Good news for all you pet lovers!
Sleeping with your furry friends has been proven completely safe – even beneficial – so long as both of you are healthy. That is if they don’t keep you up at night and mess with your snooze. In fact, 41% of American pet owners enjoy this privilege of sharing beds with their pets.
Probably the only thing you should take to heart is…
MAINTAINING A GOOD HYGIENE
It’s recommended that pets be taken to the vet at least once a year when they’re younger, and twice a year when older. You should also keep an eye out for what they play with or eat when taken outside the house. This can save both of you from fleas and ticks.
The easiest way to stay clean is to wash hands and paws before going to bed. Avoid eating with the same hand you touched your pet with. Changing your sheets and pillowcases often is also very crucial to sustaining this pet affair.
Provided you do this, you’ll enjoy the benefits of sleeping with your furry friends.
BENEFITS of CO-SLEEPING
1. They keep you warm.
Furry friends have the gift of staying warm when it’s cold – canines especially have thick coats of fur to insulate their bodies. So if you’re feeling extremely cold, sleeping beside your warm pet can give you instant heat. Just be mindful of them overheating – keep water at beside the bed at all times or be ready to transfer them to a cooler place.
2. You feel safer and calmer when they’re around.
There’s a reason why pet therapies exist – pets are excellent stress relievers. Just being around them can give off feelings of happiness that could prove helpful if you suffer from stress, anxiety, and even depression. Some studies show that cortisol (the stress hormone) levels drop when around pets. It can also trigger release of oxytocin – a hormone in humans involving affection, trust, and happiness.
3. It keeps both of you happy.
Chances are, you spend the entire day away from your pet. When you get home, your pet will expect some quality time with you (and vice versa). This is probably all you both have looked forward to the entire day – it’s a relationship after all.
(By the way, we totally recommend Netflix and chillin’ with your pet before hitting the hay. It is seriously the best.)
PLAY IT SAFE
Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy this pet affair.
You may want to stay in the safe zone and away from your pets while sleeping if you have pet allergies, asthma, or immune system disorders. Same rule goes for kids under five, pregnant women, and the elderly. This decreases chances of them passing on any bacteria or illness.
We also know that some pets more aggressive than others could be more disruptive to sleep. In this case, keeping them outside the room might be your best option.
HAPPY AND HEALTHY
If you worry about them moving around at night but still want to sleep with them, investing in a mattress that can absorb motion could do wonders. (You can take our word for this)
At the end of the day, happy and healthy go together. The healthier you and your pet are, the more sustainable your sleeping arrangement will be.