I rock myself to sleep every night.

I'm a 56yo male and have also been rocking my whole life. I still feel weird, but it's nice to know there's others out there. When I was really little, I would sometimes call out "Mom" over and over with each rock. Fortunately I outgrew that part. It's kind of a hypnotic experience for me. I rock only occasionally now.

Feeling embarrassed about it in the past, when sleeping with or around other people I would sneak little tiny rocks, hoping I wouldn't be noticed. Often I would wait until I heard others snoring. But, with everything going on in the world today, I'm not sure this is really a big deal. And if it's weird, that's even better.

I even used to rock while holding my siamese cat. He really liked it and would never try to get away from my arms. There's just a little trick to getting it just right.

Thinking about it, I believe those who rock may really be the super special, highly intelligent, and very funny people that everyone wants to be near.

ALL ROCKERS MATTER!

i rock back and forth and up and down (if that makes sence.).. i also sometimes like to swish my legs across the bed, like a windshield wiper.

Oh My God!! It's the year 2016,and I just finally decided to google what my condition was called.Yup...I'm a rocker.I've been rocking since I was an infant,my family has always made fun of me when they catch me doing it,hehehe(they still do).I've never rocked with any of my boyfriends,I just always tried to make myself so busy and tired for that day or days so that at night I would just sleep right off and not think about rocking.I never told any of them that I rocked cause I was ashamed and thought there was something really wrong with me psychologically.When i googled it,it mentioned that it can be neurological or due to a head trauma...when i was a baby learning how to walk,i would always fall on my head first...i would never break my fall with my hands,it was always with my head...my mom said there was a time it became too frequent and she was scared that i cracked my forehead...i was okay...so i dont know...its probably all a maybe.Rocking makes me feel relaxed and calm...if I don't rock my whole body back and forth on the bed or move a leg like a wiper I wouldn't feel calm.I'm so happy I found this website and topic...I've always thought I was alone.I'm a university bachelor's graduate,I'm 26 and I'm a rocker.

Hi guys, my names Jen and I'm a 29 year old rocker! ( As my username might suggest)! ;)

I have rocked for as long as I can remember and always thought I was weird. Like a few of you have mentioned, I also hid this from many boyfriends out of embarrassment but the few who I felt comfortable enough to do it around were absolutely fine about it and even tried it themselves to see what all the fuss was about. It didn't stick for them but I suppose it's just habit.

I struggle every night to fall asleep and find that the only comfort is to rock myself, however, this can go on for hours upon hours and although my body is relaxed and soothed, my mind continues thinking and worrying which keeps me up for hours. I've tried hypnotherapy, sleeping tablets, even smoking weed to try and ease me into a nice sleep. Nothing works. I tend to sleep during the day out of exhaustion and rock away for hours at night trying to regain some what of a normal body clock.

Bet you fellow female rockers out there agree with the morning hair blues too! Jeeeez! Sometimes my hair can literally look like a birds nest on my head. My fiancé finds it hilarious but trying to get a brush through it is a nightmare!

I cannot tell you all though, how pleased I am to know that I am not alone. It feels like I have been living in a bubble my whole life and now it has been popped and I have seen what's out there in the world. Keep rocking folks, but remember, a good conditioner is essential! ;)

I've rocked myself to sleep since birth. Destroyed my crib. As soon as my head hits the pillow I'm off. It just feels normal to me. Some nights when I couldn't sleep, instead of counting sheep, I'd count rocks. I've been well into the thousands before I quit or fell asleep.

I've never met anyone else who does it. Or admits to it.

When I get a GF that I'd shack up with I'd tell them that I do it in my sleep sometimes. But they all eventually figured out that I do it before I sleep. Much to my surprise, not a single one of them has ever given a shit. They've never said anything or made fun of me. That goes for my wife as well.

So if you're a rocker like me, don't let it bother you. No one really cares.

Btw....I'm 45

We should form a rocking club

Wow! i wondered if i was the only one for so long. im 21 male. i feel like i found my long lost brothers and sisters. i just wanna have a sleepover with all of you. Crazy!

My son whos 12 yrs old rocks himself to sleep every night. He has been doing this since he was 5 months. He puts his arm in the back and rocks. Now i've read most of the things that r up. But i'm afraid if i go let him sleep out that he'll get made fun of. What should I do?

I'm NOT ALONe! I have always imagined I was the only one. I rock on my side on my shoulder. I switch/roll often. I have done it for forever. Why am I just now searching this? This is... Amazing.

btw i hope whoever i end up with rocks themselves to sleep too. plus i have to listen to music and sing myself to sleep too.

