Do you smoke? If so you are probably sick and tired of the smoking police telling you how bad it is for you. You already know that is is bad for you and I am sure you would love to be able to give it up right now, if you could. I do have a lot of sympathy for smokers because it really is hard to give up, especially if other things in your life are less than perfect.
So I am sorry to bring you the bad news that smoking disrupts sleep, or so one recent study tells us.
“The long-term effects of smoking on respiratory and cardiovascular health are well-known,” said Alvin V. Thomas, Jr., MD, FCCP, and President of the ACCP. “However, this study is significant because it suggests that smokers may also be deprived of the much-needed restorative effects of sleep. This study provides yet one more reason to stop smoking or to never start.” [American College of Chest Physicians (2008, February 7). Smoking Linked To Sleep Disturbances.]
What they found is that even when a smoker is asleep they are not getting the benefit of deep restorative sleep. They don’t feel as rested when they wake up as a non-smoker does.
Even though it is hard to stop smoking it isn’t impossible, as evidenced by the fact that there are thousands of ex-smokers around. Just think how much better you will feel without the smoke and how much better you will sleep. I gave up years ago and my desire to smoke is nil, I can’t even stand the smell that lingers around smokers. It took me a few times of stopping and starting though before I made the break.
There are several useful tools to help you to stop and one that I found helpful is nicotine microtabs. These are no fun to use and so they allow you a small dose of nictine but deny you the pleasure of handling a cigarette. Once that habit is broken you can tackle the nicotine addiction more easily.
So if you are a smoker and you want to sleep better and be healthier why not stop today?
