This condition commonly affects children and rarely persists into adolescence or adulthood. In many cases, no treatment is required.Learn about rhythmic movement disorder, including treatment options to keep your child safe.
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Rhythmic movement disorder (RMD) may be observed in young children during the period just prior to or during sleep. During this period, an affected child may rock or move part of the body in a rhythmic manner. This may involve the arm, hand, head, or trunk. Other behaviors such as head banging or rolling may be observed.
Although these movements may be relatively mild and constitute a form of self-soothing to ease into sleep, they can also be more extreme. More violent movements can occur and injuries may even result.
The condition is sometimes referred to asjactatio capitis nocturnaorrhythmie du sommeil, which refer to the original descriptions of the condition from 1905.
Children with a rhythmic movement disorder may develop the condition before the age of 3 years. In most cases, the symptoms fade away as the child becomes older. Of those who develop the condition, only about 5% continue to have symptoms at 5 years of age.It rarely persists into adulthood.
RMD typically occurs early during the sleep-onset period, most commonly during light or non-REM sleep. The movements typically diminish during stage 2 of sleep. It may also occur during REM, however, which might make it difficult to distinguish fromREM behavior disorder.
There are a number of other conditions that are associated with RMD. These include:
The presence of the movement does not necessarily mean that the child is likely to develop any other disorders.
Diagnosis
Many parents may recognize the movements in their children. Talk with your pediatrician about your observations and getting a more thorough sleep history. There are a few other conditions that might mimic RMD, and these may require distinct treatments.
Uncontrolled movements of part of the body may occur as part of a nocturnal seizure. Contractures of muscles often called dystonia, may also appear similar to rhythmic movement disorder. There are certain sleep disorders in children that might involve movements, includingparasomniasandconfusional arousals. In addition, other behavioral problems may manifest with symptoms similar to RMD.
Some medications may also cause excessive movements during the period surrounding sleep and these should be considered. If your child takes medications to treat allergies, vomiting, and certain psychiatric conditions (including antidepressants and neuroleptics), these may be implicated as a possible cause. In these cases, stopping the medication after discussing it with your pediatrician may relieve the movements.
Your pediatrician may suggest a few tests to differentiate the cause of the movements. A routineelectroencephalogram (EEG)may be performed. This test measures the electrical activity of the brain. Sleep may also be formally studied with an overnight sleep study (polysomnogram) that may include the EEG as part of it.
RMD Treatment Options
There are steps that can be taken to minimize the chance of your child harming herself during these movements.
First, it is important to maintain a regular sleep schedule and observebetter sleep guidelinesfor children. These steps will ensure quality sleep and prevent exacerbating factors such as sleep deprivation.
When the movements are more extreme or violent, resulting in self-injury, it may be necessary to take certain safety precautions. It may be necessary to move the mattress onto the floor away from the bedroom walls or other objects. Some children with severe headbanging sleep in a protective helmet.
In some instances, sedating medications may be used to minimize the movements. As an example, the medication clonazepam, which is often used to treat anxiety, has been used. Some people may be responsive tomelatonin, which can help you naturally control your sleep cycle. Other relaxation techniques have also been reported to be effective.
If you notice your child having uncontrolled movements during sleep, check with your pediatrician to discuss if further evaluation is necessary.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gwyther ARM, Walters AS, Hill CM.Rhythmic movement disorder in childhood: An integrative review.Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2017;35:62-75. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.08.003Sleep Foundation.Rhythmic movement disorder.Kohyama J, Takano T.A boy infant with sleep related rhythmic movement disorder showing arm banging.Sleep Science. 2014;7(3):181-183. doi:10.1016/j.slsci.2014.09.014Sleep Foundation.Sleep-related movement disorders.Duma SR, Fung VS.Drug-induced movement disorders.Aust Prescr. 2019;42(2):56. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2019.014Vaughn BV.Approach to abnormal movements and behaviors during sleep. UpToDate.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gwyther ARM, Walters AS, Hill CM.Rhythmic movement disorder in childhood: An integrative review.Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2017;35:62-75. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.08.003Sleep Foundation.Rhythmic movement disorder.Kohyama J, Takano T.A boy infant with sleep related rhythmic movement disorder showing arm banging.Sleep Science. 2014;7(3):181-183. doi:10.1016/j.slsci.2014.09.014Sleep Foundation.Sleep-related movement disorders.Duma SR, Fung VS.Drug-induced movement disorders.Aust Prescr. 2019;42(2):56. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2019.014Vaughn BV.Approach to abnormal movements and behaviors during sleep. UpToDate.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Gwyther ARM, Walters AS, Hill CM.Rhythmic movement disorder in childhood: An integrative review.Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2017;35:62-75. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.08.003Sleep Foundation.Rhythmic movement disorder.Kohyama J, Takano T.A boy infant with sleep related rhythmic movement disorder showing arm banging.Sleep Science. 2014;7(3):181-183. doi:10.1016/j.slsci.2014.09.014Sleep Foundation.Sleep-related movement disorders.Duma SR, Fung VS.Drug-induced movement disorders.Aust Prescr. 2019;42(2):56. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2019.014Vaughn BV.Approach to abnormal movements and behaviors during sleep. UpToDate.
Gwyther ARM, Walters AS, Hill CM.Rhythmic movement disorder in childhood: An integrative review.Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2017;35:62-75. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.08.003
Sleep Foundation.Rhythmic movement disorder.
Kohyama J, Takano T.A boy infant with sleep related rhythmic movement disorder showing arm banging.Sleep Science. 2014;7(3):181-183. doi:10.1016/j.slsci.2014.09.014
Sleep Foundation.Sleep-related movement disorders.
Duma SR, Fung VS.Drug-induced movement disorders.Aust Prescr. 2019;42(2):56. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2019.014
Vaughn BV.Approach to abnormal movements and behaviors during sleep. UpToDate.
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