According to a new study published this month, women sleep better next to dogs than their human partners.
Dr. Christy L. Hoffman, a professor in the Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation division at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, and a group of specialists looked to investigate the effects that pets have on human sleep quality. They overviewed 962 adult women in the United States and found that 55 percent of members imparted their beds to something like one pooch and 31 percent shared their beds to somewhere around one cat.
The study found 57 percent of the women shared the bed with a human partner. Dogs were less likely to wake their owners in the middle of the night than cats and humans, results revealed.
Scientists discovered:
- 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.
Scientists noted, “Dog ownership and its associated responsibilities may cause individuals to adhere to a stricter routine. Keeping to a consistent sleep schedule may be beneficial to dog owners.”
The results of the study are published in the journal Anthrozoos.