OnePoll conducted a study for Sealy that looked into how Americans felt about sharing a bed with their pets. The poll of 2000 Americans with pets showed that they slept better when sleeping with their pets. About 7 in 10 felt they slept better when their pets were in their beds. Another 51% believed it helped them deal with their anxiety.

 The benefits of sleeping with pets

The respondents also stated that sleeping with their pets had other benefits. For instance, it made it easier to fall asleep (47%) and gave them a sense of security (42%). Another 43% stated that the pets provided white noise to help them sleep better.

The survey also looked into how the participants treated their pets. They found that 66% let them share their bed, and another 80% treated them like humans. One reason respondents let them share their beds was that they considered them family (54%). Moreover, 58% of people in relationships admitted that they liked sharing their beds more with their pets than their partners.

Not all pet owners slept better with pets

The researchers also concluded that the participants only slept better with their pets due to a placebo effect. The pets would disturb their sleep about two nights a week. Furthermore, many were woken up by the restlessness of their pets.

Moreover, the team found that pets did not always provide the perfect level of warmth while in bed with their owners, as some of the respondents claimed (57%). About 63% admitted they would get overheated while sharing a bed with their pets. As a result, their sleep was disrupted.

Another advantage of sleeping with pets was getting up on time. About 2 in 3 said that sleeping with a pet was like an alarm clock for them as their pets would always get them up early. Another 64% set their schedules according to their pets’ self-assigned bedtime. Approximately 57% said their sleep time was influenced by the time their pets went to sleep.

According to Sealy’s Senior Vice President in marketing, Brent Pfister, sleep is crucial to maintaining physical and mental health. This study indicates that sleeping with pets could help many people sleep at night.