“Smoking is dangerous to your health.” This warning found in cigarette 
boxes is not for naught and a recent study published in the February issue of Chest suggests yet another ill effect of smoking. According to Dr. Naresh M. Punjabi and his research colleagues, smoking can cause poor sleep quality.
Punjabi, one of the authors of the study, points out that those who smoke are more likely to feel tired when awake and they spend less time in deep sleep than those who do not smoke. This can be attributed to the fact that smokers go through nicotine withdrawal each night, therefore causing sleep disturbances.
Sleep patterns between 40 smokers and 40 nonsmokers were observed and the researches noted that 22.5 percent of smokers lack restful sleep, compared with only 5 percent of nonsmokers. The study also indicated that the effects of nicotine are strongest in the early stages of sleep, decreasing when the sleep cycle progresses.
Although this study may be the most recent one to make the connection between smoking and sleep quality, previous research has already charted the influence of nicotine on sleep.
