Do you have a problem getting your child to go to sleep? Below is an article from Natural Health News that discusses a study on omega-3 fatty acids that could actually help your child sleep better.
As part of a randomised placebo-controlled pilot study, researchers at the University of Oxford, UK, explored whether supplementing with algal source DHA would improve the sleep of 362 children.
The children who took part in the study were not selected for sleep problems, but were all struggling readers at a mainstream primary school.
However, at the outset, the parents filled in a child sleep questionnaire which revealed that 40% of the children had clinical-level sleep problems, such as resistance to bedtime, anxiety about sleep and constant waking in the course of the night.
The researchers also used bloodstick samples to determine levels of omega-3 and omega-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA).
Better sleep
Over the 16 weeks of the study the children were given daily supplements containing 600mg of algal source DHA or a placebo of corn or soybean oil. The researchers also fitted wrist sensors to 43 of the children who were poor sleepers to monitor their movements in bed over five nights.
At the end of the study children with higher blood levels of the long-chain omega-3 DHA (the main omega-3 fatty acid found in the brain) had nearly one hour (58 minutes) more sleep and 7 fewer waking episodes per night compared with the children taking placebo.
In addition, higher ratios of DHA in relation to the long-chain omega-6 fatty acid AA (arachidonic acid) are also associated with fewer sleep problems.
How to Help Your Child Get to Sleep
No comments:
Post a Comment