🐶
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
| | | | A couple of years ago, we asked Wellness Wire readers to tell us whether or not they sleep in bed with their dog. A record number of people wrote in — pretty much all of them passionately. "It's bad enough that I have to put up with my husband's snoring, I don't also need to hear my dog's snoring," wrote one reader. "How could we not sleep with our little Shelties? They're cute, warm, comforting, and our fur children," another shared. | | At the time, I was in the dog-in-bed camp. I was a new dog mom with a 9-month-old pup, and even though I didn't love that she shed all over my bedding and woke me up multiple times each night, it was so sweet having her curled up next to me. I had found Flaca abandoned on the side of the road when she was 3 months old, and I think a part of me wanted to make sure that she never felt alone again — not even at night. | | But things have changed over these last 2 years, and I've moved squarely into the no-dog-in-bed camp. Learn why below, plus the potential downside of sleeping with your pooch. | | | | Life is ruff,
Ginger Wojcik
Newsletter Editor, Healthline | | | | |
| |  | | Written by Ginger Wojcik
January 24, 2025 • 4.5 min read | | | | | | | |
| |  | | | I kicked my dog out of bed — and I have no regrets | | Like most dogs, Flaca is not a very conscientious bed-sharer. She sleeps on top of your legs, wakes up suddenly to bark at skunks, repositions by body-slamming, licks her butt — loudly — and sheds all over the place. | | Back when I still shared my bed with her, I remember waking up one morning totally groggy and out of it after a night full of barking and body slams with one clear thought: "This can't go on." | | In fact, the negative effects of sleeping in bed with your dog go beyond my personal anecdotal account. A 2024 study found that co-sleeping with dogs led to poorer sleep quality and worsened insomnia (interestingly, this did not apply to sleeping with cats). It also found that sleeping with pets did not decrease people's stress levels. | When weighing the pros and cons of sharing a bed with your dog, it's crucial to remember what is at stake. The quality of your sleep can have ripple effects on your overall health and well-being. Ongoing sleep deficiency can even raise your risk of developing chronic health conditions, such as: - heart disease
- kidney disease
- high blood pressure
- obesity
- depression
| | As you might guess, a dog who is accustomed to sleeping in your bed probably isn't going to take easily to being relocated. For me, it helped to make Flaca a new bed in the living room so we had a door and latch between us. But the most important thing was having patience and not giving in. She whined outside the door for the first 5 or 6 nights. It was very annoying, but I knew that if I let her in, we'd have to start all over again the next day. | | Once she realized I wasn't going to let her in, she never whined again. Pro tip: Ear plugs can be helpful during the whining stage. | | That said, I understand why people sleep with their pets. They are our companions, after all. I consider Flaca a member of my family, and I cherish our bond. Even though I'm happier not sleeping next to her, the first thing I do each morning is call her into bed to cuddle. | | 🎤 Over to you. What's your favorite or least favorite part of sleeping in bed with your pets? Let us know at wellnesswire@healthline.com. (Heads-up: We might use your response in an upcoming newsletter.) | | | | | | | | | Fur fury | | | | | | |  | | Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Cordless Vacuum Cleaner | | I splurged on this vacuum when I got Flaca, and I've been thrilled with my purchase ever since. The highest setting is powerful enough to get dog fur out of my shag rug while the middle setting is plenty strong enough to do the rest of the floors. Compared with other full-sized vacuums, this one takes up way less space and is easy to move around the house. I also love that it comes with a variety of attachments to access hard-to-reach spots. Just remember to buy a new filter every year! | | | Every product we recommend has gone through either Healthline's or Optum Store's vetting processes. If you buy through links on this page, we may receive a small commission or other tangible benefit. Healthline has sole editorial control over this newsletter. Potential uses for the products listed here are not health claims made by the manufacturers. Healthline and Optum Store are owned by RVO Health. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | That's it from me, friends! Thanks for reading. | | | | | | |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment