Is it normal to feel like the room is spinning when you close your eyes?

Ever since I was a kid I would occasionally have these moments right before bed when I would close my eyes and it felt like my eyes were zooming from left to right really fast and the room was spinning. No matter if I shook my head or opened my eyes, once I closed them it would start again. I would always have to get up and do something and eventually it would go away.

As I got older I found out about vertigo, and actually started having that happen when I would have a really long bender - but these were totally different (btw the vertigo was different from the 'spins' as well). So yeah, 3 different things, 2 I can understand, but 1 I have never been able to get. WebMD didn't have any ideas either (just said it was vertigo which I know it wasn't). Anyway... :P Just wondering if this is normal or if I have been secretly taken away in the night by ALiEnS!!!!