Having a pet is an amazing experience and great responsibility. While most of us enjoy in the company of our dogs all-day, the question is, is it safe to let our dogs sleep in our beds? People whose dogs are outside most of the time, letting them sleep in their bedrooms, does not sound like a good idea. However, many people let their pets sleeping with them and find that completely safe.
When you have a comfortable bed with a proper mattress, like the organic one that you can find at Sleepstandards website, letting a dog sleep with you couldn’t have any negative side effects for both of you. Many people are not sure should they let their pets in the bedroom, and we are going to analyze this topic furthermore.
How Often Are People Letting Their Pets in the Bedroom?
Many families have a pet, and according to some researches, more than half of people in the United States share their homes with some pets. Dogs and cats are most common, but we also know that people love to keep guinea pigs, hamsters, parrots, and some other animals as well. While some rare types of pets require special ambient and separate space, dogs and cats are free to run around the apartment or backyard. People often keep their dogs in the house, and almost half of them let them sleep in the bedroom.
Also, there are many cat owners than dog owners who let their pets sleep with them, while there are also ones who let their pets to even sleep with their children. When it comes to the safety of this habit, there is a simple answer, letting your dog sleep with you is completely safe, as long as both of you are healthy.
Are There Any Benefits?
It might sound surprising to some, but there are many benefits of letting your cat or dog sleep in your bed. According to some researches, owners will feel much more secure and relaxed when they are sleeping with their pets during the night. Also, sleeping with your pet can help you reduce stress and anxiety. Besides that, there are many cases where sleeping with pets helped people suffering from insomnia.
Besides that, the biggest advantage and main reason why you should let your little friend sleep with you is improved comfort and better sleep. However, you should know that the temperature should not be so high in your room since cats and dogs have a higher body temperature than us. There are also advantages for pets since they will also feel safer and happier.
Are There Possible Health Risks?
People are usually divided on this topic, some are fine with it, others are against letting animals live inside the apartment, but those are all personal preferences and opinions. From a scientific and biological aspect, in most situations, you could safely let your cat or dog in. However, if you have some health issues like allergies, you should avoid keeping the animal that is causing your state.
While the main choice of bigger part of the community is to let their cats and dogs sleep with them, it is not advisable for other animals, especially birds and rabbits, since you could fall over and hurt them. However, while most find it comfortable and safe to sleep with cats or dogs, there are some situations where you would avoid letting them enter your bedroom.
According to some studies, one in three people has some problems with allergies related to pets, especially cats and dogs. Also, if you have a dog or cat allergies, you shouldn’t let him be in the house at all, since they could leave traces everywhere, and make your health condition worse.
Moreover, if you are often letting your pet to be outside without your surveillance, who knows what they might interact to, especially since we know how dogs love dirt and mud. Also, cats are often scrolling around various places, and it might happen to get some bacteria and dirt that could increase your risks of developing various health problems. Since animals are much more resistant to dirt, viruses, and bacteria, it is crucial to vaccinate them in a regular period and keep them clean.
Nevertheless, the biggest problem can be interrupted sleep, especially for cat owners, since cats are known as animals who often sleep during the day, and lure their prey through the night. Dogs also don’t have the same sleeping patterns as we do, and you might feel disturbed by barking all night. However, it is much easier with dogs when you teach them to sleep in your bed, they are going to be calm all the time.
The biggest problems might be with cats, especially if you suddenly decide to not let them in your bedroom. You might get in a situation where your cat is not letting you sleep all night if you don’t let her in. And even when you let her, she could run around the room, because cats are naturally active during the night. The best way is to decide once if you will let the cat inside or outside, and keep that as a strict rule, the cat will get used to it.
Conclusion
You and your children are completely safe to share a bed with your cat or dog unless any of you has some health problems like allergies or asthma. Also, animals could get some skin disease because there are playing outside, and the risk is much bigger for you and the kids since animal are much more resistant.
In the end, if no one in your family is suffering from allergies, you could let you a little friend to share your comfort, without any risks for any of you and the pet. Be sure to vaccinate and keep your pet clean. Moreover, you should respect their habits too, because some of them might not find it comfortable to sleep in your bed. In that case, every pet should have its own place in your home.
