Half of US dog owners and 62 percent of American cat owners share the sheets with their pets, a practice that sleep experts warn can lead to sleep deprivation (剥夺). Besides，Mayo Clinic found that more than half of the patients seeking consultations at its sleep clinic were pet owners whose sleep was disturbed by their cats or dogs in 2014.
However, a 2018 study found that is not the case. Researchers from Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, surveyed 150 of the patients who visited the facility’s center for sleep medicine. Every participant received a piece of paper and answered questions on it about their sleeping habits, their pets’ behavior, sleeping locations and how their pets affected their nightly sleep.
The researchers found that 56 percent of the study participants shared their bed or bedroom with their cat or dog. However, while 20 percent reported disturbed sleep because of their pets, 41 percent said that their pets presence in bed actually helped them sleep better.
Those who reported sleeping more soundly when their pets were present said that having them in the bedroom or on the bed offered them relaxation and provided a sense of companionship and security. Single sleepers were especially likely to report that sharing a bed with a cat or dog helped them get some shut-eye.
“Participants described feeling secure, content and relaxed when their pet slept nearby,” the study authors wrote. “The value of these experiences, although poorly understood, cannot be dismissed because sleep is dependent on a state of physical and mental relaxation.”
A similar small study published by the researchers from the University of Alberta found that having pets in bed can help people with chronic (慢性的) pain sleep better, while also easing feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
“They liked the physical contact with their dogs — cuddling before bed, and how it distracted them from feeling anxious about being alone at night,” researcher Cary Brown said. “They felt more relaxed and safer, so they weren’t anxious as they were trying to sleep.”
【小题1】What is the 2018 study based on?| A．A controlled experiment of sleep. |
| B．A questionnaire survey of the patients. |
| C．The comparison of the patients’ sleeping habits. |
| D．The long-term observation of all the participants. |
| A．Sleeping with pets is beneficial. |
| B．It is painful to sleep with pets. |
| C．Some people suffer from loneliness. |
| D．Physical relaxation is important to our health. |
| A．Distracted. | B．Crowded. |
| C．Calm. | D．Nervous. |
| A．Sleeping has something to do with health |
| B．Owners can get on well with their pets |
| C．It is hard for people to sleep soundly |
| D．Pets may help you sleep better |
