After a long day of work, most people look forward to getting home to spend the rest of the day with their dog and have a good and relaxing sleep. This bond between dog owners and their pets even extends to the bedroom where pet owners open their beds to their furry buddies to share a good sleep. But, is it really a good idea to sleep with your dogs?
To give you the short answer, yes. Generally speaking, sharing a bed with your dog allows you and your dog to have a stronger bond and deeper trust. In fact, research suggests that sharing a bed with your dog has a positive effect on your physical and mental health.
For example, sleeping with your dog can increase the level of comfort and security. This is highly beneficial for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who often experience nightmares. Having a snuggly companion can help them feel safe and secure.
Before you ask your dog to jump on the bed, let’s first talk about how to do it right so you can have one of the best sleep of your life.
What should you consider first..
The ongoing debate on whether it’s okay to share a bed with your dog has been going on for years. While most simply argue about the sleep quality of co-sleeping with dogs, there are more things pet owners should look out for as well.
Allergies
Health and Hygiene
Dogs are very active creatures that like to run and jump around, especially outdoors playing with other dogs. This is where health and hygiene concerns come into play. When sharing a bed with your dog make sure they are cleaned before jumping on the bed. To clean your dog before bed it is recommended to use a baby wipe or a pet wipe.
Sleeping pattern
Sleep quality is the most argued topic regarding the co-sleeping debate. This is because dogs are polyphasic sleepers (sleep and wake on average of 3 cycles per night time) while humans are monophasic sleepers (1 sleep cycle over a 24-hour cycle). Dogs are also very alert creatures and are easily woken up and reactive to subtle sounds at night.
To make sure that both you and your dog get a nice comfortable sleep, make sure your dog is well-behaved and accustomed to sleeping in bed and beside you. Otherwise, if your dog prefers to have its personal space you might want to consider providing your dog its own sleeping space instead.
Do it right and sleep tight.
Sleeping and sharing a bed with your dog has many pros and cons and this will mostly depend on how deep is your bond with your dog and your personal preference. If you are thinking of sharing a bed with your dog keep in mind that there can be drawbacks, especially during the first few nights.
Understanding the reason behind these drawbacks and dealing with them right can help you and your dog have a successful night of co-sleeping. Still, no one can deny that a few disturbances in your sleep are nothing compared to an all-night snuggling.
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