Pet owners who love being around their pets 24/7 have probably thought about letting them sleep with them.
After all, pets help to lessen their owner’s anxiety and bring them comfort like no other!
However, there are some cons to letting your pet sleep with you that you should consider before attempting it.
If you want to know what you should consider before letting your pet sleep with you and the five mistakes to avoid, keep reading.
Pros & Cons Of Sleeping With Your Pet
Whether your pet is a cat, dog, hamster, or lizard, it’s safe to say that most of you have thought about letting them sleep with you.
However, letting your pet sleep with you isn’t a one-and-done situation.
Depending on the species and size of your pet and how well they’ve been trained, it may not be best for you to sleep with them.
For example, lizards sleep in cycles, just like humans. However, their sleep cycles are faster than that of humans.
Because of this, your lizard will not sleep for as long as you will. As a result, they could potentially run away or nibble on things they aren’t supposed to, all without you knowing it.
Here are the pros and cons that’ll help you decide whether or not sleeping with your pets is worth it.
Pros
- Increased comfort and security
- May improve your mental health.
- Improvement in immunity
- Improvement in health
Cons
- Allergy flare-ups
- Increased exposure to germs
- Possible decrease in sleep quality
- Potentially crushing your pets
- Potentiality for aggression
A study performed on American women showed that 55% and 31% of them who slept with their dogs and cats made them feel more secure in their sleep.
Sleeping with your pet also improves mental health, immunity, and overall health, all good things.
However, even though sleeping with your pet may make you feel more secure, it can also decrease your sleep quality.
Depending on the size of your pet sleeping with you and how much they move at night, sleeping with them can be a nightmare!
It’s also safe to say you won’t get the best sleep if you have to share the bed with an animal as big as a Great Dane.
Besides potentially crushing your pet or being disturbed by them in your sleep, you can also have allergy flare-ups due to them sleeping with you and increased exposure to germs.
This will be horrible for individuals with weak immunities.
Therefore, there are many things to consider before allowing your pet to sleep with you.
Now here are five mistakes to avoid.
Letting Them Sleep Directly In Bed With You
Your pet doesn’t have to sleep in the same bed as you to be sleeping with you, and in most cases allowing them to can mess up the social hierarchy you’ve formed with them.
Usually, because you’re taller and bigger than your pet, they know not to get aggressive with you.
However, when lying in bed, aggressiveness may spill out because you are both on the same playing field. Animals also usually get more startled when they’re tired, so if you make a mistake and roll over on them, they may bite when they don’t mean to.
Therefore, pets such as dogs and cats should sleep on the floor around your bed in their own beds.
Letting your pets sleep directly in your bed can also lead to messes, injuries (especially in smaller pets), and discomfort, all things you should avoid.
Not Potty Training Them
This is self-explanatory, but if your pet isn’t potty trained, they should not be in your bed.
You are highly likely to have an accident in your bed otherwise.
I learned this the hard way when letting my untrained puppy sleep with me when I was 12. Let’s just say it was anything but comforting when I woke up in the morning.
Sharing A Tiny Bed With Them
People with small beds who decide to let their pets sleep with them are instantly setting themselves up for disaster.
Similar to humans, pets have unique sleeping positions and behaviors that may disrupt your sleep if you share a tiny bed with them.
Individuals with small beds sleeping with smaller pets like lizards and rabbits are also likely to hurt them unintentionally by smushing them.
So if you have a smaller bed, it may just be better to let them sleep in their own beds or enclosures.
Not Taking Your Pets Health Into Consideration
If your pet has any issues such as arthritis or any other musculoskeletal issues, they shouldn’t sleep with you.
This is because your bed may not support their joints as they need to be, which can lead to further complications.
While it might be a good gesture, you could actually be causing them more harm than good.
Suppose your dog has any of these issues and you still want them to sleep with you. In that case, you should ensure you have a mattress that will benefit their aging joints and provide them with means to get into your bed, such as a ramp or simply picking them up if they’re small.
Not Taking Your Health Into Consideration
Don’t sleep with your pet if you have allergies.
Unfortunately, many people with allergies sleep with their pets and don’t realize that being that close to them makes them sicker.
Pets can leave dander, pollen, and dust on your bed without realizing it.
So, if you’re going to let them sleep with you, you should wipe them down with a damp towel before letting them in the bed. This will decrease the number of allergens he may have on him.
Summary
Most people love the idea of sleeping with their pets.
However, there are a lot of pros and cons that you should consider before actually following through with it.
For example, small pets such as rabbits and gerbils are highly likely to be unintentionally crushed by you. You’re also highly likely to be disturbed during your sleep by your furry or scaly companion if you let them sleep directly in your bed.
However, pets can increase their owner’s sense of security, health, and immunity. Plus, they seem to enjoy the experience as much as you do.
Whatever you decide to do at the end of the day, keeping your pet as safe as possible should be at the top of your priorities.
Whether you are for or against co-sleeping in the bed or in the bedroom, dogs still need 12 to 14 hours of sleep per day with puppies sleeping 20 hours per day on average. Though it all depends on the breed and size, only 10 percent of a dog’s sleep is in REM, unlike humans where 25 percent of sleep is REM.
Hopefully, these tips can help you determine the best option for you as a dog owner. However, there is still always a chance your sleep disruptions are truly insomnia or sleep apnea. Our sleep specialists at The Alaska Sleep Clinic can talk for free to get you back on track for a full night’s rest.
