Pets in the Bed: Are they Disrupting Your Sleep? | SleepTracker: Blog

Image Source: Pawnation

In honor of National Pet Day, we wanted to look at a common pet debate: Should pets sleep in bed with you? The fluffy, cuddliness of dogs and cats makes it easy to let them snuggle in at night. However, if you?re looking to get a good night?s rest, letting your pet sleep in the bed might be a bad idea.

The Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center surveyed 300 patients with sleep problems. Turns out, about 25 percent of insomniacs could have sleep issues because of their pets. Pawnation reviews some of the findings:

?John Shepard, MD, the center?s medical director, found that more than half owned pets, and of those, nearly 60% slept with their pets in the bedroom. Overall, 53% of pet owners felt their sleep was disrupted to some extent every night.?

Typically, if a dog or cat is sleeping in the bedroom, it?s sleeping in the bed with you. So what can you do to wake up well-rested if you?re a pet owner? Here are a few ideas from our pet-owning friends:

1. Reduce trips for potty breaks. A healthy dog should be able to wait until morning to be let out. Take away the water bowl a few hours before bedtime, and take your doggy out just before you head to bed.
2. Introduce white noise. A fan or radio static will disguise a pet?s night noises?leading to fewer interruptions in your sleep.
3. Switch to a crate. A big, comfortably crate with a cozy blanket is a great place for a pet to sleep. Training your fuzzy friend to sleep in one can help you get a healthy night?s sleep.

Having a pet is good for your health, so make sure you?re not letting them do you wrong by keeping you up at night!

Do you sleep with a pet? Do you have tips to share for getting a good night?s sleep? Share them with us on Twitter!

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