The importance of sleep for dogs’ wellbeing

How much sleep should our dog’s get?

The figures on how much sleep in normal for dogs varies hugely. Statistically, the average time an adult dog will sleep in a 24hr period is just over 10hrs. In reality it can be very hard to tell when our dogs are asleep or just resting. They will often be heavily reasting for 12-16hrs in every 24hr period. Research tells us that most of our dogs’ sleep takes places between 13:00 and 05:00, which is very different to most of us.

Puppies need more sleep, but this is often made up of longer day time naps, and less nigh time sleep compared to adults. Geriatric dogs, especially those suffering with canine cognitive decline often experience significant sleep disturbances and greatly reduced night-time sleep.

What happens when they don’t sleep enough?

Like us, most healthy and happy dogs can catch up on a day or two’s poor sleep without much trouble. But prolonged periods of sleep deprivation and sleep disruption is a serious welfare concern. Some studies have even found that lack of sleep is more stressful (physically and mentally) on dogs than a lack of food.

Sleep deprivation pushes our dogs’ bodies into a state of chronic stress making them vulnerable to physical and emotional disorders. Common findings include weakened immune systems, lower pain thresholds and poorer problem-solving skills. Most of us also understand from our own experiences that when we are sleep deprived, we are often irritable, easily frustrated and may feel increasingly anxious.

Medical reasons for poor sleep

There are a few important medical issues which can have a profound effect on sleep. If you are worried your dog may have any of these, it’s important to speak to your vet and get support.

One already mentioned, is canine cognitive dysfunction. This is a disorder seen in senior dogs (8 years and over) that is similar to dementia in people. These dogs often struggle with disturbances of their circadian rhythms and sleep cycles. They will often wake frequently in the night and wake very early.

There are many breeds of dog who are at high risk of brachycephalic airway syndrome (BOAS) which is characterised by restricted upper airways, noisy breathing and poor exercise tolerance. These dogs also often suffer with sleep apnoea (stopping breathing during sleep due to obstruction of their airways). It is not unusual to see such dogs trying to ‘self-medicate’ by propping their heads up on furniture or holding a toy in their mouth when they go to sleep in an attempt to keep their airways open.

The main physical cause of sleep disruption in our pet dogs is chronic pain. Chronic pain has far reached effects on the whole-body including changes to the structure of the brain. At the most basic level, pain can make it hard to get comfortable enough to sleep. But chronic pain also causes changes such as low melatonin which is a key part of a health sleep system. The less sleep the dogs get, the worse their pain experience, and the worse they sleep.

How to help your dog sleep well

Exactly how our dogs sleep is very individual. But when looking at what helps them sleep ‘well’, there are some common themes:

• Being in a familiar, safe, environment
• Following their usual routines
• Being close to their family (bonded humans and dogs)
• Avoiding negative emotional experiences
• Physical activity and mental stimulation during the day

Your dog should have a quiet, comfortable place to sleep without disruption. This should be available to them day and night.

It is very common for people to believe that they shouldn’t let their dogs upstairs, or in the bedroom. But doing so will not make them ‘dominant’ or worsen any separation related issues. There can be very good reasons why it isn’t practical, but bear in mind that when given the choice, nearly 90% of pet dogs chose to sleep close to their human family, and many people report improved sleep quality too (although bed sharing often causes disruption due to our dog’s tendency to move more during the night

Please note: If your dog has a history of aggression when disturbed during rest or around sleeping areas, sharing sleep space is not advised. Dogs should also not be unsupervised around babies and children, including at night.