Pet Co-Sleeping and Well-Being: Evidence from Two Cross-Sectional Online Surveys of Youths and Adults

While the health benefits of pet ownership are well-documented, research on co-sleeping with pets has yielded conflicting results, often contrasting objective sleep disturbances with subjective satisfaction. This study examined the association between dog or cat co-sleeping and well-being across two age groups: adults and youths. Data were collected through two cross-sectional online surveys involving adults (n = 2675) and youths (n = 1050). Participants reported their pet ownership, co-sleeping status, and well-being using the five-item World Health Organization Well-being Index (WHO-5). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare WHO-5 scores among three groups: non-owners, owners who do not co-sleep, and co-sleepers. In adults, dog co-sleepers exhibited significantly higher well-being scores compared to non-owners (p = 0.025). However, no significant associations were observed in the youth sample. These findings suggest that while pet co-sleeping is often perceived as disruptive, it may be positively associated with subjective well-being in adult populations. Further longitudinal research is needed to clarify the causal relationship and the specific mechanisms underlying this “pet effect” in the context of shared sleep environments.