This disorder involves head-banging, head-rolling, body-rocking, body-rolling, or other repetitive movements of the head and neck during sleep. It typically occurs immediately prior to sleep onset and is sustained into light sleep (Stages 1 and 2). RMD may also last into the deep sleep stages. RMD usually develops in infants at nine months of age and disappears by the age of ten years; if it persists, it is often associated with autism and mental impairment. Some adults also suffer from this disorder. Benzodiazepines, tranquilizers, and tricyclic antidepressants are usually prescribed by conventional physicians for persistent, severe forms of this sleep disorder.
