Infant Comfort Helps Adults Sleep Slightly Sooner

An infant comfort may lull adults to dreamland. The sensation of being rocked to sleep may help people of any age fall asleep sooner. By manipulating the sense of balance we can replicate the same feeling without ever moving.

The findings were published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. A sample of 198 healthy normal sleepers laid with their eyes closed, with electrodes attached as researchers tested the experimental technique in a sleep laboratory.

Half of the study participants received an electrical current to stimulate the nerves in the inner ear that that regulate balance. The sleepers claimed they felt like they were floating, rocking and swaying. The currents continued for an hour as the subjects tried to fall asleep.

People who were “rocked to sleep” fell asleep an average of 14 minutes faster than the subjects who received a sham treatment.

Researchers had hoped the experimental treatment would be a cure for short-term insomnia. Data shows the difference in sleep length and quality is fairly minimal.

Home use of the treatment would be impractical even if it made a major difference for insomnia. Sleeping every night while wearing special electrodes is unlikely and physically rocking a grown adult to sleep is ridiculous.

My Child Bangs His Head in Bed as He Sleeps

For a parent it is one of the most disturbing sleep disorders. You hear a strange sound coming from your young son’s bedroom at night. So you go in his room to see what’s wrong.

You find your son banging his head into the pillow or mattress. He repeats this action over and over again. Or he may be sitting up, banging the back of his head against the wall or the headboard.

The bizarre sight may send a shock of fear through your body. But what you’re seeing is common, and it is rarely harmful.

Head banging during sleep is an example of sleep related rhythmic movement disorder. RMD is very common in healthy infants and children. It can occur in both boys and girls.

Another common form of RMD is body rocking. Your child may rock her entire body back and forth. She may be on her hands and knees or sitting up.

Head rolling is also common. While lying on his back, your child may roll his head back and forth.

Less common forms of RMD include body rolling, leg banging and leg rolling. All of these actions tend to be very rapid. An episode may last up to 15 minutes. During the motions your child may make rhythmic humming sounds.

The good news is that RMD tends to be harmless. It occurs as a young child’s brain and body continue to grow and develop.

RMD often begins when a child is about six months to nine months of age. It usually goes away by the second or third year of life.

Like many parasomnias, RMD tends to disturb the parent more than the child. Normally the child will have no memory of the event in the morning.

Talk to your child’s doctor if you are concerned about RMD. Contact an AASM-accredited sleep center if RMD episodes injure your child or keep your child from sleeping well.

Edit: For more information on RMD, read Dr. Lisa Shives' article on CNN.com