For your sleep's sake.Ditch cigarettes, snooze through the night? Smokers are more likely to have trouble falling asleep, wake during the night, and get up too early in the morning compared to non-smokers, says new research from the University of Florida.
In fact, for every one cigarette you smoke, your total sleep time decreases by 1.2 minutes, according to the study.
Nicotine may halt the normal sleep-wake cycle because of its stimulating effects, says coauthor Joseph McNamara, Ph.D. In addition, your brain can go through symptoms of nicotine withdrawal during the night (especially if you smoke throughout the evening), which can disrupt slumber.
The good news: Past puffers logged better shuteye than active smokers—though people who had never lit up in the first place were the soundest sleepers.
Because nicotine was the culprit, it’s not just traditional cigarettes you should ditch, but the electronic kind, too. To kick the habit, explore smoking cessation aids (like patches) but also get your head in the game: Smokers who participated in 2 weeks of meditation training benefited from a 60 percent decrease in smoking, found a study in PNAS. Meditation boosts self-control, researchers say.
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