Should you sleep with your dog? Do you believe it’s healthy to let your dog sleep in your bed with you? If you’re a person who suffers from pet allergies or asthma you definitely should not allow your dog to sleep in the bed with you. Some people have allergies so bad that they can’t even allow their dog in the bedroom.
Regrettably, most pet lovers feel guilty kicking a beloved companion out of their bed by wrongly assuming that their dog will take it as a personal affront. This kind of thinking is undesirable and counter-productive if your pet is causing your allergy problems. If you suffer from allergies you know are being caused by your pet, you should consider getting allergy shots to build up your tolerance to pet dander which causes an allergic reaction.
If you’re not allergic to pet dander, then by all means, let your dog sleep in your bed if you want unless it disturbs your sleep at night. Some dogs are snorers, kickers, or like to hog the covers and these actions can affect your sleeping pattern to the point of harming your health. A study by the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center found that about half the people diagnosed with a serious sleeping disorder had a dog or cat, and of those people, 53% had their sleep disturbed by their pet every night.
People who sleep with a dog and suffer from insomnia may not realize their sleeplessness could be caused by something so simple as their dog snoring or scratching the bedcovers at night. If you’re a person who has no problem falling or staying asleep, then allowing your dog to sleep in the bed is a decision you can make for yourself. In fact, some people feel calmer with their dog in the bed.
When contemplating whether or not you should sleep with your dog, reflect on the fact that dogs only sleep with people or other dogs they trust. So if your dog wants to sleep with you, it’s just letting you know that it thinks you’re a good person and you deserve its company.
