There's a small percentage of humans who can simply get home from work, have a meal, watch a bit of television, get ready for bed and just go to sleep. Simple. Stress-free.

Meanwhile the rest of us get home, whine that we're too tired to make tea, get takeaway instead, watch Netflix until 2am and then struggle to get to sleep, kept awake by the dull noise of sirens in the distance and the pounding thoughts bouncing off each side of our brains.

I'm here to tell you that the former group of people are the weirdos, because if you're not thinking about that one awkward thing you said to your crush seven years ago every night, then you're not really human. And now it turns out dogs do it too, so how pathetic can we really be?

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A study published by The Royal Society scientific journal found that our furry four-legged friends also struggle to nod off due to their troubles, meaning that once again we have something in common with them.

You know the drill. You lie there, thinking about the time you asked someone if their nan's okay, despite their nan being dead, then all of a sudden you think: 'Oh shit, is my dog getting enough shut-eye? All the thoughts that you imagine may possibly be swimming through their head begin to swim through yours; rain patters on the window as a slow piano instrumental plays and a short montage of you plays out, sat upright in your bed, as your dog lies in the living room with its head on its paws.

Looking into dog's sleeping patterns the study measured how they sleep after positive or negative emotional experiences, like being called a good boy and having their head scratched, or being approached by a stranger, before they caught 40 winks.

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"What... What if they're just saying I'm a good boy?" Credit: PA

As you'd expect, like us, puppers were found to have a restless night's sleep, tossing and turning following the negative experience. On the other hand, a positive experience prior to bed enabled them to have a more consistent sleep.

I don't for a second assume that anyone is intentionally putting their dog through any negative experiences, but it's fair to suggest that you amp up the positives in their life. Even if you think you're doing all you can, you're probably not - after all there's never a limit as to what you can do with your pup.

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