Pets are known to have an overall positive impact on the mental and physical health of their owners. For example, one recent study found that older dog and cat owners even slowed down the aging process of their brains. This is a great reason to get yourself a four-legged pet. The only thing is that you should not sleep in the same room with him, at least with dogs, as this will negatively affect the quality of sleep and may even cause insomnia. This conclusion was reached by a group of researchers from the USA who conducted a large-scale study involving one and a half thousand volunteers.
Scientists do not recommend sleeping in the same room, especially in the same bed with a dog
How do pets affect human sleep
In their study, scientists used a sample of more than 1,500 adults. All Volunteers filled out a questionnaire in which they indicated their sleep habits and quality of sleep. About half of people reported sleeping in the same room as their pet at least part of the night.
The scientists then compared the profiles of people who did not sleep with pets and those who did. The results showed that people who co-sleep with pets have poorer sleep quality and are more likely to report insomnia symptoms. Moreover, these results are not affected by demographic differences between people.
Then the authors of the work paid more attention to the type of pet, and found that dogs have a negative effect on sleep. As for sleeping with cats, scientists have not found any side effects. But, most interestingly, 93% of respondents who slept in the same room with their pets, regardless of their type, did not associate their sleep problems with the animal.
Cats, unlike dogs, do not affect their owners’ sleep
< p>Volunteers were confident that their pets had a positive effect, or no effect at all on sleep. The authors report this in the journal Scientific Reports. It must be said that some other studies also suggest that sleeping with pets can have negative consequences.
From this we can conclude that most people are not aware that their pet has a negative effect on them. Moreover, most likely, the negative impact also affected health in general, since poor sleep leads to disorder of the entire body, accelerated aging and even increases the risk of death by 50%. However, to draw final conclusions, additional research is needed.
Why dogs negatively affect sleep
Unfortunately, the study does not say anything about why dogs negatively affect human sleep. However, scientists suggest that the additional noise and heat emanating from the animal is to blame. Even just the movement of a dog can disrupt a person's sleep. Let's remember that recent research suggests that noise has a much stronger effect on sleep than previously thought. Therefore, scientists do not recommend sleeping with an open window.
A dog creates noise and discomfort at night, which interferes with normal sleep
However, most pet owners say their pets have a positive impact on mental health. As mentioned above, research has shown that older pet owners have slower brain aging. But how to correlate both of these conclusions?
First of all, we note that not all pet owners sleep in the same room with their pets. In addition, in addition to the negative consequences of owning dogs, there are also positive ones. For example, they force their owners to be more active – they have to walk them, play with them, etc.
What to do if you are used to sleeping in the same room with a dog
What should people do who are used to sleeping in the same bedroom with their dog or even putting him on their bed? Most likely, most people are unlikely to agree to simply give up this habit. In addition, this can lead to stress, especially if the person is lonely.
It is necessary to provide comfortable conditions in the bedroom
Therefore, experts recommend simply leveling negative consequences of co-sleeping as much as possible. For example, it is necessary to ensure the optimal temperature in the bedroom as much as possible. It is also equally important to ensure a constant sleep schedule.
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If an animal sleeps on a bed with a person, it is necessary to ensure regular washing and changing of bed linen. In addition, the bed itself should be spacious enough. If we are talking about sleeping in the same bedroom, the dog should be placed away from the bed. In this case, having a pet in your bedroom will not affect your sleep.