I believe that you don’t know how wonderful life can be until you have a dog. You see, dogs are pure, innocent, and sincere in their actions and intentions. Dogs will always protect you and stay by your side even in your darkest times.

Dogs have this unique power to make all your worries fly away when you come back home from your job, and they greet you with an overdose of joy and happiness. They’re always happy to see you, and that’s an immeasurable treasure.

But this treasure comes with a price, which is a huge responsibility. You have to make sure that their health is in check at all times, that they get proper nutrition, and that they consume their energy.

Unfortunately, some dogs are more sensitive than others, and some breeds are prone to certain illnesses. Even more, dogs can have sleeping disorders, which can put their health at risk or warn you that there might be a health issue that needs mending.

Sleep is an essential part of a dog’s life as he sleeps around 14 hours a day. Therefore, a sleep disorder is very dangerous for their health and immune system. Fortunately, you can easily spot out a sleep disorder in a dog’s behavior. With no further ado, in today’s post, we’re presenting several common dog sleeping issues and how to solve them.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is most common in young dogs, and it goes by in medical terms as a nervous system sleep disorder. Unfortunately, there’s not much to do about it as it’s a genetic disorder – he was born with too low levels of hypocretin. Hypocretin is a chemical responsible for maintaining a dog’s normal sleep patterns and alertness.

Narcolepsy is especially common for certain breeds such as Labrador Retrievers, Poodles, and Doberman Pinschers, but other breeds and street dogs can be narcoleptic too.

The signs of a narcoleptic dog are pretty simple – you will see your dog struggling to stay active while he plays, but eventually, he will collapse on his side like he felt asleep. He will look like he felt in REM sleep in the middle of the play as his eyes will move, but he is actually awake, but his muscles are just slack and won’t listen to him.

The good thing is that this disorder is neither painful nor life-threatening, according to a top essay writer from a custom essay writing service, but when it comes to a cure, there are only solutions to reduce the episodes with medication. You can also help your dog by petting him during the episode and make loud noises to trigger his alertness – it will reduce the narcoleptic episode.

Insomnia

Yes, dogs have insomnia too, but, unlike for us, it’s a very rare disorder for them. Usually, if a dog has insomnia it’s because of another issue like an injury, fleas, diabetes, and even if he is scared of something in the room.

Insomnia can be a sign of stress and anxiety too. My dog, for instance, is afraid of flies after three wasps bit her at the same time. One night she had insomnia because there was a fly in the room, and she was stressed out that that fly might do something to her in her sleep.

Now what happens to my baby girl is an extremely mild case that needs no mending as long as the fly is gone. But, as I understood from a professional college essay writing service specialized on veterinary medicine, insomnia is an excellent warning sign that your dog is in pain or that there is something wrong. For your dog to sleep at night again, you have to eliminate the pain/issue.

Other solutions for insomnia, depending on case to case, are increasing the physical activity so your dog will be very tired at night, acupuncture to reduce anxiety, and even aromatherapy might be of help.

Insomnia is also happening to old gods that face cognitive dysfunctions, which means that his brain is degenerating, which leads to disruptions of the normal sleep cycle. What you can do to help an older dog with insomnia is to change his diet by offering him a meal rich in omega-3 fatty acids as it might improve his brain function and therefore regulate his sleep.

Sleep Apnea

Apnea is another rare sleep issue for dogs in general, but it happens quite often to fat dogs. Therefore, breeds like Boston Terriers, English Bulldogs, and Pugs are prone to this sleep disorder. Why fat dogs? Well, because the internal fat can narrow the airway, and when the dog is asleep, the incapacity to breathe appropriately will wake him up for around 15 seconds.

But the breeds mentioned above are more prone to this disorder not only for being fat but also because of their improper respiratory anatomy, which makes breathing harder for them. Therefore, with these constant short moments of awake time during the night, the dog won’t be able to rest properly, and he will be tired most of the day.

The solutions for this disorder can be easy – help your dog to lose considerable weight. But surgery can also be a solution if the problem isn’t solved with steam humidifiers. Take extreme caution because apnea is dangerous if not treated. Therefore, if your dog shows signs of apnea, get your phone and call your vet.

REM Behavior Disorder

REM Behavior Disorder can be funny as it’s confused with our sleepwalking, but it’s not so funny if the disorder evolves. The episodes become violent, like broken bones and all sorts of injuries.

This disorder is described by physical activity while asleep. For that reason, if your dog dreams that he is close to catching a cat, god knows what chaos he will create in the house. What is curious according to my reading on professional dissertation help service, is that when the dog wakes up, he won’t be confused at all, even if he wakes up in a different spot.

There aren’t many things you can do to fix this disorder, but there is a medication that is very good at reducing the activity during sleep. Therefore, when you notice that your dog is “sleepwalking,” call your vet and see how you should act next.

Conclusion

As you can see, sleep issues are not to be ignored. Therefore, whenever you see that something is not usual in your dog’s behavior, call your vet to check him up. The sooner you take action, and provide the proper treatment for your furry friend, the better it will be for his long-term health.

Now, not everything in a dog’s sleep behavior is an issue. For instance, it can be normal for young dogs to cry a lot in their sleep if they are scared, and if they had some mini-traumatic experiences. My dog used to cry every time she fell asleep when she was young, but as she grew up braver and braver, the crying in her sleep came to be a rare behavior.

Scott Mathews is a highly skilled journalist and assignment writing expert from Birmingham, UK, with more than 4 years of experience in the field now. Scott was a passionate writer from a very young age, and he earned his first money in high school. In his free time, Scott enjoys walks in the park, extreme sports, and discovering the world and its mysteries.