Does Sleeping With Your Pet Hurt Your Sleep?

Is Sleeping With Your Pet Right or Wrong?

Are you fretting about whether sleeping with your pet is okay?  Well, you know how sometimes you can get all wrapped in whether something is right or wrong?

You have a bunch of discussions with people, you read some blogs (like this one), talk to the “experts” in the field, etc.

Then you get super confused about whether what you are doing is right or wrong.

Introducing my Little Pug – ♥ Rico ♥

When I got my first and only pet, Rico, my little pug, I knew nothing about dogs. I had never had a dog.  Heck, I truly didn’t even like dogs.

Fast forward… I fell in LOVE with that little pug very quickly.

He was just six months old when he came to live with us, and at night he would cry and jump as high as he could to get up on the bed and sleep with me.

I thought it was too damn cute to deny him.  He would whimper and whine and then he would settle in between the covers and fall fast asleep, snoring and wheezing like a little baby.

Everyone Has An Opinion About Sleeping With Your Pet

What prompted me to write about this was reading this article from Science Alert about whether or not sleeping with Fido can help you get a better nights rest.

Any pet owner will understand the struggle of deciding whether to sleep with your pet in your bedroom. On the one hand, you get all the cuddles, but on the other, animals can be pretty annoying when they wake up hungry at 4am. Now the results of a small survey suggest that all that snoring/walking on your pillow in the middle of the night might be worth it, with participants reporting that sleeping with their pets made them feel more safe and secure, and helped them get a better night’s rest.

It never even occurred to me that it was wrong.  But other “real” doggie people types told me I was making a big mistake.  I just didn’t see it.  It felt cozy and nice and he was so happy, I couldn’t put him out.

Even my sister-in-law tried to tell me, “Laura, you’re making a huge mistake.  It’s no good for you or your husband to have Rico in the bed.”

I didn’t buy it!  I wanted him close, and I felt happy to have him close.  If anything, when hubby is traveling and I am home alone, I feel much safer knowing Rico is close by.

So I just ignored the naysayers who told me its a bad habit, because honestly who is it hurting!  It can’t be hurting him, he’s the one snoring all night long, fast asleep, happy to be near me!

Bottom line is, how can it hurt your sleep if your sleeping just fine!  It just depends on the person.

I’d love to know what you guys think about sleeping with your pet.  Is it good for you?  Is it bad for you?  Does it hurt your relationship with your SO?

To your best health!
Laura