If you always put your Shih Tzu to sleep in the kitchen or living room, it might be time to rethink that choice. A study has indicated that sleeping with a Shih Tzu offers a better night’s sleep.
According to the research, sleeping with your Shih Tzu in the same room conveys comfort and security to people.
According to a new study from the Mayo Clinic, sleeping alongside your pet can actually improve your sleep patterns.
Lois Krahn, a sleep medicine specialist at the Arizona campus of the Mayo Clinic, conducted the study due to claims by many people that having animals in the same room during sleep would be a disturbance.
The researchers aimed to assess whether having a dog in the room would disrupt or aid sleep.
To conduct the study, they spent four months evaluating the sleep of humans and dogs occupying the same room.
The study involved forty healthy adults without sleep disorders, accompanied by their dogs, all over six months old.
For seven nights, humans used accelerometers (sleep trackers), and their canine companions also used the same device in versions adapted for dogs.
The study found that, regardless of the dog’s size, having a four-legged friend in the room improved sleep quality.
“Most people assume that having pets in the room is a disruption,” said Lois Krahn during the study’s release. “We found that many people actually feel comfort and a sense of security sleeping with their pets.”
However, if the Shih Tzu was on the bed instead of the floor, their owners slept less.
“Today, many Shih Tzu owners are away from their pets for most of the day, so they want to maximize their time with them when they’re home,” Krahn explained. “Having them in the room at night is an easy way to do that. And now, pet owners can take comfort knowing that it won’t negatively impact their sleep.”
This is good news for those who enjoy sleeping with their Shih Tzu beside them, though the only problem is that you might end up relaxing too much and oversleeping.