Do Dogs Actually Ruin Your Sleep? A New Study Says You're the Problem

If you share your bed with a dog, you’ve probably been told you shouldn’t. Sleep experts have warned for years that pets in the bedroom disrupt sleep — the movement, the snoring, the 3am face lick. And objectively, they have a point: activity trackers consistently show more nighttime disruptions when a pet shares the bed.

But a new study from the University of Toronto, published in PLOS One in October 2026, flipped the script. After tracking 25 humans and 38 dogs (huskies and malamutes, no less — not exactly tiny lapdogs) with activity monitors for four weeks, the researchers discovered something nobody expected.

The humans were disturbing the dogs more than the dogs were disturbing the humans.

The Study That Surprised Everyone

The research team fitted both humans and their dogs with wrist and collar activity trackers, then monitored their sleep patterns simultaneously for 28 consecutive nights. This dual-tracking approach — measuring both sides of the co-sleeping relationship — is what makes the study unusual. Most previous research only measured the human side.

The results challenged the standard narrative. While humans reported feeling that their dogs disrupted their sleep, the objective data told a different story. Perceived sleep disruption didn’t match the activity tracker readings. Dogs showed more disturbed sleep patterns correlated with human movements than the other way around.

In other words, when you roll over at 2am, your dog wakes up. When your dog shifts position, you mostly sleep through it.

Why You Think Your Dog Wakes You Up (But Probably Doesn’t)

There’s a well-documented gap between how people perceive their sleep and what actually happens. Sleep researchers call it the “subjective-objective sleep quality discrepancy,” and it shows up consistently in co-sleeping studies — whether the bed partner is human, canine, or feline.

Matt Walker, the neuroscientist and sleep researcher, has described a similar paradox with pet co-sleeping on his podcast. Actigraphy sensors detect disruption, but owners consistently report sleeping well. A separate nationally representative study of 188 children using polysomnography (the gold-standard sleep measurement) found no objective difference in sleep quality between those who slept with pets and those who didn’t.

The likely explanation is that your brain has learned to filter out your dog’s movements as non-threatening background noise. Much like how your brain evolved to sleep with ambient sound — sorting environmental noise from genuine threats — a familiar pet’s movements register as safe and get filtered out during lighter sleep stages.

Your Dog as a Sleep Schedule Enforcer

Here’s where the study gets genuinely interesting for sleep quality. The researchers noticed that dog owners with consistent co-sleeping routines had more regular sleep-wake schedules than control groups. The dogs, it turns out, function as what chronobiologists call “zeitgebers” — environmental cues that help set your biological clock.

Dogs are creatures of habit. They want to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time. They don’t care that it’s Saturday — breakfast is at 7am, period. This rigid schedule enforcement, while occasionally annoying, is exactly what your circadian rhythm needs. Consistent sleep and wake times are one of the strongest predictors of good sleep quality.

The 15,000-year history of humans sleeping alongside dogs suggests this relationship isn’t an accident. Before central heating, locked doors, and alarm systems, dogs served as warmth, protection, and — apparently — circadian regulators.

The Emotional Comfort Factor

Sleep quality isn’t purely physiological. Anxiety and hyperarousal are among the most common causes of insomnia, and for many people, a dog’s presence in the bedroom provides a sense of security and companionship that directly counters pre-sleep anxiety.

Research on the oxytocin response supports this. Physical proximity to a bonded pet triggers oxytocin release — the same hormone associated with trust and calm in human relationships. For people who live alone, deal with anxiety, or have experienced trauma, this biochemical comfort signal can make the difference between lying awake ruminating and drifting off peacefully.

This doesn’t mean every dog belongs in every bed. If your dog is genuinely restless, has untreated sleep-disordered breathing (yes, brachycephalic breeds like bulldogs can have sleep apnea too), or triggers your allergies, the disruption may outweigh the comfort. But the blanket advice to banish your dog from the bedroom doesn’t hold up against the evidence.

When Co-Sleeping With Your Pet Does Cause Problems

The research isn’t an unconditional endorsement of pet co-sleeping. There are genuine situations where it’s worth reconsidering:

Allergies: If you’re allergic to pet dander, bedroom exposure during the 7-8 hours you sleep significantly increases your allergen load. Regular washing of bedding and HEPA filtration can help, but if your allergies are severe, the bedroom may need to be a pet-free zone.

Multiple pets: The Toronto study looked at single-dog households. Adding a second or third animal to the bed introduces exponentially more movement and potential disruption.

Puppies and untrained dogs: A dog that hasn’t settled into a predictable sleep routine will genuinely disrupt your sleep. Most dogs develop consistent sleep patterns by age 2-3.

Light sleepers with large, active breeds: If you’re already prone to waking in the night and your dog is a 40kg German Shepherd who dreams with full-body twitches, the math might not work in your favour.

Practical Tips for Better Sleep With Your Dog

If you do share your bed (or bedroom) with a dog and want to optimise the arrangement:

Establish a consistent bedtime routine — for both of you. Dogs respond to predictable sequences. A regular evening walk, followed by a settling period, followed by bed, helps your dog (and your own circadian rhythm) know what’s coming.

Give your dog their own space on the bed. A designated spot — typically at the foot of the bed or along one side — reduces the chance of being woken by repositioning. Some owners find a dog bed placed right next to their own bed gives the proximity benefit without the physical disruption.

Keep the bedroom cool. Dogs run warmer than humans and can turn a shared bed into an uncomfortably warm sleeping surface. Good airflow helps both species sleep better.

Wind down together. The settling period before sleep matters. If your dog is still in an activated state — from a late walk, play, or household excitement — they’ll bring that energy to bed. A calm 20-30 minutes before sleep helps both of you transition.

The Bottom Line

The science on pet co-sleeping is more nuanced than “don’t do it.” Objective data consistently shows that the sleep disruption from a well-adjusted dog is minimal — and in many cases, the circadian regularity and emotional comfort benefits outweigh the minor physical disruptions.

The Toronto study adds a humbling twist: your dog might have more reason to complain about sharing a bed with you than you do about sharing with them.

If your dog sleeps peacefully in your bed and you wake up feeling rested, the evidence says you’re fine. If you’re convinced your dog is wrecking your sleep, try a week with them in a bed beside yours and see if your sleep actually improves. The answer might surprise you.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have persistent sleep issues, please consult a healthcare provider.