Severity of Nicotine Addiction and Disruptions in Sleep Mediated by Early Awakenings

Conclusions: Findings suggest that early awakening may be the mechanism responsible for the association between nicotine addiction severity and poor sleep outcomes of shorter sleep duration and excessive daytime sleepiness. These data may inform cessation strategies, risk assessment, and future longitudinal studies on the relations between sleep and nicotine addiction. Implications: Smokers have impaired sleep quality and quantity as compared to nonsmokers; however, that severity of nicotine addiction is an important factor in sleep quality, not just smoking status. Higher levels of addiction lead to less sleep and more daytime sleepiness. The relation between addiction severity and sleep is mediated by waking too early in the morning, and not by difficulty falling asleep or waking during the night. These findings could play an important role in supplementing cessation efforts; sleep disruption may interact with other negative physiological and emotional symptoms related to nicotine withdrawal and could result in more cessation failure.
Source: Nicotine and Tobacco Research - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Original Investigation Source Type: research