Are you the 50% of people who have made the decision to sleep with your dog? Maybe you’re embarrassed to admit it? Or you’re too tired to even have another conversation, fight with your spouse about your furry friend taking up all the mattress. But in other cases your man’s best friend is just what you need to help with the stress and anxiety of the day to fall asleep faster. In your home your dog, your kids, your spouse or even the nosy neighbor will all have different opinions about sleeping with your dog. Sleep and pet experts both have different options of sleeping with your dog. Here are a few benefits and concerns of sleeping with your dog.
Benefits to sleeping with your dog
- It just feels good and helps me with my anxiety. This might be especially true if you are single or sleep alone or struggle with PTSD. Having your dog touch you, comfort you and calm you is what you need each night to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
- Your dog keeps you warm. If you live in a cold climate having your dog near you will keep you warm. It’s like having your own space heater laying on top of your mattress. You might even save some pennies in your next utility bill.
- Might reduce allergies and increase immunity later in life. Research found that in the first year of your life if you’re exposed to a pet you might have higher immunity and lower allergies later in life. Side note: beware of putting your dog in your newborn’s crib.
- I bet your dog likes it. Unless you’re the mean, floppy, tossing and turning sleeper than he/she might just want to sleep alone.
Why sleeping with your dog is bad
- You’re pro-marriage. Your spouse wants nothing to do with your dog. Maybe your spouse didn’t grow up with these amazing creatures and it starts to hurt your relationship. Come to think of it, we’re not sure when we’re getting intimate we like the idea of someone else, other than our spouse, staring at us or panting loudly. Yikes!
- Your doggie friend brings all sorts of dirt, allergens and mistakes into your bed and mattress. We try to in our house encourage our family to take off shoes before going upstairs or parts of the house that have carpet. We tell our kids its just like taking a broom and dust pan and scooping up the dirt from outside and tossing around the house. Now imagine all the places your furry friend has gone today on his run, hanging out with other buddies in the dog park or even the oopsie droppings he left on his back side. All that goodness is now laying next to you for 8 hours in your mattress. You never know the allergies you’re struggling with are because of what your dog brought in that day. Of the 250 diseases that have been passed from animals to humans, 100 of those diseases came from domestic animals. That means your pets could be carrying some nasty diseases like parasites and staph infections.
- It’s a hard habit to break for your dog. If you have a life change, bedroom change or relationship change and you’ve decided to ask Fido to go to his own bed you might find major resistance and behavior problems going forward with your dog.
Things to consider for you and your dog
- If you’re gonna okay your dog to sleep with you you must protect your mattress from the dirt, allergens and pet dander. Make EverProtect mattress protector a must for your mattress.
- Dogs sleep 12-14 hours a day. Where will they be sleeping when you’re not in bed with them? Consider EverPet natural dog beds to help with your dog’s comfort and their health. If you care about what you’re breathing while you sleep and do your best to eliminate chemicals in your mattress, pillows and sheets than do the same for your dog. EverPet beds are fill with natural latex and covered with an organic cotton liner. They are cool sleeping, soft and supportive for their joints, durable and easy to clean.
Ultimately the decision is up to your and the rhythms you have decided for your home, relationships and your dog. But what we are confident in is that these amazing creatures are awesome, they make us smile and we’re grateful for what they add to our life. Let’s make it our goal to help our dogs and us sleep well.
Sweet Dreams!