Even adults sleep better when cradled

Rocking a baby is a sweet gesture, as ancient as the world, which helps the child fall asleep in a stable and deep way. But some new studies They are demonstrating that being rocked improves, and significantly, the sleep of adults too. And this is thanks to the fact that the gentle rocking, almost like a melody, increases the phases of deep sleep, reduces sudden awakenings (those that most worsen the quality of sleep, also because afterwards it can become difficult to fall back asleep) and improves the memory.

An initial important test was conducted on mice and demonstrated that the part of the ear that controls balance is essential for the rocking motion typical of a person being rocked to have an effect on sleep.

The second test, however, It's a 2019 study, Published on Current Biology, which directly involved humans and the effects of rocking on their brains. Those who were rocked fell asleep more easily and also reached deep sleep more quickly. And the next day, these people also performed better on memory exercises.

The main results were:

• The rocking synchronized certain oscillations in the brain during sleep. In particular, the synchronization between the slow oscillations (typical of deep sleep) and sleep spindles (sleep spindles), brain activities associated with the stabilization of memories.
• It improved some aspects of deep sleep. Participants showed greater sleep continuity and an increase in some features of deep NREM sleep compared to the no-movement condition.
• It improved memory consolidation. After the rocking night, participants performed better on a memory task than they did on the control night; this effect was linked to increased brain activity in the sleep spindle region.

Read also

• Lullabies are also good for moms
• How to get a newborn to sleep
• How to get babies to sleep