You haven’t had an insomniac dog until you’ve … had an insomniac dog.

While sleep disturbances are not that common in dogs, their potential negative effects on the owner’s life can be quite incredible. Because when your dog doesn’t sleep … you don’t sleep, either.

Sleep quality is now being recognized by Western science as one of the main pillars of ongoing human health, enabling detoxification of the body, memory consolidation, and a myriad other helpful bodily processes.

And perhaps you didn’t know about it, but similar research is being conducted on dogs as well. Because dogs share a lot of the sleep disturbances we experience (including sleep apnoea, insomnia, and narcolepsy), they have become a bit of a ‘model’ animal for human sleep research.

So, what is the best schedule and sleep routine for your dog according to Western Science and what can ancient Chinese Medicine teach us about living health-fully with our best friends, every day?

The Natural Daily Rhythm of Dogs

Before getting into the root causes of sleep disturbances in dogs, it is important to cover dogs' natural daily rhythms (circadian rhythms). This can help us create a realistic, evolutionarily appropriate schedule for our best friend.

In terms of circadian rhythms, dogs are the ultimate shape-shifters and adapters. Studies on feral dogs in the wild have shown that dogs can have myriad natural activity patterns, including diurnal (day) activity, crepuscular (dawn/dusk) or nocturnal (night-time) activity. Studies of domesticated dogs have also shown that bomber dogs adapt to shift-work much better than their human partners.

This adaptability in sleep patterns is perhaps one of the many reasons why the dog (and not the cat) has become our best friend: dogs can easily adapt to our pattern of wake/sleep and activity, which allows them to be by our sides when we need them the most.

What does this mean for your dog’s sleep? It means that it is up to YOU to set the sleep schedule of your dog, as they may not naturally have a preference in daily activity pattern. In all likelihood, they will mimic you, but if they struggle with a sleep pathology, then this mimicking may be impaired.

A Healthy Activity & Sleep Routine

Just like us, the best time to wake for a dog is 30 min before daylight or at daylight, which means that wake time will depend on the season you are in at the particular latitude you are in.

Compared to the average human, who needs about 8 hours’ sleep a night, the average dog will need 10 hours' sleep (more in a puppy and less in an older dog - just like with humans).

This means that if I plan to wake at 7.00 am (30 min before daylight here in Autumn Melbourne), I will need to be asleep between 11 pm - 7 pm (perhaps going to bed at 10.30) while my dog will need to sleep between 9 pm - 7 pm (perhaps going to bed at 8.30 pm).

In addition, your dog will be napping about 21% of their wake time (21% of 14 hours is almost 3 hours of daytime napping), so make sure your dog has access to a relaxing place to sleep during the day.

Research also shows that dogs that sleep indoors rather than outdoors or in a shed have better sleep quality - whether this is due to a lack of disturbances or the reassuring presence of the human tribe, who knows. Installing your dog bed inside the house is best.

In addition, here are some tips on how to best choose & locate your dog bed:

• Install the dog bed away from drafts, blue light (like TVs/computer screens) and especially sources of Electro Magnetic Frequencies (such as WiFi routers).
• Choose a bed that is the right size for your dog: the length of the dog bed should be equal to or exceed the length of your dog from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail. This means your dog can stretch fully in their bed and relax their muscles and fascia while sleeping (this is a more natural sleeping position than being constantly curled up).
• Choose a foam or memory-foam bed that will stand the test of time: beds with filling often get lumpy and uncomfortable for a dog.
• If your dog is old or is at risk of tripping, remove extra blankets or cushions.

How your Day Routine Affects your Dog’s Sleep

Now that you know how to perfectly set up your dog’s bed and night-time routine for a restful sleep, it is time to fine-tune your dog’s day routine so that falling asleep becomes a breeze. Just like with humans, what a dog does during the day can have a huge impact on their sleep quality.

Meal-times

Research in dogs shows that dogs that eat twice a day (and especially in the evening) have worse sleep quality and 50% more activity during night-time than dogs that eat once a day in the morning. Feeding in the evening can also increase activity in the early morning and push the wake time earlier. 

If your dog has a tendency to sleep poorly or wake up too early, feed only once a day in the later morning (to prevent anticipatory meal-time activity very early on).

Exercise

While it is important your dog has their daily dose of exercise to sleep ‘just right’, like with humans, exercise can inhibit melatonin secretion especially when it is done a few hours before bedtime.

Hence, it is best if your dog has their bulk of exercise, training and play-time in the morning, and perhaps just a quick pee-pee walk at night, rather than a big playdate at the park.

