Some great news for dog owners who love to sleep with their best friend has come from the Mayo Clinic. In a new study, researchers have found that it might actually be good for you to sleep in the same bad as your dog, as your four-legged fun may actually boost the quality of your sleep.

While many of us banish our dogs from the bedroom, sometimes because we think they’ll keep us up at night, the Mayo Clinic study found that this may not be true. The study, which is titled “The Effect of Dogs on Human Sleep in the Home Sleep Environment,” examined 40 dog-owning participants and tracked them for five months. Both the humans and dogs wore accelerometers for seven nights.

Researchers were surprised to find that people actually found comfort and a sense of security by snoozing alongside their pets. And it makes a difference where the dog is. It’s better for the dog to be in the bedroom but not on the bed itself, as people with dogs on the bed had lower sleep quality compared to those who banished their pooch from the covers but allowed them in the room.

“Most people assume having pets in the bedroom is a disruption,” says Lois Krahn, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist at the Center for Sleep Medicine on Mayo Clinic’s Arizona campus and an author of the study. “We found that many people actually find comfort and a sense of security from sleeping with their pets.

“The relationship between people and their pets has changed over time, which is likely why many people in fact do sleep with their pets in the bedroom,” says Dr. Krahn. “Today, many pet owners are away from their pets for much of the day, so they want to maximize their time with them when they are home. Having them in the bedroom at night is an easy way to do that. And, now, pet owners can find comfort knowing it won’t negatively impact their sleep.”