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Start your Independent Premium subscription today. More about Beds Relaxation Sleep Stationery. Already subscribed? Log in. Forgotten your password? Want an ad-free experience? The research shows in both humans and mice, rocking to sleep may have significant health benefits such as better quality of sleep and even improved long-term memory formation.
In the first study the authors used electroencephalography EEG recordings to analyze the brain responses of 18 young healthy adults who spent three nights in a sleep lab. The first night was intended to acclimate them to their new sleep environment; the second they spent in a slowly rocking bed; the third—one week later—in a stationary bed.
Even in people who were already good sleepers, rocking shortened the time it took for subjects to fall asleep, and also to reach non-REM sleep, which correlates with improved sleep quality. The rockers also had fewer arousals and maintained deep sleep for a longer period of time. Curious if rocking might have any influence on memory, study subjects were also tasked with memorizing 46 random word pairs. A night of rocking improved their recall threefold.
Finally rocking also was found to synchronize brain waves during non-REM sleep in the thalamocortical networks of the brain, a system known to be involved in both sleep and memory consolidation, the nocturnal process during which the brain processes and stores long-term memories. Bayer likens the findings to our intuitive appreciation that a slowly rocking hammock can relax us and do wonders for our mood.
Previous research—and millennia of relieved parents—support the fact rocking helps coax infants to sleep. And the new findings suggest the same is true in adults. Yet it was previously unknown whether or not the same is true in other species.
The second study found that, at least in mice, it is. During one nap the bed gently rocked and during the other nap the bed remained still. While their subjects slept, researchers measured brain activity using an electroencephalogram EEG.
These findings regarding brain-wave activity are really fascinating. In Stage 2 sleep, a couple of important things happen:. Sleep spindles are a kind of noise barrier created by the brain. Their presence seems to help us stay asleep when faced with noises and external stimulation that might otherwise wake us.
People whose brains generate more sleep spindles seem better able to sleep through certain noises and interruptions -- whether it's a snoring bed partner or an ill-timed car alarm on the street. Based on these results, the researchers suggest that a rocking motion has the effect of helping to synchronize the brain for sleep -- both to fall asleep more quickly and possibly to achieve longer periods of deep, uninterrupted sleep.
You may be surprised at how easily you can create the powerful sensation of rocking yourself to sleep. And maybe you can sleep a little deeper and for a little longer, too. Facebook: www. News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes.
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