Pre-bedtime activities

Research shows that activities with high emotional valence (emotional affect - whether positive or negative) up to 2 hours prior to bedtime can reduce sleep quality in dogs.

This means avoiding experiences that can generate fear/stress but also highly pleasurable or exciting activities for 2 hours before bedtime. The 2 hours before bedtime (6.30-8.30 pm in the above example) should be as boring as possible, with no play time, exercise, or feeding. 

Making your own evening and bedtime routine relaxing will help your dog in mimicking you. In addition, to specifically set a queued bedtime routine for your dog, I have heard good things about this sleep machine for use in dogs.

When Sleep Becomes Pathological

Dogs have many of the sleep-related disturbances that humans have, including insomnia, sleep apnoea, vivid REM sleep, and narcolepsy. For this reason, doggies have become model animals for sleep research in humans.

If your dog has problems falling asleep, staying asleep, or has many vivid dreams that inhibit their sleep quality, investigate the following:

Brachycephalic breeds

Short-nosed breeds can have breathing problems that lead to sleep apnoea and poor sleep quality. If your dog is brachycephalic and has problems sleeping, always get a health check from your vet as they may need surgery to help expand their airway access.

Age-related sleep disturbances

Just as with humans, older dogs tend to have more sleep disturbances (including less time asleep and altered sleep/wake cycle) as they get older. The degree of sleep disturbance also seems to correlate with the onset and severity of canine dementia.

Hence, it is particularly important to have a sleep routine in place for an older dog, and if your older dog shows signs of disturbed sleep cycle (more activity than usual at night and less during the day), it may be time for a vet check.

Bedwetting

Bedwetting (enuresis) or urine dribbling can be quite common in older desexed dogs, puppies, or dogs that experience Fear or have experienced Trauma. According to Chinese Medicine, 3-5 AM is when the Bladder is at its weakest. If your dog bedwets or dribbles, consider withholding access to water from after their evening meal (last drink of the night followed by a pee-pee break before bed). Also make sure to address any fearful emotions or phobias. Acupuncture is also effective against bedwetting, especially in older dogs.

Insomnia

Insomnia is one of these conditions that is difficult to treat using Western Medicine. Many sleep tablets actively inhibit good sleep quality (precluding their use in the long-term) and added melatonin often does not have the same effect that internally-generated melatonin has.

In my opinion, the best remedies and setup for canine insomnia are:

• A healthy daytime and sleep routine, as outlined above.
• Australian Bushflower Essences. Australian Bushflower Essences have some of the highest rates of success with sleep quality in dogs that I have seen across medicines. Dispensing a few drops before the bedtime routine (e.g. 6.30 pm) and placing the bottle in a safe place in the vicinity of the bed (within the auric field of the bottle) can have amazing results. A prescription specific to your dog will work better than a pre-made mixture, as it will address the specific root causes of insomnia.
• Acupuncture. Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes multiple syndromes and point recommendations for insomnia, which we will cover in a future blog post. In short, insomnia may be caused by both Excess and Deficiency conditions which may affect the Heart/Pericardium, Liver, Gallbladder, and/or Kidneys. The main point to treat insomnia in many cases is HT-7.

The Chinese Clock and How It Applies to Dogs

The Chinese Clock is a representation of which ‘Chinese’ Organs are at their peak at different times of day. This system of ebbing and flowing of energy peaks can be considered a “tide” flow of Chi, on top of the normal Chi flow of every organ. When one Organ is at its peak, the opposite Organ on the Horary clock is at its minimum.

The Chinese Clock has been used for thousands of years to inform humans' daily schedules and to improve their health. Given the similarities in wake/sleep cycle between humans and dogs, it is quite straightforward to apply to dogs as well.

Here is an example of activity times for dogs, based on a sunrise time of 7.30 am and sunset time of 5.10 pm (Autumn time). For different seasons, just adjust the schedule of your dog a little either way.

You will find that if both you and your dog follow the Chinese Clock (which is very common sense and now validated by plenty of Western research), you will both feel healthier and sleep better.

If your dog has sleep disturbances and adjusting their daily routine has not had full effects, it might be time to consult with your friendly Animal Acupuncture Practitioner. Don't forget to make note of at which time your dog falls asleep, wakes up in the night, and wakes up in the morning, as this will inform their diagnosis and treatment.

If you want to learn how to treat Animal Insomnia using Acupuncture, we will publish a future blog post on this topic. Behavioural Disorders (including insomnia) are also covered in full in our Certificate in Animal Acupuncture course.