Does Your Dog Steal Your Sleep?

We all love our pets. We treat them like family members, and in many ways we treat them better than people.

But can they cause you misery where you least expect it? Indeed: snoring pooches in our bed can wreak havoc on our sleep. And we're not always as inclined to kick them out as we would a snoring spouse.

I was reminded about the trials of sleeping with a snoring dog when I read an amusing blog on petmed.com. The author, Dr. Patty Khuly, brought up a few interesting points:

• If you suffer from insomnia aside from your snoring bed partner, then your problems finding sleep are even more challenging -- especially if you awaken in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep due to the nasally roar of your neighbor.
• The same physical issues experienced by humans when they snore (airway obstruction) must also affect snoring dogs. Dogs who snore are almost certainly experiencing some degree of respiratory compromise that affects their waking lives, too. (So yes, I guess dogs can be victims of sleep apnea just like humans.)
• But unlike humans, dogs don't sweat; they regulate their body temperature through panting -- using their tongue and airway as a cooling mechanism. Dogs who are unable to move air efficiently are not only more likely to suffer heat stress; they're also less likely to move enough air into their bodies to oxygenate their blood efficiently -- which helps explain why snore-prone breeds can suffer from chronic fatigue.
• Dogs that endure a lifetime of poor breathing can end up getting hiatal hernias, which can be life-threatening. So yes, something as seemingly harmless as snoring can instigate other health troubles that create a domino effect down a dangerous path. But then again, the same can be said for humans who snore due to something like obstructive sleep apnea, which can trigger respiratory and circulatory distress farther down the line.

All this brought to mind a recent headline about dogs who die while traveling on planes. It turns out that short-snouted dogs are most likely to die on planes: bulldogs, pugs, and similar breeds made up about half of deaths in past five years. Short-nosed breeds, known as "brachycephalic" in the dog world, have a skull formation that affects their airways. They can't cool themselves off so easily and are prone to heat distress and, in severe cases, death.

Luckily, humans have similarly-shaped nasal passages. What distinguishes those who snore and may suffer health consequences from those who don't is usually related to something other than the shape of one's nose. Body weight (especially neck circumference) is one such factor. The thicker your neck, the higher your risk for snoring, among other health challenges.

But it's interesting how the problems that plague our four-legged friends aren't all too different. Dogs and humans share more than meets the eye. In addition to sharing beds, they can share a bad night's sleep.

Which is why I always advocate that people and pets keep separate bunks. And watch out: letting your pet have a piece of your slumbering space might be a hard habit to break once they've gotten used to it. Something else to keep in mind: your allergies. Over time it's quite easy to develop allergies to pets and not realize it. If you wake with a stuffy nose every day, put fido or fluffy in their own space. While that may mean off the bed, it could just mean a special space on the bed that they can call their own. This way you both can get a good night's rest.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD

The Sleep Doctor™

www.thesleepdoctor.com

 

 

 

Follow Dr. Michael J. Breus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesleepdoctor

Comments

[ConfuciusSay-]

06:02 PM on 10/22/2010

Our 600 lbs of German Shepherds will not fit in the bed. Besides, they are happy out on patrol.

[babybelle]

08:20 AM on 10/22/2010

After sleeping with two husbands who snored so loud they shook the house, I'll take a snoring dog anyday! LOL
I sleep very well with my Chihuahua by my side!

[ras121s]

05:28 PM on 10/21/2010

I love snoozing with my pooch. He hardly ever snores, but when he does the only thing about it that keeps me awake is how adorable it is. I just want to sit and listen to him - it's a quiet little light whistling wheeze. I also love when I wake up in the night and feel that he has moved (he only sleeps at the foot of the bed) so that he can be touching my foot or leg. Feeling him pressed up against me makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. When I have another person in my bed, he sleeps on the floor. And doesn't argue with me over it. But most of the time, I'd rather have him in the bed than another human. ;)

[Debra Henk]

05:00 PM on 10/21/2010

My 3 dogs can sleep in my bed when they learn how to take a shower to wash all the poison ivy oil off their fur.

I cannot imagine the pain I would be in. Poison ivy is rampant around my little farmlet, and even though I have Australian Shepherds, they do not seem to be able to identify and avoid the poison ivy. :)

[ras121s]

05:24 PM on 10/21/2010

Ha! I feel your pain! My Border Collie verges on genius, but he doesn't seem to know the difference between poison ivy and virginia creeper...and this summer that lead to posion ivy all over the left side of my face!! Thankfully, it has been erradicated from my yard.
Good luck to you and your pooches - and the plague of poison plants!

[hjalmar]

03:22 PM on 10/21/2010

My dog doesn't snore and sleeps on a comfortable bed right next to mine. I invite her up from time to time if I am alone, but she always heads back to her bed in short order (maybe that is because it is I who upsets her sleep with my restlessness ;-).The only time she wakes me is when she smells a critter outside the cracked open window, lets out a bark and makes a bee-line for the doggie door in the kitchen to chase them away. The only time this is a problem is when that critter is a skunk. If I smell skunk I yell and she stops in her tracks and returns. If she goes out and barks steadily, it can also be a skunk, and I call her back. The raccoons just scuttle under the footbridge over the little creek nearby and snarl. She is cautious and doesn't tangle with them (thank goodness!). Cats scramble through a hole in the fence. My favorite sound while I am laying in the dark is thundering hooves of deer with her in hot pursuit. I haven't lost any vegetables to deer this year thanks to her vigilance.

