Remember that scene from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective when he comes home, and his pets come out to smother him with love? Wouldn't it be great to be greeted by your pets like Jim Carrey was? The more I learn about pets, the more in awe I am. Pets are so important to our lives.
In the 2009 movie "Where The Wild Things Are," there's a scene where everyone is sleeping safe and sound, warm and comfy. They are all together, sleeping in a pile. A long, long time ago, that's how we all used to sleep. This may not work for everyone today but co-sleeping with your pets can be just as good. Of course, as with everything, there are some pros and cons for you to consider. We will review them in this article.
How your pets say, "I love you."
If pets could talk, how would they say I love you? Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure this out – they want to be near you. They want to be close to you. The more we learn, the more we understand the bond that can be created between living, breathing things. This is true even between different species. Watch this to see how a deer and a dog can be best friends.
Humans and dogs have been sleeping together for centuries
In many cultures throughout the millennia, we can find evidence of people sleeping with their dogs. In Australia's Aboriginal culture, this is quite common. In fact, many researchers hold that early humans slept with their dogs and other domesticated animals tens of thousands of years ago. If you counted on animals as part of your survival, sleeping close to your sheep or cattle or goats, etc., was important.
Good Chemistry: Oxytocin is the feel-good chemical your body creates on its own. Research shows that touching and petting your dog (and presumably, other pets you love) increases the level of oxytocin in your system. This is related to a lower incidence of feeling down. There are many places around the country where therapy dogs are brought into senior care facilities and hospitals to help patients feel better and raise their spirits.
People who share a bed with their pets experience stronger feelings of comfort and security. This is a result of a study published in 2018. Results on improved sleep were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Nine hundred sixty-two adult women living in the United States participated in the study, but it's not a huge leap to assume these findings would the same for men.
I think this is a no-brainer when it comes to kids. I know for a fact my son slept better when his dog was with him.
REM sleep, Theta waves, and Oxytocin:
All three are related, and all three are important to a calm, restful night of sleep. The best part is that sleeping with your furry friends in the same bed improves all three.
Lower your levels of anxiety:
Many people sleep with their dog to feel calmer and less anxious. A well-trained dog is an absolute joy to be around, especially if they like sleeping in as much as you do on a day off.
PTSD levels decrease:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious condition for our members of the military. It can adversely affect their lives in ways that were previously unknown. In fact, the more we learn about it, the more we find out that traumatic experiences and the lingering effects are not limited to those in the military. Here again, having your dog sleep in your bed can help reduce stress.
An elevated dog bed or what's known as an orthopedic dog bed is a good idea for older dogs. But why not get a bed that's big enough, soft enough, and supportive enough for both you and your pets. One of the many new mattresses made today can help you and your pets.
Sleep with your dog or cat is a good idea but here is some research that suggests sleeping with your pets may disrupt light sleepers. Dogs often are okay sleeping through the night, but cats can tend to be active at night. When you dig a little deeper into the findings, many of the sleep interruptions are caused by pets or people waking each other because of not having enough room on the bed. When you or your pets turn over or change sleeping positions this can tend to wake up the co-sleeper. Gee, maybe they need a bigger bed. And maybe they need a mattress with good motion isolation.
Long ago, people thought that the California King, the Alaska King and the Wyoming King were the largest beds you could buy. Times have changed. Both mattresses don’t even come close today. It’s the same with bed fames
When it comes to beds, it’s hard to argue with size. If you co-sleep with your dog or cat or multiple furry friends, the bigger the bed the better. If you already know the benefits of sleeping in an oversized mattress, then the good news is you can get the absolute biggest size mattress without all the hassle of ordering a custom mattress and custom prices and custom delays.
The Family Bed: At 120 (that’s ten feet) wide and 80 inches long, the Family Bed by Taylor & Wells is the absolute largest commercially available mattress. That means you can order it and have it in your house quickly with free delivery. There’s no need to put up with the long production schedules and unpredictability that comes with a custom mattress.
The Family Bed XL: It’s hard to believe, but a lot of people are enjoying an even bigger bed. At 144 inches (that’s twelve feet) wide and 84 inches long, it’s even bigger than The Family Bed. How many pets and people do you think can sleep on this?
The Original Family Bed includes luxury stretch knit fabrics, cooling gel memory foam, breathable convoluted foam, high density support foam, removable and machine washable cover, and a 10 Year Warranty. It’s available in the ten-foot and twelve-foot widths. And of course, it is made with CertiPur-Us Certified Foams.
The Hybrid Family Bed includes luxury stretch knit fabrics, cooling gel memory foam, individually encased coils, Quantum Edge Elite Support, removable and machine washable cover, and a 10 Year Warranty. Just like the Original, it’s available in the ten-foot and twelve-foot width. And of course, it’s made with CertiPur Certified Foams
All four of these mattresses are available quickly and easily since we make them in our Fort Worth, Texas facility.
