It's probably okay to let your pets sleep in your bed, argues Aussie psychologist

By Sam Downing|

The question of whether you should sleep alongside your cat or dog divides households and civilisations.

This winter it’s likely your typically standoffish cat has slunk up next to you at night to steal your body heat, or you’ve invited your dog under the blankets to be your hot water bottle — but it's just as likely you're nauseated by the thought of sharing a bed with your pets.

The question of whether you should sleep alongside your cat or dog divides households and civilisations, and a new paper gives ammunition to the "pro" side.

Dr Bradley Smith, a Central Queensland University psychologist who specialises in canine cognition, argues in the journal Human Nature that sleeping close to a pet "should be approached as legitimate and socially relevant" form of co-sleeping.

His paper documents how humans have slept alongside animals for thousands of years, and that how in the west, about half of cat and dog owners report sharing a bed or bedroom with their pets.

According to the paper, the big worries about sleeping alongside pets are hygiene and the spread of disease, that it can disrupt sleep, that it blurs the line between human and animal behaviour, and concerns about, uh, "inappropriate sexual conduct".

But Smith argues that none of those hold much water: "Despite the many apprehensions surrounding human-animal co-sleeping, its high incidence would suggest that its advantages likely outweigh any disadvantages... there are likely benefits to continuing the practice," he writes.

However, the paper warns that "an unhealthy level of pathological attachment may ensue" if lonely people cuddle up to their pets at night — something to mull over if you're worried about turning into a crazy cat lady or lord one day.

Smith concludes that more research is needed into the pros and cons of sharing sleeping quarters with pets

A 2015 study from the Mayo Clinic's Center for Sleep Medicine found those who shared a bed with their pet reported better sleep, particularly singletons — although the researchers conceded that love for furry companions could bias recollections about how well the bed-sharers actually slept.

Dr Jane Heller, a veterinary lecturer from Charles Sturt University, offered an offbeat reason not to allow your dog into the bed: because it might learn to view itself as the alpha in your pack.

"Dogs are territorial so if they decide to defend the bed in which they are sleeping you could see some aggression or difficult behavioural issues," Dr Heller told Coach.

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