How Your Pet
Can Help You Sleep
Why Our Pets Are Beneficial To Our Overall Wellbeing
Let me introduce you to Jeff and Romeo.
Yes, they’re my two cats. I adopted these guys this past year from the Cal Poly Cat Program, which is run by my university. I’ve had animals my whole life-fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, cats, dogs-and have always felt an extreme comfort and connection with them. However, I never thought anything of it. But a night where I slept without my cat or dog was never a good night. In college, I craved to have an animal again-I missed their non-judgemental attitudes and their unconditional love. So, I adopted these guys. Now, I understand that I’m not necessarily so strange for feeling like I need to sleep with my cats. There’s actual evidence telling us why it can help your sleep struggles to have an animal.
At Sleep ASAP, we all sleep better with our pets.
Our intern, Victoria, is always eager to visit her hometown in order to get into her bed with the comfort of her puppies on either side. To her, there is nothing more peaceful than their warmth, breathing, and heartbeat throughout the night.
According to PsychCentral, there are many ways in which animals help our overall wellbeing:
1) They offer us unconditional love and acceptance.
As far as I am aware, my cats don’t judge me for eating an extra piece of pizza, or tell me to change my outfit before I leave the house. Whether or not they have the capacity to have opinions, critiques, and verdicts, we will never know. Since we will never hear them speak, the only thing we know is that they love us a whole lot.
2) Animals offer us a soothing presence.
Ever wonder why doctor’s offices always have fish tanks? Research shows that just watching fish lowers blood pressure and muscle tension in people about to undergo oral surgery. Aquarium therapy is a legitimate science, and has been tested in many scenarios, such as with patients awaiting electroconvulsive therapy. Yes, it did show to calm them down and lower their heart rates.
3) Pets promote healing through touch.
There is no doubt that touch has incredible healing powers. Research indicates that a 45-minute massage can decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Also, a hug floods our bodies with oxytocin, a hormone that reduces stress, and lowers our blood pressure and heart rate. Therefore, sitting there petting your cat or dog can quickly lower blood pressure and heart rate and boost levels of serotonin and dopamine.
4) We are forced to be responsible with a pet.
Positive psychologists say that we build our self-esteem by taking ownership of a task. When we succeed, we reinforce to ourselves that we are capable of caring for others. This is what happens when we take care of an animal. Additionally, it adds structure to our day. If your dog needs to go out for a walk each morning, he/she will not allow you to stay in bed until noon. You cannot leave your house for days at a time without making sure your animal is fed.
5) Our pets can easily alter our behavior.
There is no better feeling than walking in from a rough day to your dog jumping up and down and licking your leg in hopes of receiving your love. In a study done by Cole et al. (2007), they compared a visit with a dog to a visit without a dog among adults hospitalized for heart failure, which can be seen as a naturally occurring stressor. Significantly lower epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were measured among those patients who were visited by a dog as compared to those visited by a doctor without a dog.
Still not convinced?
Scientific studies show that animal therapy helps with social behavior, increased trust and trustworthiness, enhanced empathy, reduction of aggression and depression, promotion of a positive mood, anti-stress effects, lower blood pressure, pain perception, and improved learning.
When it comes to Animal-Assisted Therapy, it is most common to have a dog or a cat. So, which do you prefer?
Dogs
Man’s best friend. What’s debatable about that? I can come up with a few things. Dogs are like babies. They require lots of training, need to be taken out to the bathroom every few hours, are on feeding schedules, and need constant attention. However, the warmth they reverberate is indescribable, and it’s hard not to love a dog licking you across the face in excitement.
Dogs are proven to relieve anxiety, give their owners feelings of safety, and even improve depression. Dog therapy is on the rise, and it’s not only the ill person who reaps the benefits. Family members and friends who sit in on animal visits say they feel better, too. Additionally, it is also being used in non-medical settings, such as universities and community programs. I get to play with dogs from the shelter in front of my university’s library about twice a quarter and it immediately takes me away from my stresses.
“[My dog] sleeps against me and she has very rhythmic breathing and it just puts me out,” Candace Hunziker of Kennesaw, GA says. “I have insomnia, my whole family does, and we all sleep with dogs. She puts me to sleep better than an Ambien.” Dogs are also very in tune to their owner’s sleep struggles. They are frequently used with people who have chronic nightmares, Parasomnia, narcolepsy, and obstructive sleep apnea.
Cats
Personally, I am 100% biased towards cats. However, I completely understand why they turn people off — allergies, and the plain and simple fact that they do less than dogs. But this can also be considered a plus to cats-the fact that they require way less work. They don’t need to be walked, their feeding schedule is lower maintenance, and they need less attention in general. But they are there at every moment you truly need them. When I come home, my cats are at my feet waiting to be pet and cuddled. How can you turn that down?
Cats are known for having a “6th sense.” They can tell when their owners are in need. Many studies have shown that having a cat can calm nerves, lower blood pressure, help prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic pain, strengthen the immune system and even help you live longer. Therapy cats have been known to help significantly combat a variety of physical illnesses, as well as anxiety disorders, depression, loneliness and developmental disabilities.
The most common relaxing mechanism of a cat is their purr. I can personally attest to the fact that my cat’s purr is like white noise-it is hard for me to fall asleep without the calming and soothing noise.
Does your dog or cat help you with your sleep struggles? Share your story with us!
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