I'm 17 years old. I've rocked myself to sleep ever since I can remember really. I would just "rock" myself to sleep by kinda banging my head against my pillow (not violently) rhythmically until I fell asleep. I don't know why. I would keep a steady pace and until I slowly dozed off. When I was younger and smaller I would also climb into a chair and sit in it (Indian style) with my legs crossed and rock my whole body back and forth and close my eyes and just concentrate. My family would give me a hard time about it and my siblings would tease me but I had no clue why I did it. When I spend the night at my friends houses I have to resist "rocking" my head against my pillow because it would seem weird, but I've found that just tapping my leg against the bed or moving my hands in the same rhythmic kind of way helps me to call asleep as well. Either way, I am 17 and I still rock myself to sleep. I don't think it's a problem and I think it's just a normal phenomena that doesn't really effect you, it just helps me sleep. Other than rocking I'm just an average everyday teenager. Hope this helped in some way, at least in finding comfort that there's others out there!

I'm 30 and I have done it for as long as I can remember. I remember my mother said I used to sit on my elbows and knees in bed rocking back and forth, banging my head on the headboard. Thankfully the headbanging stopped pretty soon and there wasn't any permanent damage (although I am going bald).

Why? Well believe it or not this is actually the first time I have ever thought to look it up! I found this:

"More primitive mammals cling to their mother or ride in a pouch, but humans must be carried. Rocking simulates being carried by the mother as an infant. To our primitive ancestors, the instinct to awaken and cry if movement stops gives an unpleasant stimulus to the mother and kept many a child from being left behind, so it became an evolutionary imperative."

Which is why the majority of humans like being rocked to sleep; be it in a hammock, on a swing or in a rocking chair. Maybe as babies we weren't held enough, so we self-soothed by rocking ourselves and this carried on into adulthood. I don't really know it's just a guess but it's certainly better than the so-called 'equilibrium'! So be thankful you come a from a long line of rockers!

I had a friend who had to bang his head into a pillow, rhythmically. He called it "bonking," and couldn't sleep without doing it. Sleeping over sucked, until he finally fell asleep.

He grew out of it in his twenties.

When I was a baby and then as a toddler, I would rock my crib from one end of the room to the other. It was some pretty aggressive rocking, position being on my knees and rolling over the top of my head back and forth. As I grew out of the crib, I did the back and forth on my side thing. I stopped when I moved into a dorm in college. I do a lot of leg or foot shaking now, age 53, which has the same effect. But if someone saw me doing a full-speed foot shake, they would think I was possessed. I guess as a drummer I have learned to do repetitive motions increasingly faster and faster.

I arrived at this site by way of searching for tricks to help you fall asleep. As I was searching, I thought to myself, I know how to make yourself fall asleep … ROCKING!

But here's the reason for joining in. When I was little, when someone asked why I rocked, I would say, to keep the ghosts away.

Later on in life, I came up with a psychological interpretation of my childhood response, that is, "ghosts" were "anxiety." I've always known I had an anxiety disorder, and I never needed a 'professional' to provide the diagnosis. I remember reading the words in my 12th grade psychology book, "free-floating, generalized anxiety disorder." I was thrilled beyond belief. It was like, that's me, and somebody knows about this!

So I'm curious. Is anxiety a common thread among rockers, or do I just happen to be a rocker with anxiety?

GUYS I DO THIS TOO. I'm 20 now, but I've been doing this ever since I was a kid!! I always lay on my left shoulder and rock back and forth for like 20 minutes. I used to do it right before i fell asleep every night for an hour, but about 2 years ago, I started getting really bad back, shoulder, abd hip pains on my left side. Currently, i'm tryig to stop rocking completely because my hip and shoulder pain has gotten even worse. Nowadays, I only do it for like 20-30 mins listening to music before i go to sleep and right when i wake up. I have really bad anxiety, stress, and depression and rocking is something that soothes my mind. I'm glad i'm not alone!

You won't believe this! Please read!

I'm 30 years old and I've rocked myself to sleep ever since I can remember. I never spoke about it with anyone because it's a super private thing and to be honest, I've never felt a need to. It has just always made me feel comfortable to rock back and forth (to music most of the time) and I've always enjoyed it never really thinking twice. Sometimes I wondered why I needed to rock so much to get to sleep or why I liked to rock to make myself feel calm but I still never pursued it.

This year I got married :)
One night, I saw my newlywed husband rocking himself back and forth. The first time I thought it was a fluke but then I saw him do it a second and third time.
I said to him, "I noticed you rocking back and forth. Are you aware that you are doing this or is this in your sleep?" He told me that he knows he's doing it and has rocked back and forth his whole life. He said he doesn't do it with others around and thought I was sleeping when he did it.

I was in complete and utter shock! He does what I do! For the first time, I could tell someone that I rock myself to sleep too. Not only did we find out we rocked to sleep, but we also both do it on our left side.

After he and I discussed it, I searched the internet and found this forum. I had never looked up this rocking disorder before and I truly believe that it's totally fine.

For the most part, me and my husband don't rock in bed because it is a very personal thing. But we do joke about it and I don't mind him rocking if he wants to and vice versa.

