More than a quarter of Brits say that sleeping with their dog improves their mental wellbeing
In the UK alone, over a third (34%) of the population own at least one dog. It’s no secret that dogs can be the perfect companions and can offer so much love and reassurance to their owner, so much so that many Brits are spending every possible moment with their beloved pooches.
We recently ran a survey to reveal how many Brits share a bed with their dog, as well as taking a deep dive into the reasons why.
Almost half of Brits share a bed with their dog
Our survey revealed that almost half of UK dog owners (48%) go to sleep at night with their dog in the bed. 22% of those sleep on their own with their pooch, whereas 17% manage to find the space to share their bed with not only their dog but their partner too! The remaining 9% said that their dog sleeps in the bed with a family member.
Our study highlighted that it was those between the ages of 25 and 34 (41%) who are choosing to sleep with their canine companions compared to any other age bracket.
Interestingly, over a quarter (26%) of over 55’s said they prefer to sleep on their own with their dog, whilst only 10% said they sleep with their dog and their partner in the bed.
It was also revealed that women (41%) are more likely to share a bed with their dog compared to men (37%).
The reason Brits are sleeping alongside their dogs:
- 54% said they want their dog to be comfortable
- 51% said they like their dog being close
- 35% said it reduces stress
- 33% said it makes them feel safe
- 33% said their dog keeps them warm
While comfort and safety were both significant reasons why Brits are choosing to sleep next to their dog, our study also revealed that improving mental wellbeing (28%) and easing loneliness (22%) were also important factors.
Over a third of 16- 24-year-olds (35%) and 25-34-year-olds (36%) said that they sleep with their dog because it reduces stress and over a quarter of those aged 35 to 44 said that it improves their mental health.
One in five (20%) of those over 55 said they sleep with their dog because it makes them feel less lonely, emphasising how dogs can be the perfect companion for those looking for some company.
Do you need life insurance when you get married or have a child?
If there are people who depend on you to keep the lights on and the fridge full, they’d probably find themselves in trouble if you weren’t around.
When people rely on your financially, you’ll likely want to make sure they’ll be looked after if something happened to you.
There are two types of life insurance you might consider, level-term and increasing-term.
Level-term life insurance is designed to pay out a guaranteed amount when you die, so you can make sure this is enough to cover your family’s needs when you take out the policy, but the amount they need might increase over time as costs go up.
With increasing-term life insurance, the payout amount increases over time to keep up with inflation. This means you’ll likely end up paying higher premiums as time goes on, but it can be a good option if you’re worried about how rises in inflation could affect your family’s ability to cope without you.
Level-term life insurance: key facts
- Throughout the length of your term, your premiums stay the same (unless you request to change your policy) and so does your payout. It’s guaranteed to pay out when you die.
- You agree on the amount of cover you’ll receive and the length of your policy term when you first take out your policy.
- The younger you are when you decide to take it out, the cheaper your premiums tend to be.
- While you’ll know exactly how much your family will get in a payout, this might not keep up with inflation.
- Just like other life insurance policies, critical illness cover may be offered as an add-on or included in your policy.
- Premiums tend to be more expensive than for decreasing-term life insurance policies.
- There’s a possibility that the payout of your policy could get hit by inheritance tax, but you can prevent this by placing your policy in trust. This is where you name a trustee to receive your policy when you die.
Increasing-term life insurance: key facts
- Like level-term life insurance, you agree on the length of your policy term with your provider when you take out the insurance.
- Increasing-term life insurance is designed to keep up with inflation. With increasing-term life insurance, both your premiums and your payout will be reviewed annually. Both are likely to increase over time to keep up with inflation.
Could life insurance help pay for your funeral?
It might not be something you want to think about, but when you’re looking at life insurance, it’s worth considering how much your own funeral could cost and how your family would pay for it.
Whole of life insurance guarantees a payout when you die, regardless of when that is. This means that your cover will never expire.
Whole-of-life insurance
There are a few different types of whole-of-life insurance:
- Over 50s guaranteed acceptance cover policies don’t require a medical check. Some come with the option to have the proceeds of your policy go directly towards paying for your funeral. There’s usually a 12-month cooldown period before you can make a claim.
- Whole-of-life pure protection covers you for life and starts straightaway, but you might have to go through medical checks to be accepted.
- Whole-of-life investment-linked policies give you the option of investing your premiums, either by letting you choose an investment fund or leaving the decision up to your provider.
*The types of illness covered by critical illness will vary between policies and providers.
