Jactatio Capitis Nocturnis

Jactatio capitis nocturnis (or nocturna), also known as head rolling, head banging, body rocking, and rhythmic movement disorder is the repeated side-to-side head movement of some children before falling asleep. This often occurs during the NREM stage of sleep. “Jactatio” is a Latin word which means restless head and body tossing. The other Latin words, “capitis” pertains to “head” and “nocturnis” means “night”.