I am 42 and I have been rocking myself to sleep since I was an infant. Like everyone else, I am so relieved to know about others who do the same thing.
I rock my whole body one side at a time (left or right). I try to distribute the rocking evenly to both sides and I not only rock to go to sleep but also after waking up to enjoy some peaceful contemplation about life issues.
I began as an infant by rolling across the floor of a room before knowing how to crawl and also rocking in my crib. My mother would find the door of my bedroom blocked by the crib because I rocked it over and blocked the door.
I have often wondered if this behavior started because I was not held or paid enough attention to as a baby. My mother was an alcoholic and I have a brother who is 1 year older than me so the narrative that made the most sense to me was that between drinking and dealing with my older brother, that my mother didn’t give me enough physical attention during the first year of my life. The interesting thing about this behavior, that I am sure others could agree with, is that there is no way to go back and understand or analyze the origins.
Fast forward to the present and I have been married 15 years and I do not have any problem with my wife knowing about this behavior but I admit that I try not to expose her to it. I generally do not rock to sleep because I would disturb my wife’s sleep but when she gets up in the morning to shower for work I rock and love every second of it!
I am software developer who is unemployed right now. I may be starting up a blog or website to for us rockers. We need it. We are special because we have the ability to access or induce endorphins without the need for drugs or meditation. As soon as I rock back and forth about 3 or 4 times I feel positive and calm internally. It is borderline addictive. To me this is a great benefit and gift and with that I just have to say: Keep Rocking Folks!

I am 18 , I've never had a serious boyfriend. As a child I rocked my crib apart and ususlly during car rides I bang my head against the seat . My family always joked around with me and made fun of me . I was so happy to have found people like me because I never knew it was normal . When I go to friends house or they come over mine I used to find it very embarrassing but now I just laugh at myself and tell certain friends. I sometimes hum and count numbers. Sometimes when I am just bored I will sit there and just rock away for hours. I find it very soothing . Nobody has really ever been mean to me about rocking and if they are then they are not worth my time . I say to keep rocking and be happy! Rock on rockers ;)

I'm 44. As a baby, I used to rock forward and back and bang my head on the wall. As I got older, I switched to the side to side rocking of my head, which eliminated the jarring and disturbing (to others) sound of banging of my head. When lying on my stomach, rocking my foot back and forth also worked. I have also liked the light dizzy sensation in my head when playing on swings or rocking in a rocking chair. It's relaxing! When I left home for college and moved into dorm life, I worked really hard to stop "rocking" at will. Eventually I learned to go all night without rocking voluntarily. However, rocking while asleep still occurred: during sleepovers, friends and bedmates would wake me up to tell me to stop rocking because it was disturbing their sleep. At 44, I still rock my head in bed to calm myself, even voluntarily. I have resolved that it is normal for me to rock my head, it calms me, and I am not hurting myself by doing it. I have a theory that this habit is why I don't get seasick easily.

Sounds weird and definently a double standard (good for you, bad for me) but girls in general can get away with doing this. However, I suffer from insomia so if it would help me sleep, I would do it. Good for you and it is rather cute from my perspective.

I did this as a kid, and do it sometimes when I have insomnia. Put my feet against the wall and push with them to rock myself to sleep. Not sure why, but it feels good.

actually thats pretty normal alot of your body functions are determened by your equilibreum and the rocking motion has a soothing effect on our brains most likely you can talk to a doctor or therapist about having trouble sleeping and they could offer some alternatives that are more comfortable and convenient but for the most part totally normal.

i've never done that, might try it tho, usually i go to sleep best just hugging pillows and soft stuff.

I'm 61, a rocker and finally looked this up. I used to rock all the way through high school and then it would come and go. Lately, I have found myself rocking in bed - so has my wife of 4 years. She thinks I am nuts anyway. But yes, it feels good, helps clear my mind and get back to sleep. I never looked it up because I figured if I do it - so must lots of others. No matter how weird you think your habits or preferences are - there are thousands or hundreds of thousands doing or thinking the exact same. Rock on!

I’m an 19 year old female , I have been doing this since I was a baby. I was diagnosed with rhythmic movement disorder in 2013. I still do this to this day. It’s not just when I’m sleeping either, I’ll do it when I’m sitting down. In the car or on the couch etc. I always felt weird doing this, but as I got older I just learned to accept myself. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who does this. It’s so relaxing to my mind and body, I sleep better

Omg I just found this thread. I’m 40 and decided it’s time to goodle why I rock my head from side to side when I’m tired. My cousin does it also.

I'm in my 20s. Been doing this forever, always on my left side. Sometimes I do it during the day when I'm thinking over about a solution to a problem (computer scientist). I don't do it when sharing a bed, but will sometimes try to sneak a few repetitions in lol. Glad I'm not alone.

I used to do that when I was a kid. For some reason though I am embarrassed that I ever did it. Probably because a few people made fun of me about it.

