Study Finds That Women Sleep Better With Dogs Than Men

No, not the dog that you dated in high school. An actual dog. A study has just confirmed what we always knew was the truth, and that's that women sleep better next to dogs than men.

This makes a whole lot of sense. Dogs may eat their own feces, lick their own butts, and spend all day drooling, but at least they leave their phones on silent during the night so you can hit your REM sleep. So next time you sleep with a dog, know that science approves of your decision. Again, talking about the canine kind of dog.

Most Women Sleep With A Pet Or A Partner

We spend a massive amount of time in bed, an average of about 26 years, in fact. So it makes sense that we should be figuring out what makes it a good 26 years and what doesn't. Turns out, most women sleep with pets and partners in bed who end up impacting those 26 years.

woman and dog sleeping
Photo Credit: Wodicka/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Wodicka/ullstein bild via Getty Images

The University of Florida and Canisius College study collected data from almost a thousand adult women living in the US with cat, dog, and human sleep partners. They found that the majority of women don't sleep alone, in fact, 55% sleep with at least one dog, 31% with a cat, and 57% with a human partner. So the majority of women are out here sleeping with one other warm body in the bed and that makes this research into bed occupants that affects our sleep very interesting.

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A Woman's Dog, Not Her Man, Makes Her Feel Safe

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We all jokingly call our dachshunds our little "guard dogs" but apparently we kind of mean it? Turns out it's that fluffy little butt sniffer in our lives who keeps us feeling safe while we snooze and not the person who might have a masculinity complex hogging the sheets.

woman man and dogs in bed
Photo credit: Dave Cruz / Barcroft Media via Getty Images / Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Photo credit: Dave Cruz / Barcroft Media via Getty Images / Barcroft Media via Getty Images
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The study found that dogs who slept in their owner's beds actually disturbed a woman's sleep less and she associated the dog with feelings of safety and security. Even if that dachshund is deaf and peed on the rug this morning, we still kinda feel like he could step up to the plate better than our human partners. Sorry, not sorry.

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Dogs Actually Make You A Better Person Because Of How They Make You Sleep

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This is a big claim, but stay with me — dogs actually will fix your life by sleeping with you in bed. Think about all the self-destructive 3 am Netflix binge-watching you've been doing that's been making you late and groggy for work every morning. Get ready to go to the nearest shelter and feel alive at work because sleeping with dogs actually makes life better.

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man and woman lying in bed
Photo Credit: Sergio Gaudenti/Sygma via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Sergio Gaudenti/Sygma via Getty Images
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The study found that dog owners actually had earlier bedtimes and earlier wake times than those who slept with cats and people. This means that you're less likely to stay up until the wee hours of the morning watching The Office for the sixth time and more likely to be up at a decent hour. I knew dogs were great, but I had no idea they were the silent motivational speakers making me less of a garbage human.