Dogs don't sleep in one block: 23 wakings a night, and what it means for the bed
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
"He never settles at night, that bed must be wrong for him": the reasoning sounds logical, yet it rests on a human expectation. Adams and Johnson filmed 24 pet dogs under red light and published their records in 1993 in Applied Animal Behaviour Science: across eight night-time hours they counted an average of 23 wake-sleep episodes, a cycle of 16 minutes asleep followed by 5 minutes awake (see the study). Our setup guides are gathered in the dog bedding and habitat section.
Polyphasic sleep, not broken sleep
Dogs never had an unbroken night. Their sleep is polyphasic: short sequences interspersed with brief returns to alertness, during which the dog lifts its head, shifts position, sometimes settles somewhere else. Getting up six or eight times between 10 pm and 6 am therefore signals nothing in itself, neither pain nor a poor mattress. The warning sign lies elsewhere: a dog that groans as it rises, struggles to settle, or systematically abandons a surface for cold tiles has a joint or thermal problem, not an abnormal rhythm. That distinction is what our guide to the orthopaedic dog bed works through.
The first night in a new place is unlike any other
Adams and Johnson report a second point useful to owners: active sleep, the rapid-eye-movement kind, was suppressed on the first night spent in an unfamiliar environment, before returning over the following two nights. In other words, a puppy that arrived yesterday, a dog back from boarding or a recent house move mechanically produce a choppy night. Waiting three nights before drawing conclusions about a new bed avoids repeat purchases — and avoids deciding too fast that the chosen spot is wrong.
Placement may matter more than padding
A Hungarian team led by Baranyai, Iotchev, Gombos and Kis published a non-invasive polysomnography study in Animals in 2025, comparing three-hour naps taken by nine family dogs in the presence of their owner or of a friendly stranger. With the owner present, sleep efficiency and the share of deep sleep were higher, and dogs fell asleep faster — up to an hour gained in some individuals. Caution is required: nine dogs, daytime naps, an unfamiliar laboratory, and a comparison of owner versus stranger, not bedroom versus kitchen. You cannot conclude that dogs should sleep in your bedroom; you can conclude that a bed isolated in a closed room is worth testing against one placed in the family living space.
- 23 wake-sleep episodes across eight night-time hours on average, in 24 filmed dogs.
- 16 minutes asleep, 5 minutes awake: the average night-time cycle.
- REM sleep suppressed on the first night in an unfamiliar place, restored from the second.
- Only 9 dogs in the 2025 polysomnography study: a lead, not proof.
The right reflex is not to count wakings but to watch what the dog does when it gets up: if it resettles effortlessly and drops back off, the normal architecture of its sleep is simply unfolding in front of you. Picking the bed that matches its size remains a separate question from where you put it.
Frequently asked questions
How often does a dog normally wake at night?
Around twenty times across eight hours in the Adams and Johnson records, with cycles of roughly 16 minutes of sleep. A dog that rises repeatedly and lies straight back down stays within the observed range.
Should I change the bed if my dog keeps moving around at night?
Not on that criterion alone. Look instead at whether it struggles to stand, avoids one surface consistently, or picks cold flooring in every season: those are usable clues.
Why does my dog sleep badly for the first few nights after a move?
Because REM sleep is suppressed on the first night in a new environment and only returns afterwards. Allow three nights before judging a setup.
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.