I have always been super energetic and have rocked back and forth to music and without since as long as I can remember. Im 25 now and still spend hours a week doing this.

At 4 I shared a room with two of my brothers. I shared a bunk bed with a youger brother who is highly functioning autistic we used to both sing old songs and keep rhythm kicking rocking or he would bang his head on his bed.

As I got older I found that I just had too much energy and my body wouldnt sleep without the rocking. Doctors put me on a sleep med at one point and all that did was transfer the energy in my body to my legs and for the entire time I was on it I had RLS.

I also tried doing extreme physical sports to lose the energy. I would climb on a road bike mount diablo one a week and ride 30 miles a day. This only intensified my energy and made me get even less sleep. I would lay down to rest from my ride and 8 hrs later I would still be rocking.

In college dorm mates and neighbors thought I got a lot of sex and lasted forever. My roomate thought I had seizures. If im at a hotel people in other rooms hit my wall.

Recently my mom passed from cancer and my rocking has only become more prevalent. I literally get 3 good hrs of sleep but always have too much energy.

I’ve been rocking since as long as i can remember. I’m on my way to 50 years old and still do it.
My definition of rocking may be different than some of you, yet for others the same.
When I was a little kid, I would rock to go to sleep. I chalk this up as a self-soothing mechanism. Some mentioned singing as well—I used to sing until I was about 12–not all the time, but often. Singing and rocking was my thing.
As a teen, it started to taper off. Of course, as I became more self aware, the singing stopped. I also stopped rocking to fall asleep. This didn’t stop me from rocking WHILE asleep, which is something that continues to this day.
I’ve learned to alert my sleep partners that I rock as a preemptive soothing of their imaginations. Sometimes I would share a hotel room with a business associate or friend—imagine what they thought I was doing in the other bed, hearing a rhythmic motion! Managing other people’s expectations due to my rocking eliminated the embarrassment when asked about it the next morning (or dealing with an awkward look).
After getting married, the rocking subsided quite a bit, interestingly. It still happened though, and my wife would just shake me a bit to stop me. She is not a heavy sleeper so I would often wake her. I thought it mostly went away, but over time the rocking sort of went back to “normal” in frequency and heaviness.
For me, rocking is described as many of you have, yet different than others. My rocking is only on my side—I’m an ambidextrous rocker, with no preference left or right. I tuck one arm under my side, like many do sleeping on their side, and rock from side to side, powered primarily from my shoulders and followed by pelvis. Sometimes I get going pretty fast and often times it’s associated with a dream, yet not every time.
After getting divorced and mostly sleeping alone, the frequency of rocking has increased. Don’t worry, the divorce had nothing to do with rocking, LOL!
My young daughter is staying with me tonight and I found myself awakened from sort of exuberant rocking, which led me to this thread. I have housemates and had a sort of panic attack they may allow their imaginations to wander and call CPS on me because they hear the bed rocking. I forgot about setting those expectations, as mentioned earlier, because I haven’t shared a bed or room with new people in a long time. My dating life more recently hasn’t involved a lot of sleepovers, plus I tend to not rock with new people in my bed—probably related to the inherent social anxiety about rocking.
That said, I’m so glad I found this thread in the middle of the night, and I’m proud to tell the world I’m a rocker like the rest of you!
One more thing: for those of you who rock sitting up and even during the day, don’t fret. Some label this as being “on the spectrum” and I call BS on that. Bill Gates was known to sway back and forth, rocking, and even did it in his 20s during interviews. Bill’s also been labeled a genius, so you’re in good company if this is your version of rocking. Enjoy!

I am 67 years of age and still rock myself to sleep. I also rock when I feel unwell. I have never thought that it was unusual rationalising that I was self-soothing. One of my daughters is also a rocker.

I am so glad there are others like Me! When I was little I use to rock,hum and suck my thumb. I am now almost 54 and still rock myself. Sometimes for hours when I have insomnia. It's a habit I enjoy. When I try to quit to sleep I have to move my legs. I sneak rocks to. My grand daughter will sleep in the bed and I make sure she is asleep and I rock. I enjoy it and it helps with stress.

As old as this thread is, I thought I would add my experience for anyone who may find this page.
Growing up my family had 2 rockers, including myself and my older Brother.
My brother was seeing a psychologist when I was a teenager who informed hm it was very rare for there to be more than 1 person in a family to be a rocker and he wanted us to head the city for testing. I declined thier offer.
Time went on, I fell pregnant with my first child. Half way through my pregnancy I stopped rocking.
I was 20 when I was pregnant with her, I am now 35 and I have not rocked since.
However, we now have a second child who is 8 years old and is also a rocker.
My brother is 45 years old and to this day he still rocks, he rose ked more violently than I did as well. I often wondered if it was more severe for the males.

For some reason I just googled this for the first time. I'm 53 YO male. When I was a baby I would rock my crib from one side of the room to the other.

I rocked myself for different periods my whole life.

