Are pets good bed companions? The research is certainly mixed and there are a variety of reasons why sharing a bed with a pet can have psychological benefits, but it can also affect the quality of sleep.
Read more about how sharing a bed with a pet could be affecting your sleep and explore further the research Dr Browning has found to help us consider the pros and cons.
Is sleeping with a pet good for you?
The general consensus is that sleeping with a pet is not good for your sleep.
However, according to a historical Animal Friends Pet Insurance research almost half of British pet owners report bedsharing with their pet.
Their movements and noises are likely to disturb your sleep during the night. In fact, couples tend to sleep better when they sleep separately from each other, therefore, it follows sharing a bed with a pet would be similar.
Psychological benefits vs sleep quality
Despite the likely sleep disturbance, many pet owners, as reported in an Australian study suggested that the psychological benefits of co-sleeping and bed sharing outweigh any sleep disturbance caused. This means that people report that they tend to feel safer and happier if they sleep with a pet, such as a dog, even if they don’t get as high quality sleep.
A 2020 study in the journal Animal found that individuals physically moved more during the night when bed sharing with a pet. Although the women who had shared with a pet did not report poorer sleep quality than those who did not share a bed. However, the fact that they were moving so much more during the night suggests that their sleep may not have been as good quality.
Interestingly, in Sleep Health, a 2021 study of children who slept with pets found that their sleep was not negatively affected. It could be that this is because children’s sleep tends to be deeper than adults. They are then less disturbed by someone else’s movements and noises in the night. Importantly, however, do also consider the safety elements when weighing up whether to allow a child and an animal to share a room at night.
Pros and cons of sleeping with your pet
Although just under half of UK pet owners sleep with their dog or cat in their bedroom, there is mixed evidence to suggest whether bed sharing helps or hinders sleep.
Benefits of sleeping with a pet
- People who regularly share a bed with their pet report feeling more relaxed and secure than those who don’t bedshare.
- Women who share a bed with their pet don’t report feeling that their sleep is negatively affected, compared to men, even if objective measurements suggest that their sleep was disturbed.
- Bedsharing with a loved one (pet or partner) releases oxytocin (the love hormone) improving wellbeing.
- Your pet may be happier sleeping in your bedroom (one study showed 88% of puppies chose to sleep next to their human owners if allowed to do so).
- Children’s sleep seemed to be less disrupted by a pet when they slept in their room, although there are safety concerns to consider.
Risks of sleeping with a pet
- Even if people don’t report or think that their sleep has been disturbed, studies suggest that they move more in their sleep and take longer to fall asleep than those who don’t bedshare.
- Pets can have fleas, ticks and other dirt and diseases that can be shared with their human in the bed.
- Pets can trigger allergies from their hair and dander, which can cause breathing issues during the night if they share a bed with you.
- Pets are animals and it is never advisable to leave a child or baby alone with a pet in case they scratch or bite them.
Overall, even if people’s sleep is disturbed by sharing a bed with a pet, the psychological benefits may outweigh any disruption. As with human couples, people do tend to have improved sleep when they sleep separately, but they often choose to share a bed with their partner as they feel safer and happier sleeping with someone else.
Pets, hygiene, temperature and sleep
As well as the movement and noise disruption caused by bed sharing with a pet, there are hygiene and temperature consequences.
Sharing your bed with a pet, such as a large dog, can result in you getting too hot during the night, which would disrupt your sleep.
Also, there will be increased germs, dirt, hair and skin cells from the pet in the bed, meaning it is even more important to regularly wash your bedding if you are co-sleeping with a pet.
Finally, if you snore, remember this could also be caused by irritation caused by pet hairs and extra dust in the bed. If you sleep with a dog or cat in your room, you may be having an allergic reaction to them, causing congestion and, consequently, snoring.
Help with getting to sleep
You may choose to share a bed with a pet for a number of reasons – even if the quality of your sleep is being affected. Sleeping with a pet in the room (on the floor) but not on the bed itself may be a good compromise so that you feel the benefits of sleeping near your pet without it disturbing your sleep as much.
The comfort of a pet if you struggle with sleep can be understood. However, if you want help with your sleep issue, allowing you to get a goodnight’s sleep without the presence of a pet, please get in touch.