Should you let your dog or cat sleep in your bedroom?
From better sleep to midnight disturbances, experts explain the benefits and drawbacks of allowing your pet to spend the night with you.
Getty
From better sleep to midnight disturbances, experts explain the benefits and drawbacks of allowing your pet to spend the night with you.
Sharing a bedroom with your dog or cat is one of the few things that divides pet owners. While some wouldn’t dream of shutting their companion out at night, others argue it’s unhygienic and would never allow their pet into the bedroom.
So is sharing your bedroom with your dog or cat good for you? We asked sleep experts, animal behaviourists and health specialists to weigh up the pros and cons.
A 2026 study led by researchers at Chiba University in Japan found that more than two in five dog owners and a similar proportion of cat owners let their pet sleep in their bedroom or on their bed.
Dog owners who slept in the same room as their dog had higher wellbeing than people who didn’t own a dog. However, the study couldn’t establish that the sleeping arrangement rather than dog ownership was the deciding factor. There was no equivalent wellbeing link for cats.
Yet for individual pet owners, sleeping arrangements can make a real difference.
“For some people, the comfort and sense of security of sleeping near a pet outweighs a small amount of disruption during the night,” says sleep consultant Maryanne Taylor, founder of The Sleep Works.
.jpg?sc=max&mw=800&h=450&la=en&h=630&w=823&hash=31B8B51383080E6E90AEAECF9EF44B21)
We spoke to sleep experts, animal behaviourists and health specialists to explore the arguments for and against letting your pet sleep in your bedroom, and to discover how to make it work, whichever side of the debate you’re on.
“People can feel vulnerable when they’re asleep, so having a pet nearby can feel reassuring,” says Taylor. Warmth, touch and familiar sounds may be particularly helpful for someone who is anxious or lonely, she adds.
The Chiba researchers also suggest that close contact at bedtime might provide emotional security. Sleeping nearby can strengthen the bond between an owner and their pet, adds animal behaviourist Lisa Sinnott.
A 2021 review led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that across different types of bed sharing, including people and pets, people often felt they slept better even when objective measurements detected more disruption.
“The real question is whether this arrangement is working for someone’s sleep and wellbeing,” says Taylor.
A small 2025 study led by researchers at the HUN-REN Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology in Budapest found that, in an unfamiliar laboratory, dogs fell asleep faster, slept more efficiently and spent more time in non-REM sleep when their owner was present rather than a friendly stranger. The findings suggest that some dogs may settle more easily with their owner nearby.
“We’re warm, we smell familiar and our beds are often really comfortable,” says Sinnott. A bedroom can quickly feel like a safe space because only the owner and familiar people generally spend time there.
Cats have another reason to climb onto your bed: height. “Cats like sleeping high up because they’re a predator-prey species, so they feel secure there,” Sinnott adds.
How to make sharing a bed with your pet work
.jpg?sc=max&mw=800&h=450&la=en&h=630&w=823&hash=F365F32E25FE631940F148C6511ADAD1)
A 2024 study led by researchers at Trinity College in Connecticut found that people who shared a room or bed with a pet reported poorer sleep quality and more severe insomnia. The link with poorer results was stronger for people who shared their sleep space with dogs than for those who slept with cats. Among those who shared their sleep space with pets, owning more animals was linked with more severe insomnia symptoms.
A small 2020 study led by researchers at Canisius College in New York followed women and their dogs over more than 120 nights. Dog movement tripled the likelihood that an owner would begin moving, yet the women rarely recalled being disturbed.
“During the night we can have brief arousals from sleep that we don’t remember the next morning,” says Taylor. Moving, licking, scratching, snoring and jumping on or off the bed can all chip away at sleep, she adds.
“Larger dogs may cause more disruption, while some dogs react to traffic or other outside sounds,” says Sinnott. Pain or stomach trouble can make dogs and cats restless.
Cats are naturally crepuscular (active primarily during twilight), so bursts of activity around dawn and dusk are normal, says Sinnott. It will be harder to drop off if your cat is pouncing on your toes at dusk or to sleep in if they swipe you in the face as soon as it is light, hoping to play.
Pet allergens collect in bedding, carpets and furnishings. “The problem isn’t usually the fur itself,” says Dr Thuva Amuthan, a GP and founder of Dr Derme Skin Clinics. “People react to proteins in the animal’s shed skin cells known as dander, as well as their saliva.” The proteins gather on the coat and become airborne, he adds. No cat or dog is truly hypoallergenic.
“Cats and dogs can carry other allergens into the home on their coats,” explains Rebecca Seal, author of Irritated: The Allergy Epidemic and What We Can Do About It. Birch pollen sticks particularly readily, she says.
A blocked or runny nose, sneezing, itchy or puffy eyes, hives, snoring, coughing or breathing problems can all suggest you have an allergy, particularly when symptoms are worst first thing, says Seal.
If you suspect you might be allergic to your pet, ask your GP for advice. They might suggest an allergen-specific IgE blood test. Seal advises against relying on a home test.
Antihistamines and other nasal sprays can control allergy symptoms such as a blocked or runny nose, but they don’t remove the allergen or necessarily make continued close exposure safe, says Dr Amuthan.
If you have a pet allergy, it’s best to keep your pet out of the bedroom completely, he says, particularly if exposure triggers asthma, significant eczema or persistent symptoms.
Seek medical advice about recurring night-time wheezing, chest tightness or breathlessness. Call 999 if you’re having an asthma attack and your reliever inhaler isn’t helping, says Dr Amuthan.
“If you’re unsure, try changing the arrangement for a week,” says Taylor. Compare how rested and alert you feel. You could always compromise.
A separate pet bed in your room may preserve closeness with less disruption, she suggests.
Be the first to know when your dogs and cats can join the Saga family too.
Trusted advice, practical tips, exclusive interviews, puzzles, competitions and more every week. Sign up to our free newsletter.
Exclusively for Saga Magazine subscribers – Save up to £4,300 per person for a limited time.
Join us for the voyage of a lifetime aboard Spirit of Adventure as she embarks on an all-inclusive 73-night cruise around South America in January 2027.
Some dog gadgets are genuinely useful. Here’s the tech that’s worth the money and why.