Growing up in parents house all the time - I had my own bedroom so it was easy.

With different girlfriends I would basically stop - I never wanted them to see. Luckily I can sleep without doing it, it just feels so comforting though.
Even now when the wife is gone for a few days I'll rock just to feel it. I find that even though I could when she's gone it's more of reliving a childhood thing - I will still do it for a few minutes a couple times a night but it's not like it used to be.

Reasurring to hear others do this - rock on!

I'm 14/yr and Ive been doing it since I was an I infinite and Ive never stopped. Ive always done it. Never around people though.

I rocked myself to sleep with my hand over my left ear, elbow up,humming rhythmically as a child up to around the age of 12.Not sure why I stopped. But recently during a traumatic emotional experience, I tried it to calm down. I haven't continued but enjoyed the sensation it gave me and calmed myself. I also use to suck fingers and twist my hair up my mid teenage years. Apparently I was extremely shy as a child, his behind my mother's leg. I still am an anxious person. Might start rocking again. Thanks to this forum for showing me there are people the same.

I'm a 29 year-old rocker!

Hi everyone! I'm a 53 yr. old man and have been Rockin since birth. No side effects, side effects, side effects yet, so Rock On,

Also it is a behaviour that can be related to ADHD. Some types of repetitive movements are called stims which are usually related to Aspergers and Autism. Body rocking in this case though might be more of a personality type rather than a spectrum disorder or true ADHD.

Some cultures accept it as a normal behaviour much like primping, nail biting, swinging your legs or jiggling a knee up and down. Just another unimportant, typical behaviour of excess energy and expressing it habitually. Its common to see in public places in some East Asian cultures.

Some people do this while listening to music as well because it puts them in a more relaxed state of mind.

This is far more common than most people think. It is usually seen in children at the rate of around 30-50%. In adults it is less common but still can be as high as 2-5% or possibly higher. It may be linked to low serotonin levels and is a form of self-soothing but not necessarily linked to abuse or neglect. It has been linked to repetitive movement disorders but those are usually performed unintentionally. This is usually done with intent.
Body rocking has been observed in infant mammals and humans abandoned by their mothers. It can also be a behaviour trait seen in autism. This does not mean that a person who does this has been neglected or is autistic. A person who does this does get the same soothing effect but perhaps for different reasons entirely. It may have links to ocd but it doesn't indicate that the person is in need of therapy or medication. It may have some genetic basis as well. It's not well researched or understood. Suffice to say it's far more common than people who do it think it is. Its not a weird thing at all and doesn't say much about you.
Someone on here said that people who do it are highly intelligent and loving, super special people. I don't doubt that. It may very well be true.

Wow at least I'm not alone my wife woke me up last night saying I was rocking in my sleep ..felt very embarrassing. . I've done it since I was young my dad used to come in and tell me off all the time as they could hear it.. I try not to do it when my wife is in bed with me. I don't now why I do it I feel like I'm not all there or different.

I have been rocking myself to sleep for as long as I can remember, and in times of stress it's worse. I am coming up to the age of 70 now, still rocking. BUT -- I HAVE STUMBLED UPON A WAY TO STOP, which amazed me. This may not be true of everyone, and I have some theories about why we do it, but for me the simple act of clutching a stuffed toy, cuddling it, stopped my rocking immediately. Wow, who knew??? At first I thought it was a fluke, but I have checked a few times now, same result. The tension drains away, the urge to rock leaves me and I also feel peaceful enough to sleep.

Im 26m an i rock in my sleep since 5yrs old every one used to make fun of me. i had stopped for like 3 years develop insomnia my life was hell i felt like i never of slept Then i startd rocking i feel better an my wife dont mind i put her to sleep to but thats awesome that theres more of us out there

Oh, I can add that after THC intake If I am trying to rock in bed I get disgorge (puke) feeling so I automaticly stop to rock after two-three moves. So if your children do not stop this until 8yo, parents should think about thc oil. If you are adult you decide for your own.

Even when I was sleeping (as a child and adult) mostly I had nightmare's. After cannabis I had no dream at all. That is to beautiful that can be true. But it is! Lieing in bed for 7 hours without move - this what I need after my short (long rocking) life.

The problem is, that is illegal (law and mental) and doctors do not know nothing about RMD in Poland. They still call that 'choroba sieroca' (orphans illnes).

Magic plant is the cure in RMD. Like in epilepsy.

Yellow RMD rockers. I am 34, rocking since 1yo. I can do it all night/day long, mostly not sleep at all. Typicaly RMD people takes 3-15 minuts of rocks and then they go to sleep. Me 'normaly' takes 2-3 hours or more and after short sleep (2-3 hours) I am rocking again for hours. Whole my life I was very exercised and sporty, always doing things for 110%.
Now in age 34 I have NO energy left. My head is very painfull and my heart is weak. (after RMD nights)

The only things is helping me is smoking cannabis (marihuana) thc implementation. After inhalation I am sleeping like a child (min. 7 hours) and in the morning I know what to do:
healthy breakfast, coffee and cigarette (nicotine), then some housework or newspaper or shoping and then the 1st blunt and then I am happy that I am living! and being! Doing everything what normal people do, but maybe little more lazy....
For me it is worth being like that and sleeping and regenerating at night.

