If you’re a pet parent, you may be used to drifting off to sleep with fluffy or fido close by, either in your bedroom or even in your bed. But what if you have sleep apnea? Will having your fur baby hurt the quality of your shuteye? Here’s what you need to know about sleeping with a pet in your bedroom!
Lying with The Dogs: Should You Let a Pet in the Bed?
According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, having a pet in your room at night can affect your sleep. The study followed 40 Adults and their dogs over the course of seven days in a five-month period and monitored their sleep cycles.
The results were telling: participants who slept with a dog in their room but not in their bed had the highest rates of sleep efficiency, while those who slept with a dog in their bed had slightly lower sleep efficiency. This was higher than the control population, who did not sleep with a pet in their room at all.
Still, despite the high average sleep quality scores (85 out of 100 for pets in the room, and about 80 out of 100 for pets in the bed) researchers don’t believe having a pet present necessarily translates to proper sleep efficiency, as they prefer to see patients score in the nineties on the scale.
Should I Boot My Buddy?
If you’re struggling with sleep problems, you may be wondering if keeping your pet close by is helping or hurting your rest prospects. The good news is that having a dog en-suite may be beneficial. Researchers attribute this to a matter of our own ancestry. You see, because dogs were the first animals domesticated by humans, over time we have learned to trust them, especially during rest. For early man, sleeping with a dog nearby provided an added layer of security since dogs would often alert them to approaching predators. Thus, keeping your pet within proximity helps you rest more soundly because you feel safe, but issues like their movement and noise could take away from those benefits if you’re not careful.
Remember, having a dog in your room and even in your bed at night may make you sleep a bit easier, be careful that you’re not being kept awake by a restless pup and be sure to wear your oral sleep appliance as prescribed by your dentist.
About Our Practice
At Beck Dental Care of Columbia, our trio of caring and talented dentists wants to ensure that you’re getting the rest you deserve. If you are struggling with sleep apnea and are looking for a comfortable, convenient way to have a better night’s sleep, please schedule a consultation for an oral sleep appliance today by visiting our website, or calling us directly at 931-388-8452.