Sleeping with your pet: What Current Research Says About Co-Sleeping, Sleep Quality and Health
For millions of pet owners, bedtime is not just about getting under the covers. It may also mean making room for a dog at the foot of the bed, a cat curled up beside a pillow, or another beloved companion settling in for the night.
Sleeping with pets has become common enough that researchers are beginning to ask an important question: Is sleeping with your pet actually good for your sleep?
The answer isn’t as simple as yes or no.
Current research suggests that sleeping with a pet can provide feelings of comfort, companionship and security, while also creating potential sources of sleep disruption. Pets can move, make noise, change positions, take up space and, in some cases, aggravate allergies. At the same time, the emotional comfort of having a trusted animal nearby may make some people feel safer and more relaxed at bedtime.
The research is still developing, but one theme is becoming clear: how you feel about sleeping with your pet and how your body actually sleeps may not always be the same thing.
How Common Is Sleeping With a Pet?
Sleeping with pets is remarkably common.
An American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey found that 46% of respondents reported sleeping in the same bed with a pet. Nearly half of those who slept with a pet said they slept better, while a much smaller percentage said their sleep was worse.
This helps explain why the subject can be so controversial. One person’s sleep disturbance may be another person’s source of comfort.
For some people, the familiar sound of a dog’s breathing or a cat’s purring may become part of their bedtime routine. For others, a pet moving across the mattress at 3 a.m. is enough to interrupt an otherwise restful night.
There is no universal answer because the effects depend on the individual, the pet and the sleeping environment. If you have pets in your bed don’t forget about having the right mattress protector (waterproof)just in case.
What Does the Research Say About Sleep Quality?
One of the most interesting findings in sleep research is the difference between subjective sleep quality and objective sleep measurements.
A 2021 review examined research on bed sharing between people and pets, as well as other types of bed partners. Researchers found that people frequently report better sleep when sharing a bed, even though objective measurements sometimes show more disrupted sleep. Psychological comfort may make the sleeping experience feel better even when sleep is somewhat more fragmented.
This distinction is important.
You might wake briefly when your dog changes position but fall back asleep quickly and still feel rested in the morning. Another person might wake up every time the dog moves and feel exhausted the next day.
In other words, a pet doesn’t necessarily have to keep you awake for the entire night to influence your sleep.
New Research Raises Some Concerns
A 2024 study published in Scientific Reports looked at 1,591 adults in a nationally representative U.S. sample. Nearly 48% reported co-sleeping with pets.
The people who co-slept with pets reported poorer perceived sleep quality and greater insomnia severity than those who did not. The researchers did not find evidence that sleeping with pets protected people from the negative effects of stress on sleep.
Interestingly, the results varied according to the type of pet.
The association with poorer sleep was more consistent among people who slept with dogs. The researchers did not find the same pattern for cats across most of the sleep measures they examined. More pets were also associated with greater insomnia severity.
It’s important to emphasize that this was a cross-sectional study. It can identify associations but cannot prove that sleeping with a pet causes insomnia. People who already have sleep problems may be more likely to sleep with a pet for comfort, for example.
That distinction matters when interpreting the research.
Dogs May Affect Sleep Differently Than Cats
Dogs and cats have very different nighttime behaviors.
Dogs may shift positions, scratch, shake, dream, snore or move around during the night. Cats are often more active during portions of the night and may have very different sleep-wake patterns from their owners.
A person’s response to those behaviors also matters.
A large dog that occupies a significant portion of the mattress can create physical disturbances that a small dog may not. A restless cat may be more disruptive to one sleeper than another.
The 2024 adult study found a stronger negative association between co-sleeping and sleep among dog owners than cat owners, although this does not mean that dogs are inherently “bad” sleeping partners or that cats are inherently better ones.
The individual sleeping arrangement matters more than the label of the animal.
What About Children and Sleeping With Pets?
Research involving children is particularly interesting because children may be more sensitive to nighttime disturbances.
A 2025 study examined 175 families and used wearable activity monitors to measure sleep in children. Children who had a pet sleeping on the bed had shorter sleep duration, lower sleep efficiency and took longer to fall asleep than children who did not have a pet in the bedroom. The researchers also found that dog movement could predict subsequent movement in the child.
However, earlier research involving adolescents found no clear difference in overall sleep quality between those who co-slept with pets and those who did not.
Taken together, the evidence suggests that pet co-sleeping deserves consideration when a child is experiencing sleep problems, but it is too early to say that pets universally harm children’s sleep.
The Psychological Benefits of Sleeping With a Pet
The physical aspects of sleep are only part of the story.
Pets can provide companionship, familiarity and a sense of security. For some people, having a pet nearby can make bedtime feel less lonely and may create a calming nighttime ritual.
This may be particularly meaningful for people who find that their pet’s presence helps them relax before falling asleep.
The research on bed sharing helps explain this apparent contradiction. The 2021 review found that psychological comfort may be one reason people report better sleep even when objective measurements suggest some additional sleep disruption.
There is an important distinction here:
Feeling safer and more comfortable at bedtime can be beneficial even if your pet causes a few additional nighttime movements.
But that benefit has limits.
If the pet is waking you repeatedly, causing significant allergies or preventing you from getting enough sleep, the psychological benefit may no longer outweigh the physical cost.
Can Sleeping With a Pet Reduce Stress?
This is an area where popular advice sometimes gets ahead of the science.
