Should I Let My Dog Sleep with Me?
Need some help thinking through the decision to let your dog sleep in your bed with you? There is no one right or wrong answer here, so we will run through a few things for you to consider to help you make the right call for you and your dog.
1: It’s like opening Pandora’s Box
Once you allow your dog to sleep in your bed, it will be really hard to go back on that decision. It may take your dog a bit to figure out that they really aren’t allowed in bed anymore, so they will keep trying to get back in with you. Plus, your willpower is much weaker at 2am than during the day, so trying to change sleep habits is hard.
If you do end up in this situation, it can be helpful to have your dog sleep in a crate or in a separate room so a physical barrier, not your willpower, will keep your dog from joining you in bed.
2: You don’t get to choose exactly where your dog sleeps.
Are you down to cuddle? Your dog might want to sprawl out or curl up. They might want to be above the covers, or below. They might want to cuddle or have their own space. If you are flexible about where your dog sleeps and how much you cuddle with them, you’ll be golden. If you have a particular idea of where and how they will sleep, you might be disappointed that they aren’t on board with your plan.
3: Dogs run hot.
Dogs are 3-6 degrees warmer than us. Do you like to be warm or cool when you sleep?
4: Could you use soothing as you fall asleep?
If you have trouble falling asleep, sleeping with your dog might help. Dogs can reduce anxiety, and the steady rhythm of their breathing might help lull you to sleep.
5: Are you ok getting a little less sleep?
A recent study suggested that dogs disturb our sleep some but not as much as we might expect. The study showed that people who let their dogs sleep in their bed do wake up more through the night, but the efficiency of their sleep is only minorly affected.
So, if you are a good sleeper, it’s probably nothing to worry about. But if you are a light sleeper or already don’t get enough sleep, it might be harder.
6: Do you share your bed with anyone?
Because you can’t guarantee that your dog will only stay on your side and never wake your partner up, make sure you both know what you are in for before letting your dog sleep with you.
If you don’t share your bed with anyone now, do you plan to in the future? You might want to think through how that will go. If your dog is important to you, maybe seeing how a newcomer reacts to sharing your bed with your dog is a good test?
Resources
The Mayo Clinic survey mentioned above
A great article from Psychology Today looking at the most recent research on how sleeping with your dog affects you