Can You Really Get a Good Night’s Sleep with Fido in Your Room?
Short answer…Yes. You can get a great night’s sleep with your dog in your room! According to a recent article published by the Center for Sleep Medicine on the Mayo Clinic’s Arizona campus, having a dog in your room while you sleep is not disruptive.
The clinical study included 40 healthy adults (no sleep health issues present), along with their pet dogs, who slept with their pet in either in their bed OR somewhere else in the bedroom. The study lasted 5 months and participants were evaluated with activity trackers on both the people and their pets. Sleep habits were monitored closely for disruptions of sleep pattern.
“Most people assume having pets in the bedroom is a disruption,” stated Lois Krahn, MD, a sleep medicine specialist at the Center for Sleep Medicine and an author of the study. “We found that many people actually find comfort and a sense of security from sleeping with their pets.”
According to the study, sleeping with pet dogs in your bedroom does indeed help a lot of pet owners sleep better, the size of your pet did not come into play on the results. The factor that did make a difference, according to study results, is if you allow your pet to sleep in the bed with you. Allowing your pet to sleep in bed with you causes disruption and will cause a sacrifice in sleep quality. Another factor you may want to consider is the Center for Disease Control recommends keeping your pets out of bed, finding that allergens and bacteria may be presented on the sleep surface.
Moral? Fido won’t hurt your sleep, and may even HELP your sleep in your bedroom, but keep him off the bed just for safety’s sake!
About the author:
Javier is the owner of the Sleep Well, a professionally trained sleep store, specializing in specific mattresses for specific needs. He lives to give. He is an active member of his community and church. His hard work and efforts pay off for him when he can help others, and give to efforts for the betterment of others.
His spare time is spent with his beautiful wife, Gretchen. They are craft beer hobbyists who enjoy making their own beers, visiting small breweries, and making new friends. Their lives revolve around family, church, four great dogs and keeping up with their home in Alamogordo NM.
