Washington: Here is another reason to quit smoking - it can help you sleep better at night.
In a new study, researchers found that for each cigarette smoked total sleep time decreased by 1.2 minutes.
Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death and while the numerous health problems directly caused by smoking are well documented, less is known about the effects of smoking on sleep.
The study by University of Florida and Research Triangle Park is the first to look at sleep difficulty by smoking status in a large population-based, nationally representative sample.
They found that 11.9 per cent of current smokers have trouble falling asleep, 10.6 per cent wake in the night and 9.5 per cent wake too early in the morning.
The figures for non-smokers were much lower and significantly the study found that those who had given up smoking saw improvements in their sleep.
Insufficient sleep has been associated with numerous physical and mental health problems including depression, diabetes and high blood sugar.
The new research suggests that smokers may be more susceptible to the illnesses associated with poor sleep along with the more commonly recognised health problems associated with smoking such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The research was published in journal Psychology, Health & Medicine.
PTI
