Generations have rocked their babies to sleep. And we’ve all heard of parents who helped calm a fussy baby by driving them around the neighbourhood. But could motion help adults sleep better too?
Well, it turns out there are a few studies on this question. Researchers studied a group of young adults and found that slow, gentle rocking lengthens sleep and increases the time spent in the deepest stages of sleep. In studies, rocking also shortened the time required to fall asleep and fewer arousals (waking for 3 seconds or longer) occurred.
Rocking also improved memory recall compared to sleeping in a stationary bed, although both groups improved after sleeping. EEGs showed that firings of neurons that are associated with memory consolidation increased with rocking during sleep.
Searching for the mechanism of improved sleep, researchers also did an interesting test on mice. Like humans, they slept better when their cages were rocked. But they also tested mice who were born without the structure in the inner ear that detects motion to see if they responded the same way. It turns out that they didn’t – mice who couldn’t detect motion in the rocking cages slept the same as those in stationary cages. The “otolith” structure in the inner ear that these mice were missing is connected through several other structures in the brain to the thalamus and hippocampus of the brain that control sleep. Researchers suggested this could be how rocking motion influences sleeping and memory.
Of course, since the human studies were done on healthy young adults, they would need to do similar studies on older adults and those with sleeping problems to find out if rocking would help them too. If it worked, it could offer a convenient non-drug way to help solve sleep problems. Studies in Alzheimer’s patients found that sleep helps to clear the amyloid-forming proteins that clog the brain. This made researchers also wonder whether rocking might help to prevent or improve this dreaded brain disease. More research to come!
I expect it will be a while before we see cradles for adults in stores. But meanwhile, you could consider taking naps in a hammock (and maybe bribe someone to keep it rocking while you sleep…). Sleeping on a boat could theoretically give the same effect so, perhaps, a cruise vacation might be relaxing in more ways than you realize. And, who knows, perhaps some time in a rocking chair in the evening might help set you up to fall asleep more quickly, just as it does for our babies!
There is something very soothing about a rocking chair… At my hubby’s family homestead in Miscou Island, there has always been a “competition” to get the rocking chair. Over the years, several of these chairs have been purchased or donated to this family home that’s shared between several siblings for summer vacations. I think there’s at least a half dozen now – so not so much competition – and we all seem to sleep exceptionally well when we’re there! Perhaps rocking has something to do with it… Why not give it a try!
Reference:
Why Rocking to Sleep is a Matchless Sedative, Scientific American
