Summer time, and the living is easy… The German Shepherd puppy in this video is rocking gently on a porch swing in the yard, back and forth, back and forth, until the gentle motion lulls him into an afternoon nap. Even though this video is less than a minute, that’s all it takes for the puppy start dozing off.
Parents have rocked babies to sleep either in a rocking chair or in their arms. So does this rocking motion work on others too? Including dogs and adults? Most dogs don’t have trouble getting to sleep, however, some people do need some help. Curious about the effect of rocking motion on sleep, I read an article that Dr. Michael Breus wrote in the Huffington Post about an experiment done on this very topic at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Does rocking helps us fall asleep?
The purpose of the experiment was to find out the effects of rocking on sleep. They took a dozen of adult males between the ages of 22 and 38. The subjects were all good sleepers, no sleep disorders, and well rested at the time of the experiment. Special beds were created that mimicked the rocking of a hammock.
The subjects took 2 naps, both 45 minutes long. While they slept, the subjects’ brain activities were measured with an EEG. In one session, the subjects slept to the rocking motion. In another, the same subjects slept without the rocking motion. Every participant fell asleep faster in the rocking motion.
Their brain activity indicate more restful, deeper, and continuous sleep. During the sleep session with the rocking motion, all of the subjects moved faster from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of the sleep cycle. Researchers of this experiment suggest that a rocking motion can help us to fall asleep faster, and possibly have longer period of deep, uninterrupted sleep. You can read more about this experiment here. Enjoy watching this German Shepherd puppy being affected by rocking motion on the porch swing.
Article source: Dr. Michael Breus on Huffington Post
