How Rocking Can Help You Heal
Research shows the health benefits from the gentle motion of rocking are undeniable.
I think my parents glimpsed heaven when they got a Swyngomatic — the thin, metal windup baby swing that was all the rage in 1960s and ’70s. “We took that thing everywhere,” says my mom with an unworldly sigh. “It probably saved our marriage,” laughs my Dad. They are not alone. Parents throughout time and across culture have known instinctively what research has lately confirmed: the soothing, sleep-inducing power of the repetitive rocking motion.
But it’s not just babies that benefit from rocking. A recent study in Current Biology suggests that our brains — young or adult — are designed to respond to gentle oscillation. Researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) recordings to investigate the brain responses of 18 healthy adults who spent three nights in a sleep lab. The first night acclimated them to the sleep environment; the second was spent rocking in a bed; and the third they slept stationary.
The findings were compelling: Even in people who typically sleep well, rocking helped them to fall asleep sooner. It also helped them achieve non-REM sleep, which means improved quality of sleep, and they had fewer disturbances, which allowed for longer and deeper sleep.
