Is sharing a bed with a cat or dog really dangerous? This is what a new study says…
According to a recent study published in the journal Human-Animal Interactions by CABI, owning a cat or a dog may result in more restless nights instead of peaceful sleep.
The study, led by Dr Lauren Wisnieski from Lincoln Memorial University, USA, analyzed pet ownership in the USA, drawing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2005-2006.
According to Dr. Wisnieski, who is an Assistant Professor of Public Health and Research and Affiliation, owning a dog increases the likelihood of experiencing a sleep disorder and difficulty sleeping. On the other hand, owning a cat is associated with a higher probability of experiencing leg jerks.
Although it wasn’t possible to determine a causal relationship between pet ownership and sleep quality/sleep disorders, the study’s findings are in line with previous research indicating that owning pets has an adverse effect on the quality of one’s sleep.
Lack of sleep, disrupted sleep patterns, and difficulty in falling asleep have been associated with heart disease, dementia, and overall poor health.
One study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that trouble falling asleep is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia.
According to another study published in BMC Medicine by researchers at the University of Sydney in collaboration with Southern Denmark University, poor sleep could lead to between two and seven years worth of heightened heart disease risk and even premature death.
And a recent study published in European Heart Journal says that getting less than five hours of sleep per night can significantly increase the risk of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD) by 74%, as compared to individuals who sleep for seven to eight hours a night.
According to experts in the field of cardiovascular health, getting adequate and restful sleep is crucial for maintaining optimal overall heart health.
According to Dr. Wisnieski, previous studies investigating the link between pet ownership and sleep quality/sleep disorders have yielded inconsistent results.
“On the one hand, dogs and cats may be beneficial for an owner’s quality of sleep due to the social support that pets provide – pets offer a sense of security and companionship, which may result in improvements in levels of anxiety, stress and depression. Yet on the other hand, pets may disrupt their owners’ sleep.”
To address this issue, a cross-sectional study was conducted with the aim of exploring the association between owning dogs and cats and sleep quality/sleep disorders, taking into account factors such as snoring, nighttime waking, dependency on sleeping pills, and leg jerks.
The study employed multivariable logistic regression models that considered various sleep quality factors, including feeling unrested, feeling sleepy, insufficient sleep, longer sleep onset latency, and getting less than six hours of sleep on average.
Dr. Wisnieski hypothesizes that the contrasting associations between pet ownership and sleep quality may be due to cats being more active during the night.
In addition, the study found that there were fewer discernible differences in sleep quality indicators between cat owners and non-cat owners compared to dog owners and non-dog owners.
Dr Wisnieski adds, “If the causal relationship is established through further investigation, the results will have implications for clinician recommendations for treating patients with poor sleep quality.
“Additionally, educational resources can be developed to inform pet owners about the risks of sleep disruptions and offer potential solutions, such as crating the pet or restricting access to the bedroom at night.”
To sum up, the study acknowledges that co-sleeping with a pet may have some potential benefits. However, the NHANES data used in the study did not provide information on whether pet owners actually slept with their dogs or cats.
“In the future, studies would benefit from measuring the human-animal bond, so that we can understand how the strength of it affects quality of sleep,” Dr. Wisnieski adds.
Source: 10.1079/hai.2023.0005
Image Credit: Getty