Having a dog or cat associated with poor sleep quality – study

Scientists in the US also found that owning a dog was associated with a greater likelihood of suffering from sleep disorders, while cat owners were more likely to suffer from leg twitching, also known as restless legs syndrome.

The team said their work, published in the journal Human-Animal Interactions, suggests that pet ownership can have a negative impact on sleep quality under certain circumstances.

The lead author Dr. Lauren Wisnieski of Lincoln Memorial University said: “Previous studies on the relationship between pet ownership and sleep quality and sleep disorders have produced mixed results.

“On the one hand, dogs and cats can be beneficial to an owner’s sleep quality because of the social support pets provide — pets provide a sense of security and companionship, which can lead to improvements in anxiety, stress, and depression levels.

“On the other hand, pets can disrupt their owners’ sleep.”

She said the aim of the research is to find out “whether there is a link between dog and cat ownership and sleep quality and sleep disorders – including taking into account aspects such as snoring, nocturnal waking, sleeping pills and leg twitching”.

As part of the study, Drs. Wisnieski and her colleagues drew on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted in 2005-2006, which included 5,499 people.

The research also looked at factors related to sleep quality, such as: B. Feeling restless, drowsy, not getting enough sleep, taking more than 15 minutes to fall asleep and sleeping less than six hours on average.

dr Wisnieski said the biggest discrepancy between cat and non-cat owners is the prevalence of leg twitches, with 28.2% of cat owners reporting leg twitches compared to 21.2% of non-cat owners.

Meanwhile, 28.7% of dog owners reported having trouble sleeping, compared to 21.6% of non-dog owners.

The prevalence of sleep disorders was 9.3% among dog owners and 6.4% among non-dog owners, said Dr. Wisnieski.

dr However, Wisnieski added that the data does not reveal whether pet owners co-slept with the animals.

But she added, “Although the causal nature of pet ownership and sleep quality cannot be demonstrated with this study, this study provides further evidence of the negative effects of pets on sleep.”

She said more research is needed using randomized controlled trials to determine the effects pets have on their owners’ sleep.

But in the meantime, Dr. Wisnieski: “On an individual level, if you have trouble sleeping, you may consider sleeping separately from your pet or restricting bedroom access to improve sleep.”