Not that you needed another reason to snuggle up with your pup, but a new study just found that sharing a bed with a dog gave women substantial emotional and sleep-related benefits, beyond just extra furry snuggles.
As reported by The New York Post, researchers at Canisius College conducted a study in which they interviewed 962 women living in the U.S about their nighttime sleep habits. Of these women 55 percent shared their bed with one or more dogs, 31 percent shared their bed with a cat, and 57 percent shared their bed with a human.
Women sleep better next to dogs than humans: study https://t.co/4BQFKF2nb6 pic.twitter.com/75N34QadCo
— New York Post (@nypost) November 27, 2018
Between all three of these potential bedtime companions, the study concluded that dogs were the least likely to disrupt their owners’ sleep. Cats and humans, meanwhile, were tied in their nighttime disruption.
According to CountryLiving, the study also found that for women sleeping with a dog in their bed also came with emotional side effects. Women reported feeling more secure and comfortable having a dog by their side at night, which makes sense considering that dogs’ barking can often alert their owner to potential danger in the home.
However, canines don’t just offer women more security than cats, they also scored better than human partners, a fact that took Professor Christy L. Hoffman by surprise.
“I had thought participants would have rated their dogs and human partners similarly in terms of the comfort and security they provide, but surprisingly, the women rated their dog bed partners as better sources of comfort and security than human partners,” she told The Huffington Post.
In addition to giving their owners better quality sleep, dog owners also had an earlier sleep schedule. The researchers attributed this schedule in part to the responsibility that comes with taking care of a dog.
Hoffman said, “Dog owners have to adjust to their dogs’ needs to the toilet each morning, and this helps keep dog owners on a relatively strict wake-up routine.”
When we consider how important sleep is in every aspect of a person’s life, we got to give it to the canines.
Dogs: One. Cats & Humans: Zero.