As a species, we have been sleeping alongside our four-legged friends since … well, no one is entirely sure, but certainly long before modern bedtime routines emerged. The first real beds appeared about 4,000 years ago, while the domestication of dogs began at least 20,000 years before that, with our canine companions working as a combination of predator deterrent and hot‑water bottle.
These days, there are very few roaming wolves, and we have duvets and heated blankets to keep us warm. So, is it possible that letting dogs – or cats – share our sleeping space is doing us more harm than good?
