Who really wakes up first in the bed?

For years, pet owners have blamed their dogs for fragmented sleep, assuming the animal is the primary source of nighttime disturbance. A new study published on October 7, 2026, in the journal PLOS One flips that assumption on its head. The research, led by Ming Fei Li of the University of Toronto, suggests that humans are actually the ones disrupting their dogs more often than the other way around.

The study is significant because it moves beyond anecdotal evidence and self-reported surveys to use objective data. By tracking the actual movements of 25 humans and their 38 dogs over four weeks, the team could see exactly when each party was active. This approach provides a clearer picture of the shared nighttime experience, revealing a complex interplay of movement and rest that was previously misunderstood.

The Data Behind the Disturbance

The researchers utilized activity monitors worn on the wrists of the human participants and on the collars of their canine companions. This setup allowed for precise tracking of nighttime activity patterns without relying on memory or perception. The data collected over the four-week period showed a strong correlation between the movement of the owners and their dogs.

It is not uncommon for both parties to wake up or shift positions around the same time. However, the timing of these events was not random. The analysis revealed a consistent pattern in who initiated the activity. This finding challenges the long-held belief that the dog's restless nature is the primary cause of sleep disruption for the owner.

Humans Move First

The most striking finding from the University of Toronto research is that humans began moving before their dogs did in the majority of observed instances. This suggests that the owner's restlessness or waking is often the trigger that causes the dog to become active. In many cases, the dog was simply reacting to the human's movements rather than initiating the disturbance independently.

This dynamic highlights a subtle but important shift in how we view co-sleeping with pets. It implies that the human is the primary agent of change in the shared sleep environment. When an owner shifts position or wakes up briefly, the dog often follows suit, creating a cascade of activity that both parties experience. This reverses the typical narrative of the dog as the troublemaker.

Subjective vs Objective Reality

One of the key insights from the study is the discrepancy between what people feel and what actually happens. Many owners reported feeling that their dogs were disturbing their sleep, yet the objective data did not support this perception. The researchers noted that sharing a bed with a dog did not significantly affect sleep duration or quality for most participants.

This gap between subjective experience and objective reality is a recurring theme in sleep research. People may attribute their own restlessness or natural waking cycles to external factors like a pet. By using wearable technology, Li and colleagues were able to bypass these cognitive biases and provide a more accurate account of what was truly happening in the bedroom during the night.

Implications for Pet Owners

The findings do not mean that dogs never disturb their owners. There are certainly instances where a dog's movement wakes a human. However, the overall picture is more nuanced than previously thought. Owners might benefit from examining their own sleep habits and restlessness patterns before blaming their pets for poor sleep quality.

For those who co-sleep with dogs, this research offers a reassuring perspective. It suggests that the act of sharing a bed is not inherently detrimental to sleep health. In fact, the strong correlation in activity patterns indicates a deep connection between the owner and the pet, one that is characterized by mutual responsiveness rather than one-sided disturbance.

Limitations and Future Directions

The authors of the study acknowledge that the sample size was limited to 25 humans and 38 dogs. This is a small group for a study of this nature, and the results may not be generalizable to all dogs and owners. The researchers also noted the absence of a dogless control group, which makes it difficult to isolate the specific impact of the dog's presence on the human's sleep.

Future research will need to expand on this work by including more diverse samples. The authors suggest that studies should look at dogs of different ages and breeds to understand if these patterns hold true across all canines. Additionally, including a control group of humans sleeping alone would provide a clearer baseline for comparing sleep quality in co-sleeping versus solo sleeping scenarios.