Does DHA help children sleep well? How to choose the right DHA

“Does DHA help children sleep well?” is a question of many parents besides the effects of brain and eye health. Let’s discover the answer and learn the criteria for choosing quality DHA for children.

Does DHA help children sleep well?

DHA can help children sleep better, and this has been proven by clinical research. Researchers at the University of Oxford conducted a study on 362 children aged 7-9 and concluded: Children with higher levels of Omega-3 (DHA) in their blood had significantly better sleep quality.

Specifically, the group of children supplemented with DHA had an average of 58 minutes more sleep per night and significantly reduced the number of times they woke up in the middle of the night compared to the group taking the placebo.

The link between DHA and baby's sleep

DHA affects children's sleep quality through three main mechanisms:

- Regulates melatonin production: DHA participates in regulating melatonin production - a hormone that regulates the biological rhythm between day and night, helping babies fall asleep easily and sleep more deeply.

- Stabilizes the central nervous system: DHA is the core ingredient that helps perfect neural connections during the stage of rapid brain development in children. DHA deficiency can cause unstable nerve conduction, making children easily startled, restless, and having difficulty sleeping.

- Reduces stress hormones: DHA also helps reduce plasma levels of norepinephrine - a stress hormone. High levels of norepinephrine can negatively affect children's sleep.

Criteria for choosing quality DHA to help your baby sleep well

To help your child sleep well and support brain and vision development, experts recommend that parents choose quality DHA that meets the following four core criteria:

Pure DHA source

Parents need to prioritize choosing products from reputable brands, using highly pure DHA sources, meeting strict quality standards of Vietnam and international standards.

This helps ensure product stability and safety, helping children fully absorb DHA and minimizing unwanted side effects.

Easily absorbed DHA form

Among the supplements on the market today, DHA exists in the form of triglycerides that many mothers choose. This is DHA with a structure similar to the fat in breast milk, has been proven to be quickly absorbed, and is safer and more friendly to the immature digestive system of children.

Correct content

Many mothers supplement DHA for their children regularly but do not see results, the reason may be because the DHA content is not enough to meet the recommended needs.

According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), the recommended DHA requirement for infants and young children is as follows:

- Children 0 - 6 months: DHA needs at least 0.1 - 0.18% of energy/day.

- Children 6 - 24 months: DHA needs at least 10-12 mg/kg body weight/day.

- Children 2 - 4 years old: Minimum 100 - 150mg (DHA + EPA)/day.

- Children 4 - 6 years old: Minimum 150 - 200 mg (DHA + EPA)/day.

- Children 6 - 10 years old : Minimum 200 - 250 mg (DHA + EPA)/day.

Mothers should choose products with DHA and EPA content that meets the needs of their children. In particular, concentrated DHA lines (high content in small volume) will help children only need to drink a very small amount (about 0.5ml) to meet their needs, avoiding forcing children to drink too much fish oil, causing discomfort and vomiting.

Easy to drink taste

The characteristic fishy taste of fish oil is always a concern for many parents when giving their children DHA. If the product is too fishy, ​​children will easily resist, making DHA supplementation difficult and less effective.

Modern pharmaceutical technology today can produce DHA products that are not fishy, ​​with delicious flavors extracted from natural ingredients.

A product with an easy-to-drink taste will help your baby easily cooperate in drinking DHA regularly every day, thereby maintaining stable DHA levels in the blood and supporting the best sleep.

Thus, adequate DHA supplementation not only supports brain and vision development but is also an important factor in establishing a stable biological rhythm, helping children sleep better and more deeply.

Hopefully through this article, parents have clearly understood the importance of DHA for sleep, and at the same time know how to choose safe, quality DHA products to support the health and comprehensive development of their children.

* This food is not a medicine and does not have the effect of replacing medicine.

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Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/dha-co-giup-tre-ngu-ngon-cach-chon-dha-chuan-169251124145739129.htm