Letting your four-legged friend in your bedroom could actually help you sleep better, new research has found.
Over a period of five months, researchers from the Mayo Clinic evaluated 40 adults, who all slept with their dogs in their bedrooms or on their beds. Both people and the canines wore motion-tracking devices for seven days. Later, adults answered questions about the quality of their sleep.
It was found that on average, they maintained an 83 percent sleep efficiency. These findings are contrary to previous studies showing that pets in the bedroom will likely affect one's quality of sleep.
"Most people assume having pets in the bedroom is a disruption," said lead researcher Lois Krahn in a statement. "We found that many people actually find comfort and a sense of security from sleeping with their pets," explained the sleep medicine specialist.
However, the dog's position on and off the bed was found to make a difference. If the dog was in the bed, respondents indicated an 80 percent sleep efficiency -- thus slightly less compared to the dog sleeping anywhere else in the room.