THC is making HUNDREDS percent more of melatonina in the pineal gland. The best results I get smoking all day, every 2-3-4 hours. In my country (Poland) it's illegal, so I can not have propper access. So the treatment is selectively.

After inhalation I feel like REAL human, but nobody is accepting this, becouse they still think that Ganja = Devil.

What is another method? Antidepresant's. But this sh*t will destroy your body, orgasm and everything. So I do not even try it. NEVER ever.
And there is no evidence that in my hard RMD symptom will help.

The problem is in da BRAIN - that 4 shure.
I think that we have defective pineal gland.
Some of us more, some less.....

I have been rocking back-and-forth in bed since basically birth. As the youngest child in the family I had an earlier bedtime than my siblings. When I would rock in my upstairs bedroom, they would attribute it to me "doing my thing", "that's just Rhandi doing his thing." Although I did have excess energy and this was a way to expel it so I could sleep, I found several advantages to this behavior including having a rock-hard stomach (good for countering the many stomach punches I had endured), I was very limber and I had an extraordinary imagination. I would not just rock blankly, I was highly active imagining situations in my mind which the rocking actually allowed me to participate in as if I were in a movie of my choosing based upon people and situations in my life.

Today, at age 53, I continue to rock either on the side of my bed to the floor or on pillows on the floor. I am usually wearing headphones and listen to a select songlist of music imagining that I am the artist performing the works in my "movie" and including people and events that I so choose. The imagery is so real that I actually feel that I am doing and being and feeling everything. I am actually working towards getting my rock-hard stomach and agility back.

My mother taught me to rock. To move my head, and even body, from side to side, and sometimes even raising and throwing the right arm in as well for some more momentum. To tire yourself out a bit more.

I've always wondered whether I was alone. Or other people do it. And they do!

One of my favorite things during my life, is to/was to, listen to "rock 'n' roll" and rock. Maybe even smoke some weed and do it as well. It was, and I think does become addictive. It's comforting.

I've used it to provoke imagination. To dream while I am awake. And I have used it to search within. Deeply.

I know this might seem weird for you to read...What I am about to write.

I am either delusional. And atheism/God is not real, is correct. OR. I know god is real.

I am not religious. I was once. And I was baptized as a catholic. And have been influenced by "judeo christian" religion in a sense. Yet I simply reject, and segregate, religion from the "picture".

I am not agnostic. I was once. And I also segregate agnosticism from the "picture".

I am not an atheist. I was once. And I do not segregate atheism from the "picture".

God is not real. VS God is real.
This is the "picture".

I've done my best to discern. And assimilate.
To search deep within. My mind. My spirit. My soul. My "psyche".

You have a soul/Spirit. And god is real. Not in fact real, however.

I have drawn this conclusion. Based on scientific evidence. Learning. Understanding. Inner searching. Anecdotes. And Experiential occurrences, that are now just stories/anecdotes to others.

I have zero faith. In god.
I do not "believe" in god.
I know god is real. I know I have a soul/spirit.
I know there is more to tangible, material, reality.
Science proves, there is more to tangible, material, reality.

Yet we, don't know everything, scientifically. We
as a human race, continue to learn about our reality, via science, and the scientific method.

We are but a speck. If you look at the grand scale of the universe, and you look at everything from planck scale right up to the "known universe". And what we have proven/theorized/know. We don't know it all. There is more to reality than what we know.

So.

I've searched extensively within. As a person who meditates, may have. Like a monk/a Buddhist monk etc.

I think that rocking. Is like meditation. Without the stillness and breathing.

I'd like to try to rock, in a sensory deprivation tank.

I have had experiences that pertain to be, or equate to being, mental illness/delusional, (and/)OR, actually, really, "spiritual" experiences.

I've also used it, to create songs.

Need I write anymore? No.

There's way more people like me than I thought.
I'm 49 and I've been rocking myself to sleep my whole life.
It is strange to a lot people, I know, but I really don't care...it conforts me.
I've been married for 32 years and if I don't rock when I lay down, my husband asks me if I'm okay.
If I don't rock, I move my legs back and forth or move my feet. Even when I'm sitting down I have to move my leg or my feet.
I believe it's a family thing...my dad does it, my brother, my nephews and nieces, my children and my grandchildren.
I think is funny...and it feels really relaxing.
ROCKER FOR LIFE!!!!
;)

Thought I was the only one

Wow! Thank you! I thought there was something majorly wrong with me. I no longer rock myself to sleep, but I did, right up until I got married at 24. That was 43 years ago, so you know how long it's been on my mind.

