A current research study discovered that owning a pet dog or feline might negatively impact sleep quality, with dog ownership connected with greater odds of sleep disorders and feline ownership connected to an increased opportunity of experiencing leg jerks.
A brand-new research study published in the CABI journal Human-Animal Interactions indicates that your cherished animal dog or feline might be causing you to have less peaceful sleep than those who take pleasure in long, undisturbed rest.
Led by Dr. Lauren Wisnieski from Lincoln Memorial University, USA, the study focused on pet ownership in the United States, using data from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Dr Wisnieski, Assistant Professor of Public Health and Research and Affiliation, found that having a pet dog was associated with greater odds of having a sleep condition and having trouble sleeping while having a feline was connected with a higher possibility of having leg jerks.
While the causal nature of pet ownership on sleep quality and sleep disorders was unable to be established, the results of the study are constant with previous research studies that discovered that pet ownership has a negative effect on sleep quality.
Dr. Wisnieski said, “Prior studies on the association in between pet ownership and sleep quality and sleep conditions have varied results.
” On the one hand, cats and pets might be beneficial for an owners quality of sleep due to the social support that family pets provide– animals provide a complacency and friendship, which might lead to improvements in levels of depression, tension, and stress and anxiety. On the other hand, family pets might disrupt their owners sleep.
” This cross-sectional research study aimed to determine if there is an association in between pet and feline ownership and sleep quality and sleep conditions– consisting of factor to consider of aspects such as snoring, waking up during the night, needing tablets to sleep, and leg jerks.”
The research developed multivariable logistic regression designs that likewise included sleep quality factors such as feeling unrested, feeling sleepy, not getting enough sleep, taking longer than 15 minutes to fall asleep, and getting less than 6 hours of sleep on average.
Due to the fact that felines tend to be more active at night, Dr. Wisnieski suggests that the distinctions in the association of sleep quality and feline versus dog ownership may be.
She found that there were fewer differences in sleep quality signs in between feline and non-cat owners compared to pet dog and non-dog owners.
Dr. Wisnieski added, “If the causal relationship is established through additional examination, the results will have implications for clinician suggestions for treating patients with bad sleep quality.
” Additionally, academic resources can be developed to inform animal owners about the dangers of sleep disturbances and use possible services, such as crating the animal or limiting access to the bed room in the evening.”
In conclusion, the research study recognizes that there might be possible favorable aspects of co-sleeping with a pet but the data obtained from NHANES did not state whether owners indeed slept with their felines or dogs.
” In the future, research studies would take advantage of determining the human-animal bond, so that we can comprehend how the strength of it affects quality of sleep,” Dr. Wisnieski included.
Reference: “The association of pet ownership and sleep quality and sleep conditions in United States adults” by Kayla Medlin and Lauren Wisnieski, 17 March 2023, Human-Animal Interactions.DOI: 10.1079/ hai.2023.0005.
