Smoking cigarettes and vaping are unhealthy habits that can expose individuals to many health risks. Nicotine negatively affects the quality of sleep, whether during the smoking period or when trying to quit, as some people suffer from sleep disorders after quitting smoking, which sometimes makes this step difficult. In this report, "Dalili Medical" reviews the relationship between smoking cigarettes, vaping, and sleep

**The relationship between smoking and sleep**

 

Many smokers suffer from sleep disorders, as getting deep sleep becomes more difficult during the first days and weeks after stopping smoking. Studies indicate that about half of former smokers have trouble sleeping while trying to quit this habit, which can lead to lack of sleep and make it more difficult to stay away from cigarettes.

Nicotine is a stimulant, but it also affects mood regulation. When you feel bored, sleepy, or tired, nicotine acts as a stimulant that helps you feel more alert. On the other hand, if you suffer from anxiety, it can relieve this anxiety. If smoking helps you maintain your mood balance throughout the day, it can be a challenge after quitting.

**Is smoking addictive?**

 

Smoking is a major cause of addiction in a short period of time, due to its nicotine content, which is the element responsible for addiction to tobacco products in general, including cigarettes. The amount of nicotine that enters the body depends on the method of smoking, which varies from one person to another, in addition to the type of product used and the concentration of nicotine in it. Nicotine is absorbed through the mouth, then moves into the bloodstream to reach the lungs and brain within a few seconds. The more you smoke, the more nicotine your body absorbs.

Cigarettes contain about 600 ingredients, many of which are also found in cigars and hookahs. When these ingredients are burned, more than 7,000 chemical compounds are produced that are harmful to the body, including at least 69 compounds linked to cancer. There is no safe way to smoke; introducing tobacco into the body causes long-term health damage, and it may take time for its side effects to disappear. Replacing cigarettes with other products such as cigars, pipes, or hookahs will not protect you from the harms of smoking, and modern products such as vape also contain tobacco.

**Does smoking affect sleep?**

 

Smoking has many side effects and complications that many people know about, but some may not know that nicotine, a component of smoke, is a stimulant that affects the central nervous system, which may lead to sleep problems. This effect can also cause a type of physical addiction, as the absence or low level of nicotine in the body during sleep may lead to interrupted sleep.

**Does lack of nicotine lead to sleep problems?**

 

When smoking, many harmful substances enter the body, including nicotine, which gives smokers a feeling of activity. Therefore, when quitting smoking, a person may feel tired or lethargic, which is partly due to the detoxification process that the body goes through, and partly due to the low level of nicotine in the blood, which acts as a natural stimulant to feel active.

Are cigarettes considered stimulants?

 

Nicotine is a combination of a drug and a stimulant. When it enters the body, nicotine stimulates the adrenal glands, which leads to the secretion of adrenaline, which increases the heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure.

Does smoking cause drowsiness?

 

Smoking reduces the level of oxygen in the blood, which makes the heart and lungs work harder, causing fatigue. The nicotine in tobacco also stimulates the secretion of adrenaline, which makes a person feel tired when its effect wears off. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals.

**Does sleep improve after quitting smoking?**

 

Quitting cigarette smoking can help treat insomnia and improve sleep quality.

**Why does smoking cause drowsiness?**

 

Smokers suffer from sleep disorders due to the direct effect of nicotine, the chemical compound found in cigarettes, on nerve cells, in addition to its effect on the body's biological clock and sleep-wake cycle. Smoking not only causes serious health problems like lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart disease, but it is also linked to anxiety and depression.

**Is smoking before bedtime bad?**

 

If someone uses nicotine close to bedtime, it can disrupt the neurotransmitters responsible for the sleep process, making it harder for them to fall asleep. Smokers may also experience disruption to their normal circadian rhythm.

**The effects of nicotine on sleep**

Nicotine affects people while they are smoking and also when they are quitting and withdrawing from the body, as follows:

**While smoking:** Smoking cigarettes or vaping can increase the risk of developing sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea. Since nicotine is a stimulant, it can mask feelings of fatigue; if you are feeling sleepy, a dose of nicotine can help you feel alert the next day.

Smoking is linked to disruption to circadian rhythms and sleep architecture, which is the pattern of sleep stages that occur during the night. Research suggests that current smokers experience disrupted sleep, leading to insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, fewer hours of sleep, and difficulty falling into deep sleep.

**When Quitting Smoking:** In the first few days after quitting smoking, the body experiences disruptions as nerve endings and receptors throughout the body react to nicotine. A person may experience a range of side effects, ranging from constipation and diarrhea to headaches and anxiety.

As the body adjusts to the absence of nicotine andOther harmful chemicals can cause additional sleep challenges.

**How ​​does nicotine affect energy levels?**

 

Nicotine quickly enters the bloodstream and affects chemicals in the brain, resulting in a temporary boost in energy levels and reduced stress. Although these effects may seem positive at first, the effects of nicotine are short-lived, causing many damage to the body later on.

**How ​​does nicotine affect your sleep?**

 

Smoking cigarettes before bed is not a good idea for several reasons. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which acts as a stimulant. For people who smoke before bed in the hope of relaxing, they are actually sending a signal to their body to wake up instead of relax. Nicotine causes the heart rate to speed up and increases alertness, making it difficult to fall asleep. Additionally, nicotine enters the brain and blood within seconds and leaves the body within hours, causing most smokers to experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms while trying to sleep. The less sleep you get, the more sleep you need, adding sleep deprivation to the list of negative effects of nicotine and smoking in general.

**Sleep Structure Change**

Constant smoking significantly affects your sleep structure. When we talk about sleep structure change, we are referring to the different stages you go through during sleep onset, starting with light sleep, then deep sleep, and ending with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Numerous studies have shown that smoking has a negative impact on the quality of sleep in general, as well as the time we spend in each stage of sleep. Research suggests that each cigarette smoked is equivalent to losing 1.2 minutes of sleep.

For regular smokers, it takes longer to fall asleep, sleeps for shorter periods, and does not get as much deep sleep as non-smokers. On average, smokers sleep 33 minutes less, and only spend about 4% of their time in REM sleep. However, it is worth noting that these sleep problems go away once you quit smoking. Smoking is also linked to two common problems: insomnia, and irregular breathing problems such as snoring and sleep apnea.

**The relationship between quitting smoking and improving sleep quality**

The best way to get a good night's sleep is to quit smoking. Statistics show that 85% of smokers have difficulty in the first week of quitting, but if you are determined to continue, success will be your ally.

Talk to your doctor to find the method that suits you. Among the available options, you can use nicotine gum, patches, or any other method that suits you. If you are a smoker and decide to quit, there is good news awaiting you: you will enjoy a restful sleep after a period of up to 30 days. So, it is important to commit during this period and be well aware of it.

**Ways to quit smoking**

There are a set of steps that a smoker should follow to get rid of smoking and quit.

- The smoker must have a strong desire and real will to quit smoking.

- It is necessary to get moral and psychological support from his family, friends and those around him.

- He can join support groups available online or in person.

- You should start getting rid of cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays immediately.

- All clothes should be washed to get rid of the smell of smoke, and the car should be cleaned to remove traces of smoke from it.

- It is preferable to participate in a certain sport and practice it regularly.

- It is important to avoid isolation and be sure to be with friends and supporters.

- Cigarettes can be replaced with mint-flavored or sugar-free gum or any other alternative.

The recovering person must bear the withdrawal symptoms and be able to confront them, including:

1- A constant feeling of headache.

2- Tension and anxiety.

3- The loss of energy that the smoker feels during the recovery period.

4- A constant feeling of lack of energy and depression, in addition to stomach pain.