Sleep: pets prevent us from sleeping!

Have you ever made the connection between the presence of your pet and the quality of your sleep? American researchers have very seriously asked the question, and it would seem that the presence of a pet at home would affect the quality of sleep of its owner.

A study based on data analysis

For this work, the scientists worked on different models to evaluate data from a national health and nutrition survey conducted in 2005-2006, analyzing them according to different sleep quality factors:

• Feeling drowsy;
• Not getting enough sleep;
• To take more than 15 minutes to fall asleep;
• Sleep less than six hours on average each night.

More restless nights in the presence of an animal

Results: Dr. Lauren Wisnieski, assistant professor of public health and research and affiliation at Lincoln Memorial University, USA, and lead author of this work, found that having a dog was associated to a greater likelihood of having a sleep disorder.

Cat owners had difficulty falling asleep associated with a higher likelihood of having restless legs syndrome. Dr. Wisnieski suggests that the differences in the association between sleep quality and owning a cat versus owning a dog may be because cats tend to be more active at night.

No causal link established

If the cause and effect link could not be formally established, the conclusions of this work are in the same direction as the previous ones carried out on this subject, estimating that the possession of a pet had a negative impact on the quality of sleep. According to Dr. Wisnieski: “Previous studies on the association between pet ownership and sleep quality and sleep disorders have shown mixed results. On the one hand, dogs and cats may benefit sleep quality. an owner’s sleep due to the social support provided by pets – pets provide a sense of security and combat feelings of loneliness, which can lead to improved levels of anxiety, stress and depression. Yet, on the other hand, pets can disrupt their owners’ sleep.”

Additional data is needed to establish a link

“This cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether there is an association between dog and cat ownership and sleep quality and sleep disturbances – including consideration of aspects such as snoring, waking up during the night, the need for sleeping pills, and restless leg syndrome“adds the scientist.

“If the causal relationship is established through further investigation, the findings will have implications for clinicians’ recommendations for treating patients with poor sleep quality. Future studies would benefit from measuring the human-animal bond, so we can understand how its strength affects sleep quality.” she concludes.