It’s not exactly the sort of thing I advertise, but I’ve found a guy who is willing to go to bed with me when I’m ready, not “in a few minutes” which may turn into hours of waiting in bed alone. My new bed partner can be a little bit of a bed hog, once in a while has a smell or two that makes me glad I’m usually unconscious when we share a bed, and I love the feeling of another heart beating next to mine.

Yes, I take Jake to bed with me. He knows his side and he knows that once I go to sleep there is no playtime. Jake likes his sleep too. Until my husband finally joins us and insists that Hank either move over between us or just leave the bed altogether. And then we all sleep well for the rest of the night.

Then Hank is the first one up, putting his long golden nose in the crook of my neck and snuffling. Golden Retrievers have long noses and Hank knows that always wake me up in enough time to let him outside.

Some people believe that sleeping with their pets is the only way to live and others believe that sleeping with their pets adversely affects their sleep and have banned all pets from the bedroom.

My sleep is very important to me. I suffer from insomnia and if I am awakened during the night, I’m usually up for a couple of hours before I’m able to fall back asleep, so I am a firm believer in making sure that all your sleeping buddies are compatible.

Several years ago we had a couple of cats who decided that they had to sleep with us on our bed. The big black cat always found a special spot between my husband’s legs, effectively pinning him into a single position. The more svelte tabby would wind herself around my head, then sleep on my back, by my side, or nibble my ears. Needless to say, my insomnia during that time was horrible. We had to ban the cats from the bedroom.

With Hank, I know that he will go to sleep with me on the bed and not cause any trouble when my husband finally joins me. Hank is very easy going and understands that I love him, but Dad gets the bed.

Every person has to evaluate how healthy it is for them to sleep with their pets or not. There really is no hard and fast rule that says you should or should not. Plenty of people have an opinion on it, but that is usually based on their experiences. If you’re sleeping well, don’t mess with success. If not, you’re the one paying the price for not getting enough sleep.