Do you sleep with animals?
No, I'm not talking about people who, you know, do crazy, crazy things in bed.
I'm talking about real animals: dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and maybe (bear with me) Vietnamese potbellied pigs.
opinion columnist
Robin Abcarian
Every few years, new research reveals that co-sleeping between humans and animals is a) medically complicated; b) emotionally satisfying; or c) a confirmation of your mother's fears that she will never have grandchildren, because what man in her right mind is going to share a bed with you and your damn Bernedoodle?
As someone who has always had issues with my pets' boundaries, it never occurred to me No to allow them into my bed. My Poppy is an almost 3-year-old golden retriever, and when I tell you that I sleep with her what I really mean is that she deigns to sleep with me.
Most nights it starts on the hardwood floor and ends at the foot of my bed. Sometimes in the morning I roll over so my head is at the foot of the bed and try to give him a spoon. At 80 pounds, he's a solid, satisfying creature to hold. She only tolerates this contact as long as she rubs her belly. Otherwise, like my ex-husband, she is not very cuddly.
However, I sleep better knowing Poppy is around. Her bark warns me of squirrels playing outside and malicious tree branches brushing against my windows during a storm. If an intruder ever came in at night, Poppy's enthusiastic greeting and her habit of rolling onto her back to demand her belly rubs could trip her up and give me a few minutes to call 911.
It's surprising how much time has been spent studying what happens when humans sleep with pets.
Two main areas attract researchers' interest: the medical risks involved in bringing a four-legged creature to bed and the effect this practice has on our sleep.
Medical disadvantages can be considerable, although rare.
Pets can bring dust and pollen into the bed, which can aggravate allergies and asthma. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a disturbing article, “Zoonoses in the Bedroom,” written by two California doctors who examined the medical literature. (Zoonoses are diseases that animals transmit to people). They compiled a medical encyclopedia of nasty pathogens that have infected people, albeit rarely.
What I learned from reading this disturbing article is that it's probably best not to let your pets lick your mouth or any tears in your skin. But in general, at least in the US, sleeping with pets won't make you sick as long as your pet is healthy, clean, and properly treated for fleas and ticks.
As far as I know, no one has studied whether it is dangerous for pets to sleep with humans. But I can tell you from experience that things didn't go well for the little guinea pig that my little sister brought to her bed and rolled around while she slept when we were kids.
As for the impact on sleep quality, there is too much research to digest and much of it is contradictory.
In the 2011 paper “Co-Sleeping Human-Animal: An Actigraphy-Based Assessment of Dogs' Impacts on Women's Nighttime Movements,” researchers found that when dogs move in bed, they cause people to move in bed , but that people “rarely” reported that their dogs interrupted their sleep.
In 2021, researchers at the Pediatric Public Health Psychology Laboratory at Concordia University in Montreal found that approximately one-third of pet-owning children sleep with their pets and that children's sleep does not appear to be negatively affected.
The same year a variation on that theme was explored in Australia, where researchers looked at the sleep quality of teenagers who sleep with their pets and found that pets didn't have much of an effect because teenagers generally don't sleep well in the first few hours. place.
Last year, the scientific clearinghouse that publishes the journal Human-Animal Interactions published the results of a US study examining whether there was a correlation between pet ownership, sleep quality and sleep disorders. Multivariable logistic regression models (ahem) looked at sleep quality problems, including snoring, snorting, trouble falling or staying asleep, waking up in the middle of sleep or too early, feeling restless, and leg cramps and jerks, among other things.
“Our results,” the researchers wrote, “indicated that dog ownership was associated with increased odds of having a sleep disorder and sleep problems. “Owning a cat was associated with increased odds of leg shaking.” (I reached out to one of the authors of that article to get some clarity on “leg pulls,” but did not hear back by deadline.)
A few years ago, when I still had two cats, I don't remember my legs shaking while I slept. I do remember, however, that Camille would often stand on my chest watching me like a malevolent vulture while I slept, and Patches would often snuggle into my pillow and lick my hair.
Some professionals recommend keeping pets out of the bedroom at night. Are they serious? Simply try leaving your codependent pet outside at night. Look how well you sleep with a furry bundle howling in the hallway or lunging at your door.
