Getting a good night’s sleep is important for your health. Researchers are looking into the best ways to improve sleep quality. Instead of chamomile tea or meditation, a recent study suggests that women sleep better when next to dogs. Canisius College in New York found that dogs make better sleeping companions than humans or cats.
According to the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Christy Hoffman, women often consider dogs to be better bed partners than both cats and humans. They also claim that having a dog improves the quality of their sleep.
Research has discovered that women experience better sleep when they are next to dogs.
Hoffman conducted a survey of nearly 1,000 women residing in the United States to obtain these results. The findings revealed that 55% of the participants slept with at least one dog, and 31% slept with at least one cat. Additionally, 57% of these women shared their bed with a human partner, while the remaining did not.
Hoffman also found out the reason behind dogs being great bed companions. One reason is that dogs’ sleeping patterns are more similar to humans compared to cats.
Hoffman stated that dogs and cats have different sleep patterns, with dogs aligning more closely with humans than cats.
Although there are potential advantages to having similar sleeping patterns, further research is required to confirm. Hoffman has some theories on how this might be possible.
Dogs may be more flexible in adjusting to their owner’s sleep schedule than human bed partners. Human bed partners often have different sleep and wake times, which can disrupt sleep. Dogs may adapt more easily to their owner’s schedule.
Additionally, dogs need specific routines and obligations, like a morning stroll. This type of schedule assists their owners in establishing a daily routine, leading to better sleep quality.
Stillness and Security
Moreover, dogs often remain rigid while sleeping. Those who have shared a bed with a restless partner understand the disturbance they can cause. Nevertheless, the study revealed that women reported their dogs staying on the bed throughout the night, unlike cats who tended to come and go.
Hoffman mentioned that cats are more prone to causing disturbances by moving on and off the bed at night compared to dogs. Moreover, the study revealed that dog owners follow more consistent bedtime and wake time routines than cat owners, and they also tend to go to bed and wake up earlier than cat owners.
Reason number three is the most crucial one: Dogs offer a strong sense of security to their owners. This is even more evident when compared to cats or even human partners.
Hoffman mentioned that dog owners might feel reassured knowing their dog can alert them in case of danger, as a dog’s bark can scare off intruders. Cats are less likely to do this, so they may not offer the same sense of security as dogs do.
The Best Partner for Quality Sleep
However, the study indicates that dogs make great sleep companions, but the advantages vary from case to case. For instance, some dogs may snore or make the bed uncomfortably warm. Moreover, there are numerous owners who find that their cats also contribute to a good night’s sleep.
Remember, the study focused on how volunteers view their pets’ impact on their sleep quality and duration. To truly determine if dogs are the best sleeping companions, more unbiased research is necessary. Despite this, Hoffman thinks these studies could be helpful since a lot of American families own pets.
She mentioned that it would be beneficial to pursue this research further in order to gain a better understanding of the situations in which having pets in their owner’s bed can improve sleep quality, as well as the situations in which sharing a bed with a pet may negatively affect sleep quality.
For instance, research has also shown that women sleep better while alone than with a human, but many believe in the opposite. Future research could use Fitbit-like devices to objectively track the sleep quality of people in different sleeping conditions.