Pets In The Bedroom May Help You Sleep Better

Could sleeping with a pet help you get better rest?

The Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona recently surveyed 150 patients-half of whom owned a pet. From the sample, 56 percent of the total patients let their pets sleep in their bedrooms or on their bedts at night, while 41 percent said that their pets didn't disturb their sleep and said they made their sleep more comfortable and relaxing.

"Many pet owners view companion animals as family members that they wish to incorporate into as many aspects of their life as possible.Because humans spend considerable time sleeping, a pet owner's desire to have animals close at night is understandable," the study authors wrote. "Some participants in this study identified advantages to having a companion animal in the bedroom or even on the bed. Some respondents described feeling secure, content, and relaxed when their pet slept nearby. This appears to be especially true for single sleepers. The value of these experiences, although poorly understood, cannot be dismissed because sleep is dependent on a state of physical and mental relaxation."

Many men and women in the study who slept alone noted that they felt more secure with a pet by their side. However, the new research contradicts previous findings, suggesting that pets stay out of the bedroom so pet owners can get a better night's rest. A 2013 report by the same organization estimated that 10 percent of people with pets had disturbed sleep-which is up from 1 percent since 2001. However, this study also showed that those who had the most sleep issues when it came to pets in the room at night had multiple pets.

Of course, not all pets act the same, as well. The new findings also revealed that cats were more likely to roam around at night, while dogs were more likely to adopt to the sleep patterns of their owners.

For more information regarding the findings, click here. 

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