked to other conditions which induce insomnia, including restless leg syndrome (RLS) and night terrors.
Breastfeeding mothers: how to use magnesium for babies' sleep
Whilst women are advised to consume 310-320 mg of magnesium per day, experts say that breastfeeding mothers will do well to increase their intake by 20%.
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One easy way to consume more magnesium is to take a magnesium supplement; however, research has found that it’s easier for our bodies to absorb magnesium from foods as opposed to oral supplements. For reference, magnesium-rich foods include spinach, swiss chard, dark chocolate and pumpkin seeds.
Magnesium for babies (whose mothers don’t breastfeed)
If you don’t breastfeed your baby, here’s another way of increasing their magnesium intake: simply use a wet wipe which contains magnesium to clean them off. For instance, the Amazing Oils Baby Magnesium Sleepy Toes Towelettes contain Magnesium Chloride, and are amazingly easy to use.
All you need to do is to remove these from the box, wipe it on your baby’s feet and legs, and watch as your baby magically gets less irritable and starts sleeping more soundly. These are safe to use on babies from 3 months to 3 years old, and one wipe per day should be plenty to keep your baby calm and stress-free!
(Credits)
Those who have healthy levels of magnesium tend to experience deep, undisturbed sleep, and on the flip side, those who have low levels of magnesium tend to wake up frequently at night. Magnesium deficiency has also been linked to other conditions which induce insomnia, including restless leg syndrome (RLS) and night terrors.
Breastfeeding mothers: how to use magnesium for babies' sleep
Whilst women are advised to consume 310-320 mg of magnesium per day, experts say that breastfeeding mothers will do well to increase their intake by 20%.
(Credits)
One easy way to consume more magnesium is to take a magnesium supplement; however, research has found that it’s easier for our bodies to absorb magnesium from foods as opposed to oral supplements. For reference, magnesium-rich foods include spinach, swiss chard, dark chocolate and pumpkin seeds.
Magnesium for babies (whose mothers don’t breastfeed)
If you don’t breastfeed your baby, here’s another way of increasing their magnesium intake: simply use a wet wipe which contains magnesium to clean them off. For instance, the Amazing Oils Baby Magnesium Sleepy Toes Towelettes contain Magnesium Chloride, and are amazingly easy to use.
All you need to do is to remove these from the box, wipe it on your baby’s feet and legs, and watch as your baby magically gets less irritable and starts sleeping more soundly. These are safe to use on babies from 3 months to 3 years old, and one wipe per day should be plenty to keep your baby calm and stress-free!
