Study shows women who sleep next to a dog rest better

Photo credit: Getty

Ladies with canine companions go to bed earlier, sleep better and get up earlier in the mornings, according to research from Canisius College

The study shows that dogs beat cats, and even people for best sleeping partners.  

More than half of the 962 women surveyed by felt a sense of "comfort" when they slept next to their dogs.

 Thirty-one percent of women who had at least one cat did not experience the same comfort.

Humans have a clear chemical interaction with dogs. Japanese researchers found that when dogs and humans look into one another's eyes, our oxytocin levels soar.

Oxytocin is the neurochemical of love. It is the same chemical that makes mothers of all species feel protective love over their babies. 

Dogs experience a 130 percent rise when they make eye contact with their owners, and humans experience a whopping 300 percent rise, which would explain why women get such good night's rest next to their dogs.

Cats do not incite the same response, but because their faces are proportioned similarly to that of human babies, our primal brains feel protective over their cute little faces anyway. 

So even if you don't get the best night's sleep next to your kitty companion, you still want to look after them.

However, seven percent of the women surveyed said that they sleep best alone  so even though a dog is a better bed buddy than a partner, the best sleep comes from having the whole bed to yourself.

Newshub.

 

Contact Newshub with your story tips:
news@newshub.co.nz