Pets Disrupt sleep (per study mentioned on TV)

[Day_Dreamer]

I heard a reporter this morning Dr. Steve on WPIX stating that Pets disrupt our sleeps.

He was condescending in expressing his belief that pets have no place in the bedroom.

I have two burmeese Cats. Anyone not familiar with the breed, think breathing stuffed animal. If I am not spooning with one of them, I feel something is wrong and call out for company. The few seconds it takes for one to sprint back to the bed can be disruptive, but as soon as one plops back under the covers all is good again

How do your pets affect your sleep?

[old dude]

.....

[Day_Dreamer]

We have five. No purebred cats, just mutts if you will, but all extremely affectionate and um, demanding. They range from 13 lbs. to 20. If you've never tried to breathe with a 20 pounder on your chest you're really missing out on something. Fortunately for me they prefer to lay on my wife at night.

But yes, they do disturb sleep in many ways, not the least of which is their propensity to remind us at 5:00 am that we only have an hour to prepare their breakfast. These cats never ever go outside, period, not for any reason. In my opinion, any one who says to keep cats out of your bedroom has never had the privilege of being the butler for a houseful of cats. Having 5 large cats outside your bedroom door all screaming to be let in wouldn't be conducive to good sleep either, not to mention the damage done to your door. Heck, I believe that given a few hours our pack could probably take the door down anyway.

Nope, ain't gonna happen!

Yeah I couldn't keep mine out of the bedroom either even if I tried. One of em has figured out how to open the door so I'd have to lock it. That would not go over well.....

[chunkyfrog]

I miss having a cat on the bed.
The dog is not allowed in the bedroom because he, ah, um, emits aromas--very unpleasant ones.

[Julie]

My very doggy Bombay (cat... to those unfamiliar with the small black, brainy dynamos) only sleeps in the room occasionally, tho' on the bed til he was 4, but now only jumps up at 5-6 a.m. to bonk me with his head and tell me it's time for breakfast. For which I'm a slave, then sleep again afterward. Goblin, my white avatar cat, is no longer around, but he slept on the bed with me always... and is missed for that and lots more.

[archangle]

Mine wakes me up fairly often. I think she usually waits until I'm actually awake, but still lying in bed trying to sleep, but she does make me get up rather than lying there and going back to sleep. Once I get up, it's harder to go back to sleep.

I probably should do something about it. I sometimes will crate her at night and she doesn't seem to have too much of a problem with that.

[Kiralynx]

Well, yeah. Pets disturb sleep.

When my Sunny Lady was developed heart issues, it disturbed my sleep a lot, because she had to have meds in the middle of the night.

When she was dying of cancer, it disturbed my sleep a lot.

Mr. Shadow is now 16 years and 3 months old. He has his issues, including intermittent incontinence which can be very disruptive... but am I gonna throw him off the bed he's slept on since he was 3 months old? No... he wears a wrap at night.

He can also be disruptive because he wants me to get up and help him on the bed because he's a bit shaky these days. Am I gonna lock him out of the bedroom just because he's old and shaky? Nope, ain't gonna happen. (For one thing, he'd sit outside barking, and that would be WAY more disruptive.)

Miss Beagle likes to come tearing back after going out and race around the bed after my husband lets her out first thing in the morning. Yeah, that's disruptive. I also have to remind my husband that it is RUDE to let her stay out in the yard and BAY, as only a Beagle can bay at 5a -- not only does it disrupt MY sleep, it wakes up the neighbors for blocks around.

Master Harper sleeps in his crate, but races up on the bed to greet me when he's first let out. Is that disruptive of sleep? Well, yeah. But he's a PUPPY. He's getting better... he now comes up and thumps down next to me and curls up for a nap until I'm ready to get up.

It's my choice: the joy my fur kids bring me far out weighs the hassles.

[Bons]

I have a three inch long angry looking scratch on my wrist because I was flailing in my sleep last night and hit the cat. I used to be able to determine how badly I flailed during the night be whether or not the dog was still on the bed in the morning or had fled for safety.

One lab learned to wake me during the night by disconnecting the hose to the ASV.

[Day_Dreamer]

It's my choice: the joy my fur kids bring me far out weighs the hassles.

Dido

My sleep is disrupted when I do not have a cat under the covers. It feels like something is missing. I am sure when they tap my shoulder to let them under the covers it takes me out of a deep sleep, but as soon as I hear that motor boat purr, it puts me right back to sleep....

