Let Your Pet Share Your Bed—You Might Just Sleep Better

This next bit of info may result in a sharp decline of pet bed sales while simultaneously improving the sleep quality of animal-loving humans everywhere.  A study conducted by cpap.com on the effects of sleeping with animals found that a majority of humans share their beds with pets. Apparently, co-sleeping with a furry friend goes a lot further than having a warm body to snuggle next to: respondents who snoozed alongside their pets reported experiencing a better quality of sleep than when they went to bed solo. 

To gather these pet-related demographics, Cpap surveyed 1,002 people. The report found that “66 percent of people who slept with a pet were satisfied with their sleep, compared to 57 percent of people who didn’t sleep with a pet.” As for those who reported sleeping well, 59 percent sleep with their pet compared to the 52 percent who do not. Furthermore, 45 percent of the pet-free respondents without pets said they’d be willing to share their bed with a pet.

And because we can’t talk pets without inadvertently sparking a debate between cat and dog lovers, there are also stats on which animal owners reported better sleep.

As Cpap explains:

“Cuddling with your pets at night may be just as much of a cure as it is cute: The majority of people sleeping with their pets slept better (or the same) than they would if they didn’t share a bed with their pet. Less than a quarter of pet owners believed sleeping with their pets made them sleep worse. What’s more, those sharing their bed with a dog slept better than those sharing their bed with a cat.”

These findings are in line with a prior study conducted by researchers at Canisus College that showed that women sleep better with dogs. However, Cpap results revealed that people are more likely to feel loved when snoozing next to a cat than a dog. 

Here’s where things get even hairier: If asked to choose, 31 percent of respondents who sleep with both their partner and a pet would pick their pet. 

Basically, even if you don’t own a pet, chances are that you’re willing to give co-sleeping with your hypothetical pet a chance. The pet power is real! The next time insomnia strikes, shove those pillows aside and make room for the only sleep supplement that makes you feel drowsy and loved.