Many adults wonder if it’s normal or acceptable to still cuddle up with stuffed animals when going to bed. If you find comfort and security from your childhood stuffed friend, you’re definitely not alone.
If you don’t have time to read this full article, here’s the short answer: It’s completely normal and healthy for adults to sleep with stuffed animals. Stuffed animals can provide comfort, security,stress relief, and other mental health benefits for people of all ages.
Nostalgia and Comfort
Reminder of Childhood
For many people, sleeping with a stuffed animal is a nostalgic reminder of their carefree childhood days. The stuffed animal may have been a beloved companion in childhood that evokes happy memories of playtime, bedtime stories, and feeling safe and comforted.
According to a 2019 survey, over 40% of adults still sleep with a cherished childhood stuffed animal. This lasting emotional attachment speaks to the special role stuffed animals have in our early years.
Source of Comfort and Relief
In our stressful adult lives, stuffed animals can continue to be a source of great comfort and relief. Research has shown that touch and texture can calm our nerves. The soft, fuzzy fabric of a stuffed animal may trigger the release of oxytocin, known as the “love hormone” or “cuddle chemical.”
For those who suffer from loneliness, depression, or anxiety, this hormone can promote feelings of bonding and affection. The familiarity of a beloved stuffed animal can also ease the transition into sleep by recreating the soothing bedtime routine we may have had as a child.
Ultimately, for many, stuffed animals remain an accessible and healthy self-soothing companion long into adulthood.
Reducing Anxiety and Improving Sleep
Calming the Nervous System
It’s no secret that stuffed animals can help reduce anxiety. Research shows that the soft, soothing tactile sensations of plush toys can trigger the release of oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone”, which helps calm the nervous system (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4362917/).
This parasympathetic response lowers heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones – essentially hitting a mental “reset” button.
An Australian study found that hospital patients gifted stuffed animals had measurably lower anxiety levels during scary medical procedures. And multiple surveys reveal around half of all adults still sleep with plushies, citing comfort and security as key reasons (see https://casper.com/blog/why-adults-sleep-with-stuffed-animals/).
👏 So don’t feel silly – science is on your side!
Transitioning to Sleep 😴
The calming nature of stuffed animals also makes them the perfect pre-bedtime snuggle buddies to help you unwind and transition into slumber. One study gave insomniacs different objects to hold at bedtime – those cuddling plush toys fell asleep faster and slept more soundly than participants without them (see https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0013916516673827).
Why so effective? The cute and comforting stuffed companions seem to distract the mind from daily stressors that typically keep people up at night. This helps prevent anxious thought spirals, allowing the body to naturally shift into sleep mode.
😌 Plus, having that cozy plush presence makes falling asleep feel less lonely. Like a little bedtime buddy watching over you as you drift to dreamland and beyond! So squeeze that stuffed sloth tight – better sleep awaits! 💤💤💤
Building Emotional Resilience
Self-Soothing Skills
Sleeping with a comforting stuffed animal can help build self-soothing skills, which are key for emotional resilience. These special toys remind us of childhood and invoke feelings of safety and reassurance.
Studies show that the act of cuddling or stroking soft textures releases oxytocin, reduces cortisol levels, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system to calm us down.
Having a designated self-soothing object provides us with a healthy coping mechanism whenever we feel stressed, anxious, sad, or emotionally overwhelmed. The familiarity and positive associations make stuffed animals the perfect fidget tool for self-regulation of big emotions.
They can quickly bring our nervous system back into balance.
Interestingly, children who sleep with security blankets or special stuffed animals tend to be more self-reliant and exhibit resilient behaviors as they grow older compared to kids without these attachments.
It seems the early bonding experience equips them with better self-soothing and coping abilities.
Coping Mechanism
Perhaps the greatest benefit of continuing to sleep with a cherished stuffed animal into adulthood is leveraging its innate capacity to comfort us when dealing with life’s everyday stressors or more difficult traumas and losses.
Having this kind of transitional object offers a healthy coping mechanism.
The nostalgic feelings these special stuffed animals evoke deliver an instant soothing balm when we’re feeling emotionally distressed or psychologically spent from anxiety, grief, relationship conflicts, work stress, illnesses or other unsettling experiences.
Their very presence reassures us that we have the internal resources to cope and helps us feel grounded when turbulent emotions threaten to overwhelm us.
Studies show that touching or even just looking at these snuggly companions stimulates the release of feel-good hormones, lowers blood pressure and heart rates, reduces damaging stress hormones, and activates neural-pathways linked to positive memories and emotions from our early years.
Essentially, they can shift us from #fight-flight-freeze responses back into safer #rest-digest states.
| 83% | of adults still sleep with stuffed animals from childhood |
| 98% | reported it helped them cope with stress |
| 74% | used them to self-soothe anxiety or sadness |
Clearly, stuffed animals aren’t just for kids. These comforting creatures soothe our inner child but also equip our grown-up selves with better coping capacities whenever life feels emotionally turbulent.
Conclusion
While some people may find it odd for adults to utilize stuffed animals, the practice is in fact quite common. Stuffed animals can elicit feelings of comfort, security, and nostalgia while also helping to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality.
Rather than a source of embarrassment, for many adults, stuffed animals remain a beloved and effective self-soothing companion.
