"'Cricketing' resembles cricket behavior! When you're relaxed in bed, rub your legs together like a cricket "Mike Bohl, MD, MPH, ALM, a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach on our Medical Expert Board, advises.
"It's not strictly a medical term but is commonly used to describe the practice," he says. Cricketing can be conscious or unconscious, and some people use it as self-stimulation, or'stimming.'"
Stimming's predictable, repeated nature helps relax your body. Dr. Bohl says chronic leg rubbing might distract you from more startling stimulus. "Stimming is sometimes more common in neurodivergent conditions," he says.
"Stimming can also benefit the body through physical touch (it can be relaxing to rub one part of the body against another) and hormones like oxytocin."
Fortunately, Dr. Bohl explains that there are no drawbacks to cricketing oneself to sleep.
However, he cautions, "if the movement bothers you and you can't seem to control your urge to do it, you may have a different problem going on, such as restless leg syndrome." A healthcare provider should be consulted about this kind of problem.