OMG....This is not the 1st time I've gooled " Why do I rock", previously I saw threads about RMS and typically children grow out of this in their teens, I'm 43 and still do it. I concluded this was quite isolated and I was one in a million...too embarrassed to go to the doctor as don't want/ need pills or talk about why, I do it...because I like it and agree its addictive/ habit!!!

I found this thread having seen my 10 year old Daughter rocking this week whilst closing her bedroom door and didn't want her to worry about this when she is older. Yes I've seen her doing this many times over the years assuming she'll be one of those who grow out of this.

I too hide/ refrain from the voluntary/ soothing rocking as I was often woken up or shouted to stop by my parents when camping or sharing a room and since many times find myself rocking when awakening, alerting myself to stop, cutting my sleep short.

My current job has meant working away a lot so I've been free to rock away, with or without music and its conjusive to a great rest/ sleeps but when at home at weekends I've felt like a coiled spring making any excuse to go to bed early (to rock and fall asleep before being joined), stay up late or go out so as to have a reason to sleep in the spare room to rock and fall asleep, not conjusive to a physical relationship.

I mentioned to my wife (whilst writing this post) about finding our daughter rocking and she said "she gets it from you"...WTF...I've been married 14 years and thought this was my unique hidden thing (my weirdness / secret) Clearly this is not been an issue for my wife as neither of us have acknowledged this but like snoring a better night sleep is had alone but when sharing there needs to be some consideration and acceptance that we are all unique and have our little ways.
I can't believe I've bottled this up and thought I was alone with this, at what point you raise this with a new Partner/ soon to be wife/ Husband I'm not one to ask...but the earlier we are accepted in a relationship warts and all the happier,open and honest that relationship will be!!

Good luck

p.s. I don't even like "Rock n Roll"....At least I can make fun of myself!!

I always thought I was the only one.

It has always take me very long to go to sleep. I am 17 and love rocking, have always been worried about how it might affect my future wife lol.

Now I'm learning it's completely normal. I secretly love it and listen to music and rock before I sleep, it's my favourite. However I only fall asleep after hours of rocking ah oh well

Totally normal..

My preschool (in Belfast) used to have naptime at midday and I could never get to sleep.. one of the nursery nurses taught me to rock my head, and it worked.. I think it's a combination of the rhythmic movement and the white noise that does it for me..

I was about 4, I'm 43 and still do it..

The bad hair morning happens to guys too :)

I have always rocked myself to sleep every night since I was little (2,3) , but the difference is that I'm a side sleeper, so I lay on my arm to fall asleep. But another strange thing with my *condition* is that I need to listen to music, otherwise I get lonely and one of my biggest fears is being lonely. So is it right if I fall asleep listening to music (its automatic)? Please tell me. I'm a 19 year old and I'm pretty used to it. Thank you.

I could cry. I am 35 and have swayed my entire life. It caused me much grief growing up as I remember sleep overs being an issue of contention and I was always embarrassed.

As a kid, I would sway side to side 24/7. I never realized I was doing it, I had no control over it, and I grew out of it by the age of 13. To this day, however, I will lay on my stomach and sway myself to sleep slightly propped up on my elbows with a small pillow tucked under my chin.
I have done this for 35 years and cannot stop. It was to the point where I would have love interests sleep in another room or on the couch so I could sway in peace or not explain. I played it off as either I couldn't share a bed with someone else or I played it off as a dominance card on boyfriends (depending on the situation).

Thankfully I have a husband of 7 years who sleeps like the dead and I am okay with swaying next to him.

There is just something so comforting about it and not being able to do it actually stresses me out.
Does anyone daydream while they sway?

I am a 39young male and I have rocked my head since I was 1 or 2 yo.my older brother slept in the same bed and loved when I rocked my head cause it helped him to sleep.only a very select few family members know this and I found out my aunt who was born def also rocks her head to sleep.now I read all of these and makes me feel better that I'm not the only one.wished I could find someone with this same habbit because it would make it so much easier to sleep instead tossing and turning all night.

40 year old male here whom has rocked them self to sleep also while sleeping will rock back and forth.
My twin sister and I both did it while we were kids till about 8 years old then she stopped, as far as I know.
One thing I read years ago was that there were a correlation between the rocking and one of the parents being an alcoholic.
No sure how true this is but I do know that my mother didn't start drinking till after her first 5 kids. I now know that she was drinking and smoking whilst pregnant with my twin sister I. We are the last of seven
Of course we were born premature as well.
Just throwing my personal life out there to see if any of it sounds familiar to anyone else on this thread.
I also have RLS which is currently very active my doctor and I are trying to combat the RLS which seems to be working however the treatments are not working for the rocking in my sleep.

Can anyone else relate ?

Rock on

Hi everybody! I've been rolling my head to fall asleep it from the crib right up to today.

