The value pets hold in the lives of their humans cannot be denied with research showing 1 in 4 of the population consider their pets as their children and refer to them as “my son”, “my daughter", and even “my baby” (Arthurs et al., 2018). In 2023 South Korea saw the rate of pet strollers bought exceed the rate of baby strollers bought (Matthews et al., 2024). From this it is not shocking to know that the approximately 56% of humans co-sleep with their pets (Hemming et al., 2018). Co-sleeping is not only initiated by the humans, it has been found that 86% of puppies prefer to cuddle up next to their human to rest (Deguzman et al., 2019). Despite the high preference for co-sleeping with animals in the population, there remains the question as to whether or not this is a good thing. Research is split.
Cons
Too close for comfort - Pets may take up more of the space in bed than you but we love them for it anyway. Love does not change the fact though that this can lead to discomfort and disruptions to sleep. To combat this, use an appropriate sized mattress to accommodate for your own body and the body of your four legged friend. However you could have the biggest mattress in the world and it won’t matter if you have a clingy pet who doesn’t understand the concept of personal space.
Easily awoken - Snoring is not limited to the human species which means your furry friend may disrupt your restful slumber. It may help to use ear plugs but they won’t really do much if your pet starts barking. It is known that dogs ears are extremely sensitive and that applies even when they are asleep. Because of this dogs are more easily awoken which can cause unpleasant sleep awakenings for humans too and falling asleep again may be another challenge in itself. Pets are more restless sleepers which can lead to unpleasant awakenings several times during the night.
Children - Just like humans dogs don’t like to be woken up and if they are woken up abruptly, they may get angry and go for a chomp or a scratch. This Is particularly relevant to children as animal bites are one of the most common reasons for a hospital visit. This could be due to kids having more trouble identifying signs of aggression in their pets, than adults.
Pros
A more pleasant sleep - Studies have shown that sleeping with pets can increase levels of oxytocin also known as the “love hormone” or “cuddle chemical”. This pleasant sounding outcome unsurprisingly leads to more pleasant reports of sleep. People who slept with dogs have reported longer durations of sleep and a smoother transition into it. This can be attributed to the physical touch of an animal bringing feelings of comfort, emotional security and safety which is similar to the feelings evoked when sleeping next to a partner.
More and more research is coming out on the benefits of humans and pets co-sleeping even for individuals with medical problems, sleep disorders and psychological challenges. People with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have reported decrease in nightmares when sleeping with a dog (Hughes et al., 2019). One reason is because the trained dog can identify when a person is having a nightmare and wake them up. The simple presence of a dog can also provide emotional support to people struggling with PTSD in comparison to being alone in bed with your thoughts, which can increase anticipation of a nightmare and therefore occurrence of one, as thinking of a nightmare heightens the likelihood of experiencing one. Older aged individuals who co-sleep with their pets have reported requiring less medicine intake than their no pet sleeping counterparts. Sleeping with pets has also been shown to reduce the primary stress hormone cortisol, helping people get a better nights rest (Enoria et al., 2021).
Heightened immunity - As pets get into all the nooks and crannies of the home, bacteria found in homes is significantly caused by the inhabiting animals. You might be thinking then, is it not gross to sleep with an animal that creates so much bacteria? Well, research hypothesises that exposure to this bacteria can actually strengthen the immune response of pet owners (Karlson et al., 2020). This could be of more benefit to strengthening the immune response of developing young children. However to answer the question, yes it can be gross and harmful to co-sleep with pets if they carry harmful levels of bacteria (obviously). This is especially relevant for individuals prone to allergies and sickness. In general it is a good idea to wash all fabric used on the bed regularly and wipe down your pet before you go to cuddle town.
Of course like humans everyone’s pet has a different personality and therefore there will be unique aspects to your pet that make sleeping with them a good or bad idea.
Louise Salindong