Study Shows Women Sleep Better Next to a Dog Than with a Man

Last updated on 9 SEP 2025

It’s 11 PM, and you’re deciding who gets to share your bed tonight. Your options? Your snoring partner who hogs the covers, your purring cat who treats your face as a landing pad at 3 AM, or your loyal dog who’s been patiently waiting by the bedroom door.

If you’re thinking the dog sounds like the best choice, science has some surprising news for you. Researchers have just delivered findings that might revolutionize bedtime decisions everywhere and potentially spark some very interesting conversations at dinner tables across America.

A groundbreaking study involving nearly 1,000 women has uncovered something that dog lovers have suspected all along, but no one dared to say out loud. The results challenge everything we thought we knew about ideal sleep companions and might just explain why so many women find themselves gravitating toward their four-legged friends when bedtime rolls around.

What 962 Women Revealed

When researchers at Canisius College decided to investigate the relationship between pet ownership and human sleep quality, they surveyed 962 adult women across the United States. What they found painted a fascinating picture of modern American bedrooms.

The statistics alone tell a compelling story. More than half of the participants, 55 percent, shared their beds with at least one dog. Meanwhile, 31 percent welcomed cats into their sleeping space, and 57 percent slept alongside human partners. These numbers reveal just how common pet co-sleeping has become, challenging the traditional notion of the bedroom as an exclusively human domain.

But raw numbers only scratch the surface. The real revelation came when researchers dug deeper into sleep quality, disruption levels, and the emotional aspects of sharing a bed. Using established sleep assessment tools, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, they measured not just how long women slept, but how well they slept and more importantly, how their choice of bedmate affected their rest.

The methodology was thorough and scientific, eliminating the usual criticisms of pet-related research. This wasn’t just a casual survey of dog enthusiasts or a small sample of convenience. Nearly a thousand women provided detailed information about their sleep habits, schedules, and experiences with different types of bed companions.

Why Dogs Make Superior Sleep Partners

The results revealed something remarkable about our canine companions that goes beyond simple loyalty and affection. “Compared with human bed partners, dogs who slept in the owner’s bed were perceived to disturb sleep less and were associated with stronger feelings of comfort and security,” the study found.

This finding challenges conventional wisdom about pets in the bedroom. While many sleep experts have traditionally recommended keeping animals out of sleeping spaces, the data suggest that dogs might enhance sleep quality rather than detract from it.

The comfort and security factor proved particularly significant. Women reported feeling safer and more relaxed with dogs nearby during the night. Unlike human partners who might toss and turn, steal covers, or disrupt sleep with snoring, dogs tend to settle into a spot and stay there. They provide a calming presence without the unpredictable movements that characterize human sleep patterns.

The security aspect makes evolutionary sense. For thousands of years, humans have relied on dogs as early warning systems against threats. Even in modern bedrooms, that ancient partnership continues to provide psychological benefits. Women sleeping with dogs reported feeling more protected and less anxious during vulnerable nighttime hours.

Dogs also demonstrated remarkable consistency in their sleep behavior. Unlike humans, who might stay up late scrolling phones or wake up at random hours, dogs adapt to their owners’ schedule and maintain it reliably. This predictability creates a more stable sleep environment that promotes better rest.

The Cat Conundrum: Felines Fall Short

While dogs emerged as sleep champions, cats painted a very different picture. The research revealed that “cats who slept in their owner’s bed were reported to be equally as disruptive as human partners, and were associated with weaker feelings of comfort and security than both human and dog bed partners.”

This finding might surprise cat owners who appreciate their feline companions’ apparent independence and quiet nature. However, anyone who’s shared a bed with a cat knows the reality: midnight zoomies, early morning face stepping, and the tendency to claim the exact spot where you want to sleep.

Cats operate on their schedules, which rarely align with human sleep patterns. They’re naturally crepuscular, meaning they’re most active during dawn and dusk hours, precisely when humans are trying to sleep or wake up gradually. This biological mismatch creates inevitable conflicts in shared sleeping spaces.

The comfort and security scores for cats lagged significantly behind both dogs and human partners. While cats can be affectionate, they don’t provide the same protective presence that dogs offer. Their independent nature, while appealing during waking hours, doesn’t translate into the kind of reassuring companionship that promotes restful sleep.

Size also plays a role. Most dogs settle into a specific area of the bed and stay there, while cats are notorious for sprawling across the entire surface, regardless of their actual size. They seem to possess an almost supernatural ability to take up maximum space while weighing only ten pounds.

