It’s obvious that getting enough sleep is super important for our health. That’s why a lot of scientists are looking into how to improve our sleep quality. But instead of drinking chamomile tea or doing some meditation before hitting the hay, new research shows that women actually sleep better when they have dogs by their side. Canisius College in New York State did a study that discovered dogs are better sleep buddies than both humans and cats.
Dr. Christy Hoffman, an animal behaviorist and the main researcher of the study, said, “We found that women often think dogs are better bed partners than cats and human partners, and they say their dogs help them sleep better.”
Research Finds that Women Sleep Better Next to Dogs
Hoffman conducted a survey with nearly one thousand women in the United States to gather these results. The findings revealed that 55% of the women slept with at least one dog, and 31% shared their bed with at least one cat. Additionally, 57% of the participants had a human partner in bed, while the others did not.
Hoffman also found out why dogs might be the best buddies to sleep with. One reason is that dogs’ sleep habits are more similar to humans’ compared to cats.
Hoffman explained, “It’s not surprising that dogs and cats are different in this way because dogs usually sleep at times that match up better with humans than cats do.”
Even though there are some advantages to these similar sleep patterns, more studies are needed to understand it fully. However, Hoffman has some theories about how this might work.
She mentioned that dogs might be better at fitting into their owner’s sleep patterns compared to human partners. “It’s pretty normal for people who share a bed to have different bedtimes and wake-up times,” she explained. “These differences can really mess with sleep. Dogs, on the other hand, might adjust to their owner’s schedule more easily than people do.”
Additionally, dogs need specific routines, like going for a walk in the morning. This kind of schedule helps their owners stick to a routine, which can lead to better sleep overall.
Stillness and Security
Dogs usually sleep in a stiff position. If you’ve ever shared a bed with someone who moves around a lot, you know how annoying that can be. But in a study, women said their dogs stayed on the bed most of the night, while cats would come and go.
This means that cats might be more likely to disturb their owners by hopping on and off the bed during the night. The study also showed that dog owners usually have more regular sleep schedules compared to cat owners. They tend to go to bed and wake up earlier than those who own cats, according to Hoffman.
The third and most important point is that dogs make their owners feel safer. They provide more security than cats or even human partners.
Hoffman explained that some dog owners find comfort in knowing their dog will bark if there’s an intruder or an emergency. A dog’s bark can scare off a potential intruder, while a cat is less likely to take on that protective role, which means they might not offer the same sense of safety as dogs do.
The Best Partner for Quality Sleep
The study suggests that dogs might be great sleeping companions, but their benefits can vary from person to person. For instance, some dogs might snore or make the bed too warm. Plus, many pet owners say that their cats actually help them sleep better.
It’s important to remember that the research focused on how people feel their pets affect their sleep quality and how long they sleep. This means we need more objective studies to really decide if dogs are the best sleep partners. Hoffman thinks these studies are important since lots of American families have pets.
She mentioned, “It will be valuable to continue this line of research so we can develop a clearer picture of the contexts under which pets and their presence in their owner’s bed may positively impact sleep quality, and the contexts under which co-sleeping with a pet may be detrimental to one’s sleep quality.”
Interestingly, some research has found that women might sleep better alone than with another person, even though many people think the opposite is true. Future studies could use devices like Fitbits to track how well people sleep in different situations.