Baby Massage: Can it help your little one to sleep?

It was when Freddie was about 5 months old that we were invited to an infant massage class at our local children’s centre. After the class I was amazed at how relaxed he seemed compared to his usual livewire self. I tried the same methods after bath time that evening and, sure enough, he drifted off much easier and slept better than he had done all week. It wasn’t a miracle cure and he did still wake in the night, but it was a vast improvement. Intrigued by what was happening, I started to think about the connections between massage and sleep and look into the science as to why it was happening.

Here’s what I found…. 

Two words: melatonin and circadian rhythm. 

Circadian rhythm is basically our 24-hour internal clock, which is affected by the daily pattern of feeding, body temperature, daylight and hormone release. This is why at some parts of the day you feel energetic. Mid-morning is typically shown as the time for our optimum concentration and it also helps to explain that dip around 3pm. That’s when I need my coffee and KitKat. Different hormone levels dip and rise throughout the day and at bedtime the hormone Melatonin starts to rise, creating the urge to fall asleep. However, sometimes babies need a helping hand establishing their circadian rhythm. 

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