How to Get Some Sleep When Your Pet Keeps You Up at Night

There are so many reasons why you should have a pet in your life. They are lovely and bring a different kind of happiness that nothing else can. Research has also proven that a pet in your life can improve your mental health by a long shot. However, one of the not-so-great moments of having a pet is when the pet keeps you up at night. 

At some point in your life with pets, you would have had a sleepless night because your puppy or kitten does not sleep through the night. Instead, they want to play with you, thereby disturbing the sleep you should get. In this guide, we have discussed a few steps and tips you can follow to get some sleep when your pet keeps you up at night. 

Of course, you would have to improvise based on your lifestyle and the pet you have. But we are sure you can get some inspiration from the core ideas.

#1 Sync Their Schedule

Like humans, pets also need to develop a suitable routine for sleep. If your dog or cat is waking you up in the middle of the night, an out-of-sync schedule could be the reason. As you can guess, the solution is to get the pets back into a schedule. Now, this is a task easier said than done. This happens because many factors affect the sleeping schedule of their pet.

Most importantly, you need to pay attention to when and how often they are getting food. For instance, if you feed your pet too early, it will become hungry by early morning and end up waking you up. In the same way, if your pet’s schedule for defecating clashes with your sleep schedule, you will be in trouble. Besides, your pet’s other needs may also make them wake up at a time you do not like.

As we said, the process of synchronizing your schedule with your pet’s sleeping schedule is not an easy task. If you have already trained your dog or cat to a specific feeding schedule and defecation schedule, you may need time to change it. However, if you are dealing with a puppy that is learning things, you can do this in a comparatively easier manner.

Please note that you should notice even the slightest details while trying to rearrange your pet’s feeding and sleeping schedule. If you do not feed them when they are hungry, it would be one of the most harmful things you do to your pet. We understand sustainable training is a tiring process, but it will create a suitable living environment for you and the pet.

#2 Increase the Activities

As you may already know, dogs and cats spend a considerable amount of the day sleeping. When you come back from work exhausted, your pet will have plenty of energy left in them. This could be one of the reasons why your dog does not sleep through the night anymore. Now, the easiest solution here is to increase the number of activities that your pet engages in.

In the case of dogs and puppies, you can take them on long walks or increase the playtime in general. If you are busy and cannot afford a dog-sitter, you can consider getting your pet a few toys to keep them engaged. You can easily find hundreds of interactive toys that prevent your pet from being hyperactive at the end of the day. Depending on your lifestyle, you can also choose between dog schools and other solutions.

Science has proven that developing a good habit of napping can help humans in combating sleep deprivation. In the case of pets, however, this may not be the case. You do not want your pet to nap throughout the day and stay up all night. While life with pets is all fun and games, you do not want the extra pressure of sleeplessness.

Once again, you should pay attention to the aspect of your pet’s life before you follow a strategy in the said department. For instance, if your exhaust your dog but fail to feed them at the proper intervals, you will have a tired puppy waking up in the middle of the night. In the end, you do not want to put a human’s best friend under pressure, do you?

#3 Improve the Environment

When it comes to pets and sleep, you should also pay more attention to how good the environment is. Like human beings, pets can also have a poor sleep if the conditions are not correct. For instance, you have to make sure that your pet sleeps in an area with warm temperatures. If the temperature is too high or low, they may have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.

Although you do not have to be as picky as you are when picking a mattress, you should see if the sleeping bed for your dog is comfortable. You should also consider placing a sustainable source of water near where they sleep. So, even if your dog wakes up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty, it will not have to disturb your sleep. You can get one of those automatic water-feeder systems at a low cost, you know.

Last but not least, you should ensure that you do not bother your pets with too much noise. As you already know, pets are more sensitive to sound, and even the slightest sound can tamper with their sleep. Therefore, you can try to keep the environment as silent as possible. As you can guess, things will be pretty different if we are talking about a guard dog, though.

The Bottom Line

We hope these tips help you regain the sleep cycle you lost because your pet keeps you up at night. As we have mentioned, these steps are not easy, and they require a lot of effort from your side. However, the time and effort you dedicate to cultivating these habits will help you and your pet gets regular sleep. Given that so many factors affect people’s sleep quality, you do not want your pets to become another one.