Well, would you look at that…
Women sleep better next to a dog than with a man, claims a new study.
Swap the snoring for paw-sitive vibes as Professor Dr Christy L Hoffman in the Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation department at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, and a team of researchers explored the impacts that pets have on our sleep quality.
The team surveyed 962 women in the US and found that 55% of participants shared their bed with at least one dog, with 31% sharing with a cat.
Additionally, 57% said they share the sheets with a human partner.
While Hoffman revealed that the study ‘did not show a strong relationship between pet ownership status or bedsharing conditions and sleep quality as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index’, it did in fact:
- Women who share their beds with a dog reported better, more restful sleep. They also said that their dogs were less disruptive than their human partners and were associated with stronger feelings of comfort and security.
- Participants reported that bed-sleeping cats are just as disruptive as human partners and were associated with weaker feelings of comfort and security than both dog and human partners.
- Dog owners went to bed and woke up earlier than people who only have cats.
Speaking to Broadly, Hoffman said that the ‘keyword here is perception, this [study is based on] individuals self-reporting how they feel their sleep is affected.’
“It’s important to note that this is based on aggregated data and an average of responses, so getting a dog won’t solve everyone’s sleep problems.”
She further added that individual quirks do factor into participants’ responses, such as some dogs snoring in their sleep.
A 2017 study by the Mayo Clinic found that those who slept with a dog had better sleep; however, Hoffman’s study recommends further research into the subject.
