Adults, Not Just Babies, Can Benefit from Being Rocked to Sleep

When was the last time you were rocked to sleep? If you’re over the age of, say, four, it’s probably been a while. But apparently being rocked gently to sleep is beneficial not just for small children but also for adults, and there’s a new product that claims it can help.

The Ensven system is made up of small gliders that fit underneath the feet of your bed, turning it into a rocking bed. Here’s how it works: If your bed has four feet, you’ll place two powered gliders along one long side of the bed, one at the head and one at the foot. On the other side, you’ll place two un-powered “sliders.” If your bed has six feet, you’ll use two more of the un-powered sliders.

Ensven cites a 2019 study in the journal Current Biology that showed that when using a bed that rocked from side to side, people fell asleep faster and stayed in deep, non-REM sleep longer. Participants also performed better in memory tasks the morning after sleeping in a rocking bed than they did after sleeping in a stationary one.

“Most people sleep well in a moving motor or train car, as the movements stimulate the vestibular system which is located in our inner ear,” explains Ensven on its website. “The vestibular system detects motion and spatial orientation and provides this information to the brain.”

A study published in Current Biology, this one performed on mice, supports this claim. While rocking helped mice with healthy vestibular systems fall asleep faster, it did not help mice with impaired vestibular function, explains Scientific American.

While the Ensven rocking system is not yet for sale, you can sign up on the company’s website to receive an alert once it becomes available.

h/t Refinery 29