[BlackYowe]

10:56 PM on 10/20/2010

After years of sleeping with my dogs I had to boot them from my bed. They pin the covers and make me wake up stiff and they give me allergy problems when they sleep near my head. I have a corgi who sleeps under the bed and she is the only one I can have in the bed room. The cats do the same thing about pinning the covers and making me not turn over so they are banned as well sadly. I enjoyed the dogs in bed for many years but now I am older I have to be more careful.

[Willow712]

08:57 PM on 10/20/2010

Last year I got an 8 wk old Bichon Shih tzu hybrid. He was little and tiny, and since I love to have a dog sleep with me, I put him in bed with me. He was so easy to train, he never would pee in his bed area, so he would wake me up to go potty. My bed is high and he couldn't get off of it until he was almost grown. He sleeps under the covers, near my feet. In the winter (In Iowa), my furnace is set at 50, so he is under a comforter, a duvet with a comforter in it, and sheets. He sleeps so good, he curls around my feet, If I get up to go to the bathroom, he moves up and keeps my spot warm, then goes back down to the bottom when I get back. He's better than a hot water bottle. Any time I want to sleep, couch or bed, he's ready.

[CoastalNC]

01:43 PM on 10/21/2010

I hope you get to enjoy him for many years...haha. I have 3 dogs, my toy poodle is always ready to "go to bed". When I get home from work she will run ahead of me, stop and look back to see where I'm going and if I say anything about going to bed she is off like a shot to the bedroom and waiting when I get there to be put up on the bed....haha. Dogs...they are great!!

[ChaCubed]

02:52 PM on 10/21/2010

LOL Love the "ready for bed" story, CoastalNC. Thanks for sharing.

[mamala4]

01:49 PM on 10/21/2010

Sweet :) I too sleep with my 2 English Cocker spaniels...they cuddle, keep me warm and provide unconditional love...

[quindy]

07:20 PM on 10/20/2010

My two dogs don't snore, but they jump in and out of bed, walk around, lick my face at 5 AM to wake me up. I know they should not be in my bed. But, they are wonderful companions, and I love having them in my bed. My husband agrees.

[CoastalNC]

01:45 PM on 10/21/2010

:-) I have 3 dogs, only one of them snores but she doesn't snore as loud as my husband so we don't care...we'd be lost if the dogs weren't there....in a row right down the middle of the bed (one at the head of the bed, one mid way down and one at the foot).

[Pushpin100Count]

06:00 PM on 10/20/2010

Everyone is mentioning snoring from their dogs, but what about...ahem...gas. My lab can get pretty lethal, and it has awakened me from a dead sleep before.

[CoastalNC]

01:46 PM on 10/21/2010

hahaha.....I've been blaming my husband, do you think it might be the dogs?! haha

[playsindirt]

03:34 PM on 10/20/2010

I have a much-loved, aging Golden who is a spry 11 years old. She wakes me with her moans and noisy breathing routinely in the middle of the night and that's OK with me. Every day with her is a gift and I fear the day when she's not there.

[ConfuciusSay-]

05:57 PM on 10/22/2010

That is sad. Hope she lives forever :)

[lifeisgood61]

02:41 PM on 10/20/2010

My neighbor's dog steals my sleep. I mean, can't they hear him barking? Do they think that's okay?

[Anastasia]

02:16 PM on 10/20/2010

My cat steals my sleep by bringing me prizes that are are still alive and kicking and plopping them on my bed at 5 o'clock in the morning.

She's thrilled, me not so much.

[Inkosi]

10:40 AM on 10/20/2010

One night I was not feeling too well- had a cold. . Put my satin sheets on my Queen size bed, showered - put on my silky leopard print jammies and got into my bed. B'Nero (labradoodle) gets on bed. He starts snuggling and pushing and I am moving - I push back - OMG, I have no traction and I slide out of bed onto the floor. The look on that dog's face was at first amazment - the lets do it again. Needless to say, I took those sheets right off.

[Anastasia]

02:22 PM on 10/20/2010

Ha, ha, ha! Great story!

[tjdestry]

08:17 AM on 10/20/2010

I never let my dogs up on my bed until last winter, when I was living in a place where the bedroom was somewhat off the heat flow. A large warm dog was an easy fix. But I also discovered that having a large dog in the bed tended to force me onto my side rather than on my back, which reduced my snoring and apnea. So, in this case, having the dog in bed actually improved the quality of my sleep.

Saves money on utilities, too.

[quindy]

07:18 PM on 10/20/2010

See?

[glockman]

07:57 AM on 10/20/2010

Long ago we became dog people (or our dogs became human people, if you will). When we brought home our first companion Dachshund (we've stayed true to the breed for many years), I firmly informed my wife that the dog would not be sleeping in our bed. Dogs and humans don't share beds, I told her...

Fifteen years later, and I have discovered that my companions (two of them) have been gracious enough to let me share their bed wit them. And actually, it has worked out well. They don't snore, they sleep through the night (and then some), and are quite warm when it's cold out. They actually help me sleep, and it's comforting that they are such excellent watch dogs for my wife when I have to work midnights.

No, I just don't think I can change this. Nor do I want to.

[CoastalNC]

02:03 PM on 10/21/2010

I feel the same way about my dogs...once I let my first one get on the bed that was it, I was hooked.