Co Sleeping With Pets and Sleep Quality: What the 2026 Studies Show
By Chester Takau · November 2026
A dog in your bed probably disrupts your sleep less than it feels like it does. In an October 2026 University of Toronto study published in PLOS One, wrist and collar monitors found no measurable harm to human sleep from sharing a bed or room with a dog, even though about half the participants said their dogs interrupted their sleep. Other research disagrees, though: a 2024 US survey linked sleeping with dogs to poorer sleep, and a 2026 review of movement-tracking work describes more broken-up sleep. The honest answer depends on the pet, the person, and how sleep is measured.
About the author
Chester Takau is an independent writer researching sleep science and meditation. Content is educational and not a substitute for medical advice. See more about this site or get in touch.
This is a research piece. I haven't run any tests of my own, and I'm not a vet or a clinician. Everything here comes from the sources listed at the end, and where I only saw a news summary instead of the paper, I say so.
Does sleeping with a dog actually make you sleep worse?
The newest and most-covered result says no, at least for one group of dogs. The Toronto team tracked 25 adults and 38 huskies and malamutes for four weeks. People wore wrist monitors and the dogs wore collar monitors. Whether the dog slept on the bed or somewhere nearby made no difference to the human data.
Two details stand out. Human and dog movement was linked in 61% of co-sleeping pairs, and the human moved first in 45% of those pairs versus 18% for the dog, so people disturb their dogs more than the reverse. And about 72% of participants said they felt safer with their dogs nearby. Researcher Lavania Nagendran said: "Our findings show that we're very much in tune with one another, especially during the nighttime."
The WTHR (NBC Indianapolis) segment above summarises the Toronto study. I couldn't retrieve its transcript, so I'm not quoting it; the researcher quote above comes from the university's release.
Why do the studies disagree?
They measure different things in different people. The table puts the main results side by side.
Notice that the Toronto result and the Saskatchewan review are both objective measurements and still point in different directions. So the gap isn't simply "feelings versus data." The Toronto authors warn that their results may not apply to other breeds: the sample was small, mostly women, and limited to huskies and malamutes. A Japanese survey of 2,675 adults and 1,050 young people in Clocks & Sleep (2026) looked at dog and cat co-sleeping and well-being, but I could only see its design from search snippets, so I can't report its findings.
Why does it feel worse than the data says?
This is the angle I found least covered, and it suits a mindfulness site. If half of a study's volunteers believe their dog wakes them and the monitors show nothing, the belief itself deserves attention. My reading, which is an interpretation rather than something the study tested, is that brief awakenings are easy to remember when you're already watching for them, and a sleeper who expects a bad night tends to notice every shuffle. Owners with several dogs rated their sleep worse in the Toronto study, again without the devices showing it. If you're anxious about sleep, a pet can become one more thing to monitor. The reverse also appears in the data: 72% felt safer with a dog nearby, and that calm may matter on its own terms. It doesn't mean the dog can't also wake you, but it's a reason to test your belief before banishing anyone from the bed.
Is it better to have the pet in the bedroom but off the bed?
The Mayo Clinic figures lean that way: about 83% sleep efficiency with the dog in the room against about 80% on the bed. A three-point gap is small, and the Toronto study found no difference, so I'd treat the dog bed on the floor as a low-cost experiment rather than a rule. Light sleepers have the most to gain from trying it. Position matters too if a big dog crowds you into one posture; my side sleeping vs back sleeping comparison covers what the evidence says about each.
Dogs or cats: does the pet matter?
The 2024 survey tied dogs, not cats, to worse sleep, and Roma writes that dogs seem more disruptive while cat findings are mixed. Objective cat studies are scarce. Cats are most active around dawn and dusk, which in theory could cut into early-morning sleep, but I found no study measuring that. Cleveland Clinic adds practical cautions for cats and dogs alike: allergies, asthma, and fleas or parasites, particularly from outdoor cats.
Which setup suits which sleeper?
Most pages offer a generic pros-and-cons list. This is my own summary of how the evidence above might apply, not a clinical tool.
If a partner's snoring or restlessness is the real issue, that's a separate question; the restless leg syndrome vs periodic limb movement guide explains one common cause of night-time kicking that gets blamed on the dog.
How do I move my pet off the bed without a fight?
I found no research on the transition, so this is common-sense practice, not evidence. Put a dog bed or cat perch beside your bed first so the pet stays close. Reward settling there, and keep the same bedtime routine for a couple of weeks. Expect a few noisy nights. If it isn't working, remember the Toronto data: a dog on the bed wasn't shown to harm sleep, so you may not need to win this one.
Quick answers
Is it okay to let pets sleep in your bed at all?
For most healthy adults the evidence doesn't show a clear harm. Dr. Michael Breus, a sleep specialist, sleeps with two French bulldogs and is fine with it "as long as you don't get disrupted… and you wake up refreshed."
Do dogs disturb sleep more than cats?
Surveys and reviews lean that way, but cat data is thin and mixed.
Do small dogs behave differently from large ones?
Unknown. The one device study used huskies and malamutes. Redditors quoted by Inverse mostly complain about space, heat and being pushed out by big dogs.
Does a pet help with anxiety or sleep paralysis?
Some people say so, but I found no trial. Feeling safer is documented; a treatment effect isn't.
The practical takeaway: pick one change, keep a simple sleep diary for two weeks, and judge by how rested you are, not by how often you noticed the pet. If your sleep is poor whatever you try, see a doctor.
Sources: University of Toronto Mississauga release, Oct 29, 2026, Deseret News, Oct 9, 2026, Renata Roma, The Conversation, Mar 31, 2026, Clocks & Sleep 2026 (design only), Live Science on the 2024 US survey, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, CPAPX, ABC7, Inverse.
Updated November 2026. General information, not medical advice. See a doctor about persistent sleep problems.
Transparency note: This article was researched and written by Chester Takau with AI assistance for research gathering and drafting. All recommendations reflect the author's own editorial judgment.
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