Every new parent wants their baby to thrive! We want our babies to feel comforted, loved…. And to sleep! We all know infants won’t come into the world with a perfect sleep schedule or sleeping through the night (unless you’re lucky). But we can promote a health body in which going to sleep and staying asleep becomes easier for our little ones.
“As the twig is bent, so shall the tree grow.”
We know how precious this first year is for setting the stage of health. You cannot grow healthy without a proper foundation and that foundation in the nervous system. The nervous system is formed by your brain, spinal cord, and the nerves running through your body. The nervous system plays a critical role in regulating the body. It delivers messages from the brain to the body and back. The nervous system regulates:
•the heart
•respiration rate
•temperature control
•immune and hormone systems
If the nervous system is out of wack, the body will become confused. The brain will not be able to communicate properly which will end in mishandling bodily systems. We can see this time and time again in infants. When an infant’s nervous system is having trouble communicating and regulating itself we often see:
- sleepless nights
- Trouble breastfeeding
- Constant fussiness
- Colic
- overactive gag reflex
- Excessive drooling
- reflux
- and much more
These signs tell us that the brain and body are not cooperating and there is discomfort and mishandling of bodily functions. So how can we help our tiny little miracles? By promoting a healthy nervous system!
Here are 4 ways you can help regulate your baby’s nervous system, thus promoting sleep:
1. Regular chiropractic care
The nervous system is made up of the brain, nerves, and spinal cord. And what protects the spinal cord? The spine! Chiropractors aren’t just spine doctors or bone doctors, they are nervous system experts! When there is are spinal misalignments, the shifted vertebra causes nerve irritation or even a pinched nerve which will effect the way the brain can can communicate with other systems of the body. Pediatric chiropractors are specially trained in safe, gentle adjustments for infants using pressure as soft as you’d use to test the ripeness of a peach. There is not popping or cracking, just gentle pushing and pulling. Once these subluxations are aligned, the brain and body will be able to communicate correctly once again! Removing pain and discomfort and adding in a well communicating body that is handling bodily systems properly is the first step to help your baby, and you, sleep!
2. Consistent skin to skin time
All new moms are told that skin to skin helps baby and mama bond but it also helps relieve stress, stabilizes physiology, and reduces pain. When you and your baby are skin to skin, try to be quiet, taking slow deep breathes while rubbing baby’s back. You are helping your baby’s nervous system make connections, calm itself, and promote the feeling of safety so they are not in their parasympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) is stable. A calm relaxed body promotes a healthy sleeping baby!
3. Cross-crawl hand-to-toe exercise
While your baby is laying on their back after a diaper change, take their right hand and their left foot and slowly touch them together. Make sure to interact with them, smile, and sing! Then switch, left hand to right foot. Repeat this several times a day. This allows electrical impulses and information to pass between the two sides of the brain which helps relieve tension, calms the body, and enhances their brain development thus helping promote a calm, regulated body with brain connection working optimally. Less tension and optimal brain connection = a happier healthier sleepy baby.
4. Strengthen vagal tone
The vagus nerve is the biggest nerve in the body, travelling through the brainstem, the neck, the thorax and into the lower abdomen. It is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, and its job is to control automatic processes. In babies, the vagus nerve is associated with learning to swallow properly, digest food properly, and being happy and content. Vagal tone refers to the ‘strength’ of the vagus nerve. High vagal tone is noticeable when your baby can relax very easily, and low vagal tone may present with colic, reflux, irritability, food reactions, and poor sleep. The best way to stimulate the vagus nerve is by breastfeeding. Massage also stimulates pressure receptors under the skin and this in turn stimulates the vagus nerve. So you can not only breastfeed and snuggle your sweet little one, but give them a gentle messages on their back and tummy. A strong vagal tone is going to help your baby to relax quicker and you guessed it…. promote better sleep!
When your infant’s nervous system is functioning properly, better sleep is a given! By doing these things, you can help your baby regulate their nervous system and promote healthier sleep patterns!
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