It’s a no-brainer that sleep is vital for one’s health. That is why so many researchers study the best way to get good quality shut-eye. However, forget chamomile tea and meditating before bed. According to new research, women sleep better next to dogs. That’s right; Canisius College in New York State conducted a study that found that canines make better-sleeping partners than humans or cats.
“We found that women commonly rate dogs as better bed partners than cats and human partners and report that their dogs enhance their sleep quality,” Christy Hoffman, Ph.D., animal behaviorist and lead researcher of the study.
Research Finds that Women Sleep Better Next to Dogs
Hoffman surveyed almost one thousand women living in the United States to come to these findings. The results showed that 55% of the participants shared their bed with at least one dog and 31% with at least one cat. Also, 57% of these women shared a bed with a human partner, while the rest did not. [1]
Hoffman also discovered why dogs seemed to make the best bed companions. The first reason is that dogs’ sleeping patterns, as opposed to cats, more closely resemble those of humans.
“The difference between dogs and cats is not surprising because dogs’ major sleep periods tend to coincide more closely with humans’ than do cats,’” said Hoffman.
However, while there may be benefits of these similar sleeping patterns, more research is needed to know for certain. But Hoffman has some ideas of how this could work.
“In comparison to human bed partners, dogs may be better at accommodating their human’s sleep schedule,” she said. “It’s not uncommon for human bed partners to go to bed at very different times and wake up at very different times. Such differences in partners’ schedules can certainly disrupt sleep. It may be that dog bed partners adapt more readily to their owner’s schedule than do human bed partners.”
Moreover, dogs require certain schedules and responsibilities, such as a morning walk. This kind of regime helps their owners maintain a routine, improving sleep quality as a result.
Stillness and Security
Additionally, dogs tend to stay stiff as they sleep. Anyone who’s slept with a fidgety partner knows how disruptive they could be. However, women in the study reported that their dogs stayed on the bed most of the night instead of felines, who tended to come and go.
“This suggests that cats may be more likely than dogs to create disruptions by moving on and off the bed during the night. In addition, we found that dog owners kept to more consistent bedtime and wake time schedules than cat owners and also tended to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier than cat owners,” Hoffman said.
Here’s the third and most important reason: Canines provide a sense of security to their owners. More so than with cats or even human partners.
“Some dog owners may take comfort in the thought that their dog will alert them in the case of an intruder or other type of emergency; furthermore, a dog’s bark may deter a potential intruder. A cat is less likely to take on this role, and so, may not provide psychological comfort in the same way a dog might,” said Hoffman.
The Best Partner for Quality Sleep
However, while the study suggests that dogs are the perfect slumber buddies, their benefits are subjective to each case. For example, a dog could snore or make the bed too hot. Additionally, there are many owners who find that their cats help them sleep.
Keep in mind that the research was based on how the volunteers perceive their pets’ effects on their sleeping quality and duration. As a result, more objective research is needed to definitively consider dogs the superior sleeping partners. However, Hoffman believes that these studies could be beneficial as many American households have pets.
“It will be valuable to continue this line of research so we can develop a clearer picture of the contexts under which pets and their presence in their owner’s bed may positively impact sleep quality, and the contexts under which co-sleeping with a pet may be detrimental to one’s sleep quality,” she said.
For instance, research has also shown that women sleep better while alone than with a human, but many believe in the opposite. Future research could use Fitbit-like devices to objectively track the sleep quality of people in different sleeping conditions.
A Rare Look At Today’s Shiloh Jolie-Pitt
One of the most popular Hollywood couples of all time was Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Some people loved them together and other people hated it, but it was impossible to ignore the fact that they were everywhere.
The couple remained together for 12 years and had three children with each other. They also adopted three children while they were together. Angelina Jolie already had two sons who were adopted when she met him in 2004.
The film that they met each other on was Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and in many ways, it launched their relationship with each other. They enjoyed working together and eventually, a romance was building.
They talked about what they wanted in life and this included some similar things. Angelina was still adopting children and they co-adopted a baby from Ethiopia in 2006.
It was in that same year that she was pregnant with their own child. They went to Namibia for the birth to stay out of the public eye during that time.
They were so popular together that it is thought that the first picture of the child was worth $1 million. That baby is Shiloh, and she was born healthy by a cesarean section.
Despite the fact that they had a healthy baby, they were also concerned that there were some 2 million babies born every year in the developing world who died the first day they were born. They wanted to do what they could to save those children by making changes.
Shiloh is now 16 years old and she’s growing up quickly. She is close to her older brothers and sisters as well as the twin siblings that are younger than she is.
They don’t too much on social media so they tend to stay behind the scenes but one thing that is known is that Shiloh wasn’t always going by that name. At one time, she wanted to be called John.
Her parents are supportive of the choice that she’s made, and they want her to fit in. They even try to match clothes with her older brothers.
According to Angelina Jolie, she wanted to be a boy so they cut her hair and let her wear boy’s clothing.
These days, Shiloh has grown up into a beautiful young woman. She still isn’t seen very often in public, but we look forward to seeing her more in the future.
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