7 Surprising Risks of Sharing Bed With Your Pet

Sharing your bed with a pet can be comforting, offering benefits like better sleep, reduced anxiety, and stronger emotional bonds. Many pet owners enjoy the warmth and companionship their pets provide, contributing to a sense of safety and relaxation. However, while co-sleeping has its perks, there are surprising risks to consider.

Pets can introduce allergens, bacteria, and parasites into your bed, potentially affecting your health, especially if you have respiratory issues or a weakened immune system. Additionally, co-sleeping can impact relationships and lead to behavioral challenges for both pets and owners. There’s also the possibility of disrupted sleep patterns and territorial behavior from your pet.

To balance these risks, it’s important to establish boundaries, maintain good hygiene, and ensure your pet’s health is well-managed. This article highlights seven surprising risks of sharing your bed with your pet, offering tips to help you make informed choices for a safe and comfortable co-sleeping arrangement.

Related: 9 Amazing Benefits of Sharing Bed With Your Pet

1. Sleep Disruption Risk

Your pet’s companionship is valuable, but it can affect your sleep quality. Research shows 33% of Americans experience disrupted sleep due to pets, with higher rates among Gen Z (42%) and millennials (39%). Pets may disturb sleep by moving, making noise, taking up space, or needing bathroom breaks.

Dogs are linked to higher chances of sleep disorders, while cat owners often report leg jerks. Over half of pet owners are woken nightly, and multiple pets can worsen insomnia. Cats, especially, are active at night, which may clash with your schedule.

To protect your sleep, consider letting your pet sleep elsewhere in the bedroom. This maintains your bond while reducing disruptions.

2. Allergies and Asthma Concerns

Living with allergies while sharing your bed with a pet requires careful consideration. Around 12% of Americans are allergic to cats or dogs, and for those with asthma, the risks can be significant. Studies show 44.2% of asthma attacks in dog-sensitive individuals result from high allergen exposure in the bedroom.

Pets introduce allergens like dander, saliva, urine, hair, and feces, which linger on bedding, furniture, and carpets for months. Symptoms, especially for those with allergic asthma, may appear within 15–30 minutes of exposure. Allergies can also develop over time, even if you’ve lived with pets before.

You don’t need to stop sleeping with your pet. Treatments like immunotherapy and protective bedding can help reduce allergen exposure. Consult an allergist for personalized solutions.

3. Hygiene Issues

Sharing your bed with a pet raises important hygiene concerns. Studies show dogs carry 34.3 colony-forming units of bacteria per square centimeter, while cats carry 22.5—exceeding hospital hygiene standards by 4–7 times. Bacteria from feces is found on 86% of dogs’ paws, highlighting the need for proper cleaning routines, especially with outdoor pets.

To keep your sleeping space clean:

• Wash bedding every 3–4 days.
• Clean pet paws after outdoor activities.
• Groom and bathe pets regularly under veterinary guidance.
• Use anti-parasitic treatments as needed.

Pets can also transmit zoonotic diseases, though risks are low for healthy individuals. Consider using separate bedding or designating specific pet zones in your bed to manage hygiene while maintaining closeness.

4. Injury Potential

Before sharing your bed with pets, consider physical safety. While pet bites are rare, they can happen, especially if animals are startled awake. Children are more prone to injuries from pet bites, making extra caution essential for families.

Key risks to consider include falling from high beds, pets biting (particularly children), pets guarding their space, and small or fragile pets getting injured. Children often miss signs of fear or aggression in pets, increasing the chance of bites. Puppies and kittens are at risk of injury if rolled on during sleep, and high beds can pose dangers for pets jumping down.

Your bed may become a territorial issue, with dogs acting protectively. Breeds prone to back issues, like those with Intervertebral Disc Disease, should use pet stairs or ramps to prevent injuries. These risks don’t mean you can’t share your bed with pets but highlight the need for thoughtful sleeping arrangements based on your pet’s size, age, and personality.

5. Behavioral Problems

Sharing your bed with pets can lead to behavioral issues if boundaries aren’t set early. Pets may develop resource guarding, seeing the bed as their territory. This can result in growling, aggression toward new partners, territorial behavior, separation anxiety, or refusal to leave the bed when told.

For new puppies, trainers recommend avoiding bed-sharing until they’ve learned to sleep alone, follow basic commands, and are potty trained. Allowing bed access too soon can interfere with these important habits.

Bed-sharing may also cause stress if your family grows. Pets can react poorly to changes like the arrival of a baby, increasing tension and the risk of incidents with children. While co-sleeping can strengthen bonds, pets with behavioral issues may become worse.

6. Disease Transmission Risk

Sharing your bed with pets carries some health risks. According to the CDC, 60% of human pathogens can be transmitted by animals. Close contact increases exposure to zoonotic infections such as cat-scratch disease, MRSA, and bacterial infections from bites or scratches. Pets that go outside can bring bacteria and parasites on their fur or paws, raising the risk.

While the chance of illness from healthy pets is low, the risk increases for individuals with weakened immune systems, young children, or the elderly. Maintaining good hygiene and ensuring regular veterinary care significantly reduces these risks. Properly treated pets are unlikely to transmit parasites or diseases.

7. Relationship Impact

Letting pets sleep in your bed can affect intimate relationships. Research shows 56% of married pet owners sleep best with both their dog and partner, while 33% prefer only their dog. Key findings suggest that most couples agree on pets in bed, and partners often sleep better with just the pet. Successful co-sleeping depends on clear boundaries and open communication about needs.

Experts say pet cuddles shouldn’t interfere with physical intimacy or emotional bonds. Couples can reduce tension by setting scheduled pet-free times or specific days for bed-sharing with pets. Communication is key to finding a balance. While pet co-sleeping is a common complaint in relationships, couples who talk openly can maintain strong bonds with both their partner and pet.

Conclusion

Sleeping with your pet offers benefits like better sleep, reduced anxiety, and stronger emotional bonds. Pets provide warmth, relieve pain, and create social connections that support heart health and safety. However, it’s important to consider the impact on sleep quality, hygiene, allergies, relationships, and potential behavioral issues.

To make pet co-sleeping work, focus on regular vet checkups, good hygiene, setting clear boundaries, and open communication with family members or partners. Safety measures, especially around children, and plans for health concerns are also essential.

Pet co-sleeping isn’t for everyone. Your decision should align with your lifestyle, health, and relationships, ensuring a balance of benefits and risks for all family members—human and furry.

Featured Image: by Andrés Gómez/Unsplash