We all know the importance of getting a good night's sleep. But for women, it appears they may get a more restful kip if they ditch their man, and cuddle up with a furry companion instead.

That's according to a study conducted by Dr. Christy L. Hoffman - a professor in the Animal Behaviour, Ecology, and Conservation department at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York - and her researchers.

They surveyed 962 adult women in the US, and discovered that on average, women who slept with their dogs reported better sleep, as opposed to women who slept with their partners. Research also found that women who share their bedtime with a dog, and a man found their pet to be less disruptive, while simultaneously providing a greater sense of comfort and security.

There's bad news for feline lovers, however. Hoffman's survey discovered that cats were found to be as disruptive as humans in bed, and also did not provide the same sense of security as dogs, or even humans.

This could vary according to your sleep habits though, as research detailed that cats could be suited better to night owls - as dog owners typically have early bed times and rise earlier, in comparison to cat owners.

Hoffman did stress that dogs won't be the solution for everyone with sleeping problems. "[The] keyword here is perception, this [study is based on] individuals self-reporting how they feel their sleep is affected and it's important to note that this is based on aggregated data and an average of responses, so getting a dog won't solve everyone's sleep problems," she told Broadly.

Hoffman said that she intends of studying the effect of dogs on the sleep of men in the future.

In addition, a study in Sleep Review asserted that furry friends can even help their owners have less nightmares.

Service animals who are specially trained are found to be particularly helpful when it comes to this, with the research saying that they can "mitigate anxiety ... and to modify hyperarousal and hypervigilance, which in turn creates a more amenable mood state for sleep initiation, as well as a greater sense of safety in those who are uneasy in the dark and/or night and who tend to phase-reverse to dodge nighttime sleep."

Well, the next time you berate yourself for being single, you might be better off heading to the dog shelter instead of taking a swipe at Tinder.

We all know the importance of getting a good night's sleep. But for women, it appears they may get a more restful kip if they ditch their man, and cuddle up with a furry companion instead.

That's according to a study conducted by Dr. Christy L. Hoffman - a professor in the Animal Behaviour, Ecology, and Conservation department at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York - and her researchers.

They surveyed 962 adult women in the US, and discovered that on average, women who slept with their dogs reported better sleep, as opposed to women who slept with their partners. Research also found that women who share their bedtime with a dog, and a man found their pet to be less disruptive, while simultaneously providing a greater sense of comfort and security.

There's bad news for feline lovers, however. Hoffman's survey discovered that cats were found to be as disruptive as humans in bed, and also did not provide the same sense of security as dogs, or even humans.

This could vary according to your sleep habits though, as research detailed that cats could be suited better to night owls - as dog owners typically have early bed times and rise earlier, in comparison to cat owners.

Hoffman did stress that dogs won't be the solution for everyone with sleeping problems. "[The] keyword here is perception, this [study is based on] individuals self-reporting how they feel their sleep is affected and it's important to note that this is based on aggregated data and an average of responses, so getting a dog won't solve everyone's sleep problems," she told Broadly.

Hoffman said that she intends of studying the effect of dogs on the sleep of men in the future.

In addition, a study in Sleep Review asserted that furry friends can even help their owners have less nightmares.

Service animals who are specially trained are found to be particularly helpful when it comes to this, with the research saying that they can "mitigate anxiety ... and to modify hyperarousal and hypervigilance, which in turn creates a more amenable mood state for sleep initiation, as well as a greater sense of safety in those who are uneasy in the dark and/or night and who tend to phase-reverse to dodge nighttime sleep."

Well, the next time you berate yourself for being single, you might be better off heading to the dog shelter instead of taking a swipe at Tinder.