Canadian scientists from Concordia University believe that the sleep of children with pets is not only not harmful, but may even be beneficial for the psyche of preschoolers and adolescents.
Previous studies have shown that between 30% and 50% of children and adults regularly sleep with their pets, while 75% of households have pets.
The project involved almost 200 children aged 11–17, as well as their parents. Scientists analyzed the quality of sleep of the subjects at their home for one day, and also gave the participants of the experiments gadgets to track their sleep for another 2 weeks.
The survey showed that 65% of the subjects usually do not let pets in their bed. Another 17% of those surveyed said they sometimes do it, and 18% sleep with their cats or dogs all the time.
At the same time, the quality of sleep in the subjects of all three groups turned out to be the same on average, but those who slept with animals more often stated that they had better sleep and felt more rested.
Scientists suggest that children see their pets as close friends, which makes sleeping with them more sound and peaceful.