It turns out, our furry best friend might be our sleep enemy.
Lots of let their animals sleep on the bed with them, which usually . But many would say it鈥檚 worth it.
And researchers don't necessarily disagree.
Melissa Milanak, a professor at Medical University of South Carolina specializing in sleep health, said most people at her clinic say their pets disturb them often at night.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 say that hands down, it鈥檚 bad for every single person, but there is a lot out there saying it negatively impacts your sleep,鈥� she said.
Generally speaking, having a pet is . Pets have been shown to lower their humans' stress levels, get them to exercise and more. Many pet owners also say they feel an immeasurable amount of comfort by having their pets close as they sleep.
But dogs鈥� and cats鈥� natural sleep cycles aren't the same as those of humans.
Dogs tend to be light sleepers and wake up multiple times at night. Some display instinctual behavior like scratching at bedding, which can prevent deeper phases of sleep even if it doesn鈥檛 wake you up.
As many cat owners know, 鈥渢he zoomies鈥� often happen before they are ready to get out of bed. Cats evolved to hunt in low light, meaning they are particularly active at dusk and dawn.
Milanak also said such as pet dander and microbes brought into the house can affect owners鈥� breathing, preventing them from getting enough deep sleep.
Brian Chin, a professor of social and health psychology at Trinity College in 小蓝视频icut, said his research has found sleeping with pets was associated with poor sleep, 鈥減articularly those dimensions of sleep quality and insomnia symptoms.鈥� That鈥檚 even accounting for the fact that pet owners may be less inclined to report problems in a survey because they don鈥檛 believe their beloved pets cause problems.
鈥淚 hate to even admit that my cat disrupts my sleep at all,鈥� said Chin, who has one cat that keeps him awake and another that leaves him alone.
Moreover, a higher number of pets was associated with higher sleep disruption, he said.
What should you do about it?
It鈥檚 not as simple as telling pet owners that they shouldn鈥檛 share the bed, Milanak said. For a lot of people, it becomes part of their sleep routine, which makes it difficult to sleep without it because they have come to associate pets with sleep.
Because the topic is sensitive, Milanak asks new patients several questions before getting to whether they sleep with a pet. If they鈥檙e waking up multiple times a night, for example, they may not realize why. Once the association is made, she then asks whether they are open to not sleeping together.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like if I said to somebody, you need to stop smoking,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to give me all the reasons why they want to continue smoking.鈥�
The first, most obvious solution is putting a dog bed on the floor in the bedroom, or locking the cat out of the room at night. For those who insist on having the pet in bed with them, she advises washing the sheets more frequently and perhaps adjusting their sleep schedule to match their pet鈥檚 routine.
鈥淢aybe you need to go to bed earlier so you can get up earlier to accommodate the pet,鈥� she said.
If it ain鈥檛 broke, don鈥檛 fix it
Despite any problems, many pet owners feel that the bonding and emotional benefits outweigh minor sleep disruption.
Angela Wilson, who lives in Cobb County, Georgia, said she has bought a series of ever-more plush beds for her golden retriever, Sadie. But Sadie jumps into her bed anyway.
Then they usually sleep peacefully back to back.
鈥淧eople complain about their dogs waking them up, but she doesn鈥檛 wake me up,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 very gentle.鈥�
EDITOR鈥橲 NOTE: Albert Stumm writes about wellness, food and travel. Find his work at
Albert Stumm, The Associated Press
