The Effect of Dogs on Human Sleep in the Home Sleep Environment.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Prospective single-cohort observational study without a non-dog control group
PubMed 28870354 · doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.06.014
What was done
Prospective observational study evaluating 40 healthy adults without sleep disorders and their dogs (aged ≥6 months). Both human participants and their dogs wore accelerometers simultaneously for 7 consecutive nights at home to objectively measure sleep duration, activity, and sleep efficiency based on the dog's position in the bedroom.
What was found
Participants (mean age 44±14 years, 88% women) averaged 475±101 minutes in bed, 404±99 minutes total sleep time, 71±35 minutes wake time after sleep onset, and an overall sleep efficiency of 81%±7%. Dogs averaged 85%±15% sleep efficiency, with 413±102 minutes resting, 62±43 minutes active, and 2±4 minutes playing during the human sleep period. Human sleep efficiency was significantly lower when the dog was on the bed versus in the room (P=.003; numerical breakdown by location not reported in the abstract).
Why it matters
It provides objective actigraphy evidence that sharing a bedroom with a dog generally preserves human sleep efficiency, though having the pet directly on the bed causes greater sleep disruption.
Limits
Small sample size (n=40) heavily skewed toward female participants (88%). The study lacked a dog-free control condition or baseline comparison, excluded young dogs (<6 months) and multi-dog households, and did not report exact sleep efficiency metrics for on-bed versus off-bed groups in the abstract.
Cited by
- partial Sleeping with a pet or other animal in the bedroom increases sleep fragmentation.