Here ’s Why Sleeping With Your Dog Is Actually Good For You

Good news, dog lovers: Letting your four-legged friend into the bedroom does not worsen your sleep, according to a new Mayo Clinic study—and it may actually help you rest easier. But before you cuddle up too close, know this: Researchers still caution against snoozing in the same bed. The study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, included 40 adults, all of whom slept with a dog either in their bed or elsewhere in their bedroom. Both humans and canines wore motion-tracking devices for seven nights, and humans answered questions about their quality of sleep and where their dogs spent the night. The researchers found that having a dog in the bedroom did not necessarily compromise sleep quality, as had previously been suspected. On average, people with dogs in their rooms (but not on their beds) maintained 83% sleep efficiency—a comparison of time spent asleep to total time in bed. (80% is generally considered satisfactory.) Sleeping with a dog in the bed, however, was linked to a slightly lower sleep efficiency: an average of around 80%. Though that is considered a satisfactory score, people with dogs in their beds woke up more throughout the night than those whose dogs slept elsewhere. Human sleep companions, on the other hand, did not cause similar disturbances. Those who slept two-in-a-bed had better sleep efficiency than those who slept alone. “Presumably, humans accommodate the needs of their bed partner in an effort to promote sleep in a manner that ...
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