Cuddling Up With Your Dog At Night Actually Doesn’t Ruin Your Sleep, So Snuggle Away

Choosing to share your life with a canine companion often means you want them by your side as much as possible. After all, dogs have earned their reputation as “human’s best friends” for a reason, and many studies show that having a pet can be very good for your physical and mental well-being. While most people agree that long walks and evening pets are great, there has long been a debate about whether “cuddling up with your dog at night actually doesn’t ruin your sleep.”

Many pet owners worry that having a dog in the bedroom might lead to a restless night or bring too many outdoor germs into the sleeping area. However, recent research suggests that you might not need to feel guilty about letting your pup stay close while you drift off.

What the Science Says About Shared Sleep

It turns out that having your pooch in your bedroom is not necessarily a bad thing. A 2017 study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal looked into this exact topic. The researchers followed 40 healthy adults over the course of a week to see how their dogs influenced their rest. Some of these participants had their dogs right in the bed, while others had the dog sleeping somewhere else in the room.

To get accurate results, both the humans and their dogs wore special motion-tracking devices. The participants also answered detailed questions about how well they felt they slept each night. The findings were quite encouraging for pet lovers. The study concluded that “sleeping with your dog in your bedroom may not be as disruptive as some people suggest.”

Understanding Sleep Efficiency

A key part of this study involved measuring “sleep efficiency.” This term refers to the ratio of time you spend actually sleeping compared to the total time you spend in bed. Experts generally suggest that a sleep efficiency of 80 percent is a sign of a good night of rest.

The study found that people with a dog in the room maintained an average sleep efficiency of 83 percent. Interestingly, the dog’s exact location did make a small difference. When the dog was actually on the bed, the efficiency score dropped by about 3 percent. Even with that slight dip, the quality of rest remained within a healthy range for most people.

Common Sleeping Habits for Pet Owners

Many people already follow their hearts when it comes to bedtime. In a 2015 survey by the American Kennel Club, about 45 percent of dog owners reported “cuddling with their canines during bedtime.” This was the most popular choice among those surveyed.

To put that in perspective, other sleeping arrangements were much less common:

• 20 percent of dogs sleep in a crate.

• 17 percent use their own specific dog bed.

• 14 percent sleep in various other spots around the house.

• Only 4 percent of dogs sleep in an outdoor shelter.

Finding What Works for You

Ultimately, the decision of where your pet spends the night is a personal one. As Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA wrote in an article for Whole Dog Journal, “where your dog sleeps is really nobody’s business but your own.” The most important thing is to consider your own comfort and how your dog’s behavior might affect your sleep cycles.

If you decide that sharing a bed is the right move, there are ways to make it work smoothly. Training is key to ensuring everyone has enough space. For instance, Miller suggests making sure your dog understands basic commands, such as knowing what “off” means, so you can manage the space on the mattress.

Whether your dog sleeps at the foot of your bed or in their own cozy corner of the room, the goal is for everyone to wake up feeling refreshed. And as many owners will tell you, it is very hard to say no to those sweet puppy eyes when the lights go out.