How Iron Affects Sleep

Today I’m talking about a relatively new theory but one that I find very interesting!  I often hear from parents that their child is a “restless” sleeper.  I usually don’t worry too much about those comments due to the fact that children are by nature active sleepers.  They move around a lot and this is normal for them!  I’m sure you’ve experienced placing your child down for sleep and finding them in the morning sleeping the complete opposite direction!  I also know that there is usually a sleep crutch involved or that the schedule or routine needs tweaking and I know that by making these changes and teaching the child to fall asleep on their own, that this will likely take care of night wakings.

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But every once in a great while, there seems to be something that goes beyond this standard.  Maybe the child isn’t progressing as we would expect. They flail around, are more animated in their sleep, and just can’t seem to get into a deep sleep.  It definitely leaves me scratching my head.

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So we’re all familiar with iron, right? Iron is an essential mineral that helps red blood cells carry oxygen around the body making it an essential component of our overall health. Iron deficiency, commonly known as anemia, also happens to be the single most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. The vast majority of those cases are in developing countries, but the numbers in North America and Europe are still alarmingly high. In the US alone, there are around 2.8 million visits to physicians annually where anemia is the primary diagnosis. So, in short, a LOT of people are not getting enough iron.

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Now you’ve also probably heard about something called Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). It is a condition that makes your legs feel restless. People with RLS describe the sensation as an irresistible urge to move accompanied by uncomfortable sensations in their lower limbs. Symptoms occur more frequently when individuals are sleeping or lying down.  According to the National Institute of Health, “In most cases, the cause of RLS is unknown. However, RLS has a genetic component and can be found in families where the onset of symptoms is before age 40. Specific gene variants have been associated with RLS. Evidence indicates that low levels of iron in the brain also may be responsible for RLS.”

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So now comes the big question… could those restless babies that I was talking about earlier possibly be suffering from some variety of Restless Leg Syndrome due to an iron deficiency? It’s a bit of a stretch, I know, but there’s a lot more information to work with here. In a 2008 joint study from the Southern Illinois University and Carle Clinic Association, 1.9%and 2% of children and adolescents respectively were shown to have Restless Leg Syndrome. A 2020 study from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute entitled Iron deficiency and sleep - A scoping review, found that iron supplementation was tremendously effective in treating a number of sleep disorders, including RLS. Sample sizes were small and the data collection process leaves a little to be desired, but it’s still a good indication that iron plays a big role in the quality of sleep. There are no markers or proteins to test for. It’s done by a doctor’s evaluation of the patient’s description of their symptoms, and for that reason, the only people who have been diagnosed are individuals who are capable of explaining what they’re experiencing. And guess who that leaves out…You guessed it; Babies, toddlers, and as theorized in a 2005 study, a significant number of children. A 2005 Mayo Clinic study established rates of restless legs syndrome in children, finding that, “almost 6 percent of children seen in Mayo’s sleep clinic have the disease. The study also notes that the most common risk factors for the disease in kids are family history of restless legs syndrome and iron deficiency.”

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Obviously I’m no doctor but it might be worth asking your pediatrician to check their iron levels.

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And REMEMBER, if your baby fits into the other category, the much more prominent category who have trouble falling asleep because of their dependency on a “crutch,” I’m here to help you solve that problem. It may not be as simple as taking an iron supplement, but I can say that it’s worth the effort to get your baby sleeping through the night.

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