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Study: Women sleep better with dogs by their side

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(CNN) - They scratch, move and snore, but a recent study shows women who sleep with dogs get a better night's rest.

Researchers found women who share their beds with dogs report less disturbed sleep and greater feelings of security and comfort.

Women who sleep with cats did not show those benefits and reported disrupted sleep as much as women who share a bed with a human partner.

The correlation between better sleep with dogs is based on self-reported data and has not been confirmed using an objective measure.

Dog owners also tend to go to sleep and wake up earlier than cat owners.

It is not known if those sleep habits contribute to the reported benefits.

This study was published this month in the journal of the International Society for Anthrozoology.