It is reasonable to think that a beloved pet can provide emotional comfort. However, the 2024 nationally representative study specifically investigated whether co-sleeping with pets could buffer the relationship between stress and poor sleep.
The researchers did not find evidence for this stress-buffering effect. People experiencing greater stress generally reported worse sleep regardless of whether they co-slept with a pet.
That doesn’t mean pets cannot help people emotionally.
It simply means we shouldn’t assume that sleeping with a pet is a proven treatment for stress-related sleep problems.
The broader benefits of pet ownership—including companionship, daily routines and physical activity—may influence health and well-being in ways that are different from actually sharing a mattress at night.
Allergies Are an Important Health Consideration
For people with allergies or asthma, the question is more straightforward.
Pet allergens can accumulate in bedrooms, bedding, mattresses and upholstered furniture. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that furry pets can trigger asthma attacks in people who are allergic to them and recommends keeping pets out of bedrooms when necessary to reduce exposure.
For someone with pet allergies, sleeping next to an animal for seven or eight hours provides prolonged exposure during the very time the body is supposed to be resting.
Symptoms such as congestion, coughing, sneezing or itchy eyes can obviously interfere with sleep.
In these situations, keeping the pet out of the bed—and potentially out of the bedroom—may be an important part of creating a healthier sleep environment.
What About Germs and Zoonotic Diseases?
There is also a legitimate, although generally low, concern about zoonotic diseases.
Zoonotic diseases are infections that can pass between animals and people. The CDC notes that pets can carry bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi capable of causing illness.
For a healthy adult with a healthy, well-cared-for pet, the risk associated specifically with sleeping together is generally considered low. However, the risk is not zero.
Good pet hygiene can help reduce potential problems:
- Keep pets current on veterinary examinations.
- Maintain appropriate flea and tick prevention.
- Follow recommended parasite control.
- Wash your hands after handling pet waste.
- Keep bedding clean.
- Avoid allowing pets to lick open wounds.
- Be particularly cautious if someone in the household has a weakened immune system.
The CDC identifies young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems as groups who may be more likely to develop serious illness from certain animal-associated infections.
Is It Healthier to Let Your Pet Sleep Beside the Bed?
For some people, the best compromise may be allowing a pet to sleep in the bedroom but not on the mattress.
This arrangement can preserve some of the emotional benefits of having a companion nearby while reducing movement, heat and physical disturbance on the mattress.
Research on dogs has found that sleeping in the same room does not necessarily have the same negative effect on sleep as having the dog actually on the bed.
This may be particularly useful for people who enjoy the comfort of their pet’s presence but notice that their sleep suffers when they share the mattress.
Your Mattress Can Matter Too
If you share your bed with a pet, your mattress becomes a little more important.
A mattress needs to accommodate not only your preferred sleeping position but also the additional movement and pressure created by another body.
A supportive mattress can help minimize the feeling of being disturbed when your pet moves. A mattress with good motion isolation can also reduce the transfer of movement across the sleeping surface.
Breathability is another consideration.
Pets add body heat to the sleep environment. Dogs and cats can also naturally increase warmth around the areas where they sleep. A breathable sleep system made with materials such as cotton, wool and natural latex can help manage heat and moisture without relying entirely on synthetic cooling technologies.
This doesn’t make a mattress a solution to pet-related sleep disruption, but a breathable and supportive sleep environment can help minimize some of the physical discomfort that comes with sharing a bed.
Should You Let Your Pet Sleep in Your Bed?
For a healthy adult without significant allergies, there is no simple scientific rule saying that pets should or should not sleep in the bed.
Instead, ask a more useful question:
Are you actually sleeping well?
Consider how you feel during the day.
If you sleep comfortably, wake refreshed and don’t experience repeated nighttime disturbances, sharing your bed with your pet may be working perfectly well for you.
On the other hand, if you regularly wake up because your dog moves, your cat becomes active during the night, you’re too hot, or you experience congestion and allergy symptoms, your pet may be contributing to poor sleep.
Try paying attention to the difference between how you feel about sleeping with your pet and how you actually sleep.
That distinction is one of the most important lessons emerging from current research.
The Bottom Line: Comfort vs. Sleep Quality
Sleeping with a pet is neither universally healthy nor universally unhealthy. At Plank and Coil we are here to make sure that your sleep is healthy and restful. We carry accessories that can help make your bedroom clean and functional with or without your pets.
The current research suggests that pet co-sleeping can have competing effects. The emotional comfort and companionship of a pet may make bedtime more pleasant and can lead people to perceive their sleep more positively. At the same time, movement, noise, heat and allergies can interfere with objective sleep quality.
Recent research has generally found an association between pet co-sleeping and poorer perceived sleep or greater insomnia symptoms, particularly among dog owners. But other research and surveys show that many people genuinely feel that they sleep better with their pets nearby.
The best approach may therefore be individual rather than universal.
If your pet helps you relax and you wake feeling rested, there may be little reason to change the arrangement. If your pet is disrupting your sleep, try moving their bed next to yours or somewhere else in the bedroom before deciding that you have to give up the companionship entirely.
Healthy sleep is ultimately about finding the environment that allows your body and mind to recover.
And sometimes, that means sharing the bed with your best friend. Sometimes, it means giving them a very comfortable bed of their own.
Sources and Further Reading
The research discussed in this article includes peer-reviewed studies and information from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For additional reading, see the research on pet co-sleeping published in Scientific Reports, Sleep Health, Journal of Pediatric Psychology and Journal of Sleep Research.
