Women who want a more restful night’s sleep should ditch their partners and take the dog to bed instead. For female owners, dogs are less unsettling as sleeping companions than men and can even help prevent nightmares, according to a new study of 1,000 women. "Compared with human bed partners, dogs who slept in the owner’s bed were perceived to disturb sleep less and were associated with stronger feelings of comfort and security. (It) may be related to dogs’ abilities to deter intruders and warn their owners of potential threats," said the study authors. But not all pets make good bedmates. Cats who slept in their owner’s bed were reported to be equally disruptive as human partners, and were associated with weaker feelings of comfort and security than both humans and dogs.
Photo: Getty Images