The Science Behind Better Sleep Schedules

One of the most intriguing findings involved sleep scheduling and routine adherence. Dog owners demonstrated significantly earlier bedtimes and wake times compared to individuals who owned cats but no dogs. This pattern suggests something profound about how pet ownership influences our daily rhythms.

“Dog ownership and its associated responsibilities may cause individuals to adhere to a stricter routine,” researchers noted. “Keeping to a consistent sleep schedule may be beneficial to dog owners.”

This makes perfect biological sense. Dogs require regular walks, feeding schedules, and outdoor bathroom breaks that don’t align with late-night Netflix binges or sleeping until noon on weekends. Dog owners must structure their days around these needs, creating natural circadian rhythm regulation.

The earlier bedtimes reported by dog owners align with optimal sleep hygiene recommendations. Going to bed and waking up at consistent times helps regulate the body’s internal clock, leading to better sleep quality and daytime alertness. Dog ownership essentially forces people into healthier sleep patterns through external scheduling demands.

Morning walks provide another benefit: early light exposure that helps reset circadian rhythms. Dog owners get natural light therapy as part of their routine pet care, supporting better sleep-wake cycles without conscious effort.

What Your Sleep Partner Says About Your Rest

The study revealed fascinating patterns about how different bed companions affect sleep quality beyond simple disruption levels. Each type of partner brings distinct advantages and challenges to the sleeping environment.

Human partners offer emotional intimacy and warmth but come with significant drawbacks. They bring their sleep disorders, movement patterns, temperature preferences, and schedule conflicts. The emotional benefits of human companionship during sleep must be weighed against these practical disruptions.

Dogs provide consistency and security without the complex emotional dynamics that can keep humans awake. They don’t bring relationship stress, work anxiety, or conflicting bedtime preferences into the sleeping space. Their presence is purely comforting without psychological complications.

The temperature regulation aspect also matters. Dogs typically sleep cooler than humans and don’t generate the same heat buildup that can disrupt sleep. They also don’t steal covers or create the hot spots that often develop when two humans share a bed.

The Sleep Quality Mystery: Why Scores Stayed High

Despite the positive perceptions about sleeping with dogs, the study revealed a puzzling finding: overall sleep quality scores remained elevated across all groups, suggesting widespread sleep difficulties regardless of bed companion choice.

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores showed that a high percentage of participants experienced sleep quality deficits, regardless of whether they slept with dogs, cats, or humans. This suggests that factors beyond bed companion choice significantly impact sleep quality.

Modern life presents numerous sleep challenges that no bed partner can fully address: blue light exposure, stress, irregular schedules, and environmental factors all contribute to poor sleep quality. While dogs might provide better companionship than other options, they can’t solve underlying sleep hygiene issues.

The researchers noted that since 93 percent of participants lived with dogs and/or cats, it’s possible that pet ownership itself contributed to elevated sleep quality scores. Pet care responsibilities, allergens, and nighttime disruptions might create baseline challenges that affect all pet owners.

When Furry Friends Become Sleep Enemies

Despite the positive findings about dogs as sleep companions, pet co-sleeping isn’t universally beneficial. Allergies present significant challenges for many people, potentially outweighing any comfort benefits. Pet dander, saliva, and outdoor allergens brought into the bed can trigger respiratory issues that severely impact sleep quality.

Hygiene considerations also matter. Dogs and cats don’t shower before bed or brush their teeth. They track outdoor contaminants, shed fur, and sometimes bring fleas or other parasites into sleeping spaces. These factors can create health risks that offset sleep benefits.

Size mismatches pose practical problems. Large dogs on small beds create space competition that inevitably leads to human discomfort. Even medium-sized dogs can claim disproportionate bed territory, forcing owners into cramped positions that cause morning stiffness and pain.

Temperature regulation can become problematic with very furry breeds or in warm climates. While dogs generally sleep cooler than humans, long-haired breeds can create heat buildup that disrupts sleep quality.

Rethinking the Perfect Sleep Setup

This groundbreaking research challenges traditional assumptions about bedroom arrangements and sleep optimization. The findings suggest that women seeking better rest might benefit from reconsidering who shares their sleeping space.

The implications extend beyond individual sleep quality to relationship dynamics and pet ownership decisions. Understanding how different companions affect rest can help people make more informed choices about bedroom arrangements and nighttime routines.

However, researchers acknowledge that subjective perceptions of sleep quality might not align with objective measurements. Future studies using sleep monitoring technology could provide more definitive answers about whether dogs truly improve sleep or simply feel like they do.

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