What happened
Does sharing a bed with your dog affect your sleep? Newstro explains a new PLOS One study covered by NBC News, following 25 owners and 38 huskies and malamutes in southern Ontario for about four weeks.
Researchers found no statistically significant bed-sharing association with measured human sleep duration or efficiency in this small sample. That does not establish that dogs improve sleep. We explain the movement trackers, the questionnaire findings, nighttime activity timing, and the study’s limitations.
The sleeping dogs shown are illustrative file photographs, not study participants. Study published October 7, 2026; data collected in late 2021. Report prepared October 8, 2026.
Every statement is attributed to the cited reporting. Visuals marked “file photo” or “illustrative” do not depict the events described unless stated.