[Day_Dreamer]

Mr shadow, Miss beagle & Master Harper....great names!

The vets look at me strange when I reveal the names of my 2;

Curtis & Marshall

[zoocrewphoto]

My current crew are Jay Jay, Quinn Quinn (avatar), and Royal Regulus. All 3 are Ragdolls, one from a shelter. They usually take turns sleeping near me, and they do occasionally wake me. This morning, I woke up to the sound of Quinn hacking up a hairball. I determined that she was NOT on the bed, so I went back to sleep. Regulus will sometimes wake me up simply because he wants to snuggle. Jay Jay too. He sat on me for about 5 minutes purring. He doesn't stay long, but at 18 lbs, that is probably good.

Before cpap treatment, I had a half Siamese (100% barn cat) who was a great nurse kitty, the kind who snuggles and purrs all day when you are home sick. He used to paw at my face and wake me up. I finally realized he was reacting to my breathing (or gasping and lack of breathing). Once I showed signs of life, he would stop bothering my face. After he died, I started having a LOT of gasping, choking events. I hadn't realized how bad I had gotten until he stopped preventing the full attacks.

[old dude]

My current crew are Jay Jay, Quinn Quinn (avatar), and Royal Regulus. All 3 are Ragdolls, one from a shelter. They usually take turns sleeping near me, and they do occasionally wake me. This morning, I woke up to the sound of Quinn hacking up a hairball. I determined that she was NOT on the bed, so I went back to sleep. Regulus will sometimes wake me up simply because he wants to snuggle. Jay Jay too. He sat on me for about 5 minutes purring. He doesn't stay long, but at 18 lbs, that is probably good.

Before cpap treatment, I had a half Siamese (100% barn cat) who was a great nurse kitty, the kind who snuggles and purrs all day when you are home sick. He used to paw at my face and wake me up. I finally realized he was reacting to my breathing (or gasping and lack of breathing). Once I showed signs of life, he would stop bothering my face. After he died, I started having a LOT of gasping, choking events. I hadn't realized how bad I had gotten until he stopped preventing the full attacks.

Now that's an incredible story, although given how smart they are I don't doubt it for one minute!

[Bons]

My cats are Abbie and Scott (an 11 year old that was Butterscotch until he moved in with me two months ago). For some reason, all of our pets, including the multitude of rats we've had over the years and our 8 year old hermit crab, have all had human names.

[jencat824]

Well, my fur babies are (cats) Mr. Boots, Bobbie Sue, Ellie Mae, B.B, Tasha, Shayla, Hobo, Beaux, and Bidette (dogs) Satch, Tiger & Flash. My family is large & bedroom time is usually limited to one-on-one with mommy & daddy to watch TV before bedtime. However, if someone is sick, they sleep on my side of the bed so I can watch out for a little sick baby. My darling B.B. has been sleeping with us a lot lately, he has a disease with a long name that he got from a dumpster (which we found him in the bottom of a dumpster & rescued him from it). My little Bidette was very sick when I found her half-dead in a parking lot, so she spent several months sleeping with us while I got her well enough to introduce her to the rest of the family. In case you haven't yet guessed, all my babies were rescued in one way or another. Poor Tiger had been hit by a car & against all odds (he is a small Pekinsese) he survived. The only baby we intentionally adopted was Satch, at 7 weeks old & even his circumstances were unusual.

No, they don't all sleep with us at one time, but only because if they did, we would have to sleep on the floor, they would take up the whole bed. I do love it when one comes in to sleep for a 'just because' visit, there is nothing better than a cat/dog hug. Flash, my Basset Hound is the only animal in the house that doesn't like the bed & we suspect that some cruel human punished him harshly for getting on one. My fur family sleeps on all the best furniture & B.B. has always liked the top of the fish tanks (we have a 220 gal & 175 gal tanks), I think because its warm (or maybe he keeps hoping for a fishing pole ).

Do they disrupt my sleep, well yes, sometimes, but they are my family.

Jen

[Julie]

Ever try sleeping in a double bed (we were still young and broke ) with a Great White Pyrenees rescued from a white-out blizzard (turned out he was deaf and oblivious to car horns!) a few hrs earlier? He knew when he'd found a couple of suckers! We had to find somewhere else to sleep that night (cats just hid all over) and wondered if we'd lost our minds. Thank goodness we found his family the next day!