CAnyone who lives with an animal knows that sometimes resisting giving it certain “vices” is very difficult. Certainly the most common is to make them sleep on the bed with us. There are those who turn up their noses at the mere idea due to poor hygiene and possible hair on the sheets. But what is the truth in all this? Is sleeping with your pets really unhygienic and unsuitable? According to some studies, there are many benefits and also some “cons” especially if you already suffer from allergies.
Sleeping with dog and cat, an ancient habit
It’s certainly nothing new, in times gone by it was very normal to sleep with your animals, from dogs to cows. The concept of hygiene was very different, as were the living spaces. Today this habit has not been lost and there are many people who, thanks to very sweet faces, are moved and allow their pet to sleep together on the bed.
But what are the risks and what are the benefits? In fact, behind the question there are many studies which in general all agree on one fact: sleeping with a pet, even better if the dog, is very relaxing because unconsciously you feel safer and more protected.
This was confirmed by a study conducted in the United States in 2018 which involved 962 women, some already used to sharing their bed with Fido. What emerged from the interviews was that the majority of them not only felt much safer with the dog in bed but above all they felt much safer than sleeping with a cat and even your partner. Since past times, the dog has always been the defense animal par excellence and this opinion is now inherent in each of us, especially during sleep.
This is confirmed not only by many studies but also by Esme Wheeler, an English expert on dog behavior and member of the RSCPAwhich interviewed by The Guardian on the issue he declared «You should not worry about any contraindications if you want to sleep with your dog or cat. Above all, if it is your animal and therefore coexistence is daily, there is no danger.” Not surprisingly, Wheeler also sleeps with her dog.
Up oxytocin, down cortisol. Long live the beautiful dreams and down with the nightmares
But the benefits don’t end there. In fact, based on the study conducted in the USA, the greater sense of protection instilled by the presence of dogs on the bed also lowers stress levels, thanks also to the habit of caressing them just before falling asleep. This therefore not only reduces anxiety levels and the possibility of panic attacks but at the same time, relaxing and feeling safe, it is much easier to have good dreams and reduce the risk of night terrors.
Benefits that were also found during the day as demonstrated by a study conducted in 2017: when 10 women were left alone to interact with a Labrador, the blood sample taken subsequently revealed high levels of oxytocin, the love and trust and a lowering of cortisol. In short, Interacting with dogs, and animals in general, day and night, can only be good. A discussion that also applies to cats: as the English expert pointed out, although the human-cat relationship is much more recent than the human-dog relationship, and therefore it may happen that it is the animal that does not require so much human contact, there is however no doubt that felines are also good for human mood and hormones.
Few risks sleeping with pets
So only benefits? Not exactly. Definitely for them people who suffer from certain allergies, co-sleeping with Fido&Co is not a recommended choice. Sneezing, rhinitis, asthma can be around the corner in these cases caused by continuous contact with the animal’s fur and saliva. Furthermore, the animal also transports pollen to the bed through its fur. Light sleepers may have an additional problem: animals, both dogs and cats, have a different sleep pattern than humans, they tend to be much more alert, perhaps getting up several times during the night and even doing so suddenly.
However, children are not at risk for two reasons: first because if they already live with an animal, the risk of germs, fleas, bacteria and ticks is very low, even more so if the animal is cared for. The other benefit for children is the strengthening their immune system: direct and prolonged contact with an animal stimulates and makes the children’s immune system work harder because it allows it to recognize and distinguish between harmless and dangerous germs and therefore a more effective immune response.
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