When I was still a baby, my mother used to be very anxious about me doing it, fearing some obscure neurological condition, so she consulted with several pediatricians. As it was obviously too soon for me to confirm that the head-rolling was voluntary, some doctors suggested invasive pharmaceutical treatment. She finally consulted a sleep specialist that went to this admirably simple workflow with her:

1. Does it help him sleep? (yes)
2. Does he seem to enjoy it? (yes)

The clever doc said something like: “Well, then, let the poor child be, for God's sake”, so my mom chilled out about it, and I turned out perfectly fine. I'm a 24-year-old male with good social skills (no autistic/Asperger-like condition). Throughout my teenage years, I had to learn to fall asleep without doing it (e.g. when I had friends over at home, or when I started having a girlfriend), but I still enjoy doing it when I'm alone. It makes me feel the "rollercoaster" effect other people in this thread have mentioned, helps me let go of uneasy thoughts and fall asleep quickly. I rarely "stop" doing it voluntarily, rather falling asleep directly in the process.

Moral of the story: people have some very unique habits and pretty much anybody does something special that people are quick to diagnose as a super obscure neuro-mental-social-linguistico-autistic condition, but this particular thing is probably a remnant of the soothing movements from your time in the womb, when every micro-movement of your mom would “rock” you in the amniotic fluid. It is also the reason why the head-rolling is so common in babies at the age where they are forced to figure out techniques for falling asleep without their mom's help.

Why shouldn't people be allowed to rock themselves to sleep once in a while?

Any of you suffer from tinnitus (ringing of the ears)? I rocked myself to sleep every night as far back as I can remember. The rocking gradually stopped when I learned to manage the tinnitus (maybe mid-teen years). My family ridiculed me for this as well.

I found this while rocking to sleep

Another option is that you are hyper when you are going to sleep. I'm saying this because I'm ADHD and I have too much energy when I go to sleep, so I rock my head, or sometimes my who body to go to sleep. It was I habit I got in to when I was about 4, what id suggest doing is listening to music while trying to sleep without rocking, as it gives your mind something to concentrate on while sleeping.

I'm a 43 year old male and I've always rocked,banging my head on the wall as a child so my mum moved my bed to the middle of the room,now I rock every night,just had a hip replacement,not sure if it's to much rocking,I only do it when I'm in bed alone

I'm a 22 y/o male and I do it too.. I've been rocking from the cradle and I hate it so much... Over the years it has caused me a great deal of depression and I find it difficult to sustain a relationship anymore because im so scared that when she realises that I rock myself to sleep (EVERY NIGHT!) she'll think im a freak and move on... Anyways guys I think the medical term is RMD (Rythmic movement disorder). There is also variations, if that makes any sense, such as RLS (Restless leg syndrome) which of course is a constant movement of the legs (usually) during wake and nocturn hours. My brother used to bang his head also but that fits in with RMD. Aswell, just to clarify , its linked to autism but dont worry because it isnt directly linked and im unsure wether there is any evidence to suggest that this theory is positive. (I'm not autistic anyway) I just wanted to know why I rock thats how I ended up here - wileycat1 - I partly support this theory although there is no evidence of that (Yet).. Ive read that somewhere. Peace out to all the rockers!! Such a unique species :P

To all my rockers out there..no pun intended... :) Have you ever rocked so much that it doesn't help you fall asleep as quickly anymore. Is that normal. I am 23 and I have rocked since infancy and now I will rock from 9 to 1 am finding it hard to fall asleep until I lay still. :(

I have rocked since a baby, every night for 15 to 30 mins. I am 46 now. The only time i do not rock is if someone is in bed w me. However i will need to go to bed early or have to take a nap during day if i miss too many nights. Surprisingly no one has ever said anything about it.

Hey, Im 22 and Im commenting to let you know that you are not alone. I love to do this and I find it very soft and calming after a long day at work or ESPECCIALLY if I am stressed out. I would find myself using a rocking chair, softly laying on my side rocking, or using my back hammock if I am really adventurous. DESPITE WHAT PEOPLE SAY I want to let you know that there is absolustly nothing wrong with you or the rocking that you do, as it is very thereputic and it is used as a calming technique by adults all the time, and is being studied in science more often than we may be led to beleive. I hope this helps. Have very sweet dreams

I'm 23 and I've been rocking and moaning since I was in a crib. I find I only feel the urge to rock now when I'm stressed or if I have a lot on my mind. I'm sure it's tied to ADHD but I haven't seen a doctor about this yet. Do you rock every night?

I'm 18 and have too do this in order to fall asleep. I got to bed at 9 u start rockin and eventually fall asleep around 1 am. I feel weird because o this. My own family has made fun of me for this. I'm glad I'm not the only 1 out there as for a long time I thought I was. I don't think I'll ever grow out of this. But hopefully I do. I've heard ppl rock back and forth because of not being held enough as a baby. I find myself very sluggish in the morning and hyper later in the day.

My brother does that.