Let sleeping dogs lie!
Women sleep better next to dogs than their human partners, according to a study published this month by researchers at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.
Of the 962 women living in the U.S. interviewed by the school, 55 percent of them shared the bed with at least one dog and 31 percent of them shared the bed with at least one cat. The study found 57 percent of the women shared the bed with a human partner. Dogs were less likely to wake their owners in the middle of the night than cats and humans, results revealed.
The study found that both cats and humans were equally disruptive to women's sleep and provided them with fewer feelings of comfort and security than dogs.
Dog owners also reported earlier sleep and wake times than cat owners and participants without pets.
"Dog ownership and its associated responsibilities may cause individuals to adhere to a stricter routine," researchers said. "Keeping to a consistent sleep schedule may be beneficial to dog owners."
Women aren't the only ones who report better sleep with dogs, according to a study published last year.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona conducted a study of 40 healthy adults, both male and female, and found that people who slept with a dog in the bedroom got more rest than people who didn't. Although, the Mayo study found sleeping with a dog in the bed, as opposed to another place in the bedroom, could disrupt the sleep cycle.
