Does Sleeping With Your Pet Affect Your Sleep? What Research Says
Research suggests most people actually sleep more soundly with their pets in bed — co-sleeping helps you relax, provides companionship, and boosts your sense of security. For puppies and kittens, though, experts recommend sharing the room but not the bed until they outgrow infancy.
You've probably heard that a partner's snoring can affect your sleep — but what about your pet's? Plenty of everyday things influence how well we sleep, including sound, movement, light, temperature, and humidity, and any of them can have a noticeable impact on sleep quality.
New Research Overturns the Old Thinking
A survey by the world-renowned Mayo Clinic found that among 300 people with sleep disorders, many shared a bedroom or a bed with their pets. But that conclusion was later overturned by Advanced Sleep Medicine Services, Inc., a well-known California sleep medicine provider, whose research showed that even more people said sleeping with their pets actually helped them sleep more soundly and sweetly.
Three Benefits of Sharing Your Bed With a Pet
- Helps you relax and melt away stress
- Provides companionship and contentment (and you can keep each other warm in winter!)
- Boosts your sense of security
With the pressures of modern life, feeling insecure is more common than it used to be, and more and more people treat their pets like children — and who would ever complain that their own child is too noisy? Sometimes the sound of a fur baby snoring actually brings a smile to their owner's face as they drift off to sleep — it's a relationship of mutual trust and reliance. If you don't mind sharing the bed with your fur kid, co-sleeping seems to have plenty going for it! During the puppy or kitten stage, however, worrying about rolling over onto them can hurt your sleep quality — so experts suggest starting with the same room but separate beds, and letting them join you in bed once they've outgrown infancy.
FAQ
Does sleeping with a pet hurt your sleep quality?
An early Mayo Clinic survey found that many people with sleep disorders shared their bedroom or bed with pets, but later research from a well-known California sleep medicine provider overturned that conclusion — more people reported sleeping more soundly with their pets beside them.
What are the benefits of sharing a bed with your pet?
Three big ones: it helps you relax and relieve stress; it provides companionship and contentment — and you can even keep each other warm in winter; and it boosts your sense of security. For modern people who often feel insecure, it's a form of mutual trust and reliance.
Can puppies and kittens sleep in your bed?
During the puppy or kitten stage, owners may sleep poorly because they worry about rolling onto them. Experts suggest keeping young pets in the same room but in a separate bed, and sharing the bed only once they've outgrown infancy.