Addressing the Root Cause
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Is Your Pet Costing You Valuable Sleep?
The short answer is that it is very possible, especially if your pet sleeps in the same bed as you. Unless proactive measures are taken, it is likely that your pet will wake up at least once throughout the night. In fact, one study reported that 30% of pet owners who shared their bed with their pet said they woke up at least once throughout the night because of something like their dog waking up at night. In addition, of those who let their pet sleep them with more than four nights a week, 63% of them reported poor sleep quality.
Whether your dog is waking up at night for a few minutes or hours, interrupted sleep is bad news. The National Sleep Foundation cites that in addition to drowsiness the next day, a lack of sleep can also affect your memory, mood, and alertness.
It is important to note that these side effects can happen even if your sleep is only interrupted for a few minutes at a time. Your body relies on deep sleep to maintain optimal functionality. However, each time your sleep is interrupted, your deep sleep process must start over.
For more information on the negative effects of poor sleep quality and treatment options available, contact Sleep MD today.
Since she sleeps next to our bed on my side, I was the lucky recipient of a cold, wet nose prodding me repeatedly in the middle of the night. I would wake up enough to stand up and put her blanket back on her. But in the moment, I wasn’t really aware that I was training her to wake me up. My responding to her snout punches by covering her up was reinforcing her behavior. I was half-asleep and just wanted her to stop poking me so I obliged.
My first plan of attack was to quit rewarding the nose pokes with covering her up. I would just ignore her prodding and eventually she would stop; this process is called extinction. This seemed like the easiest solution to the problem.
Occasionally, she will get too hot and go lay stretched out on the floor. The great thing is that she tuck herself back into bed all by herself! The cozy cave bed is worth every dang penny.
I went to bed with this new plan in mind, however my resolve to ignore her wavered. Sometimes I ignored her, but other times I was so annoyed and just wanted her to stop so I could fall back asleep, and I would get up and put the blanket on her. This only made her behavior stronger because she learned that is she persisted, I would eventually get up. The times I gave into her poking in were sabotaging the times I successfully ignored her, and thus training her to be more persistent.
Even though I know Ruby is capable of sleeping without a blanket, in her mind, being fully covered by the blanket is a need. She was coming to me to get her need met. But what if she could meet her own need? Then she would get what she needs to feel comfortable and I would get the sleep I need.
How To Stop Your Pet Waking You Up | This Morning
If you’re looking for nature’s alarm clock, the rooster has nothing on the canine. Yes, the rooster boasts a trademark crow that spells “dawn” in any language. However, if roosters are morning bells, dogs are iPhones with paws, long tongues, and no “snooze” button. For a determined pooch, waking their Owner is their chief mission every morning.
This is fine if your pup’s body clock aligns with your daily schedule. After all, what dog lover wouldn’t want to start their day with a lick from their furry friend? For those of you who enjoy a sleep-in, though, your pooch’s early-morning hijinks could be ruining your rest.
However, don’t despair: your dog can learn to respect your treasured lie-ins. Apply these below tips, and your days of waking up early will be behind you!
At their core, dogs are primal creatures. They depend on the cycles of nature to shape their schedule – which means they often rise when the sun does. By drawing all of your curtains closed of an evening, your pooch won’t be woken by the sunrise. This can buy you precious minutes (or even hours) before you face the prospect of your dog waking you.