According
to an American study, consuming alcohol or smoking cigarette before going to
bed could be more closely associated with sleep disruption than drinking coffee
or tea.
According to a
study by researchers from Harvard Medical School and Florida Atlantic
University, nicotine or alcohol could disrupt sleep more than caffeine, if
consumed before bedtime. The US researchers monitored nicotine, alcohol, and
caffeine consumption of more than 750 participants for over 5,000 nights and
days. The consumption was then compared to results gathered from wrist sensors
and sleep diaries, which recorded how quickly the participants woke up after
falling asleep, their sleep efficiency, and their sleep duration.
After comparing
all the results, the researchers found that smoking a pre-bed cigarette reduced
the total sleep duration for insomniacs by over 40 minutes. While consuming
caffeine seemed to have zero effect, alcohol and nicotine were found to cause
sleep disruption. The researchers shared their findings in the journal Sleep.
“Taking into
consideration the widespread use of caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol and the
public health importance of getting quality sleep, comparatively, few
researches have thoroughly investigated the relation between sleep parameters
and use of evening substance,” said Florida Atlantic University’s Dr. Christine
Spadola.
Nicotine was found to be most strongly linked to sleep
disruption
“This research
represents one of the biggest longitudinal examinations of the relations
between objectively measured sleep outcomes and evening use of nicotine,
caffeine, and alcohol. Compared to a night without the use of nicotine and/or
alcohol within four hours of bedtime, a night with the use showed worse sleep
continuity,” said Spadola.
During the
period of the study, approximately 40% of the participants had caffeine at for
a minimum of one night. Spadola said that the study supports the significance
of sleep health recommendations, which usually include avoiding the use of alcohol
and nicotine in evening.
“Our researchers
didn’t observe a relation between any of the sleep parameters and caffeine
ingestion within four hours of bedtime. This was a surprise for our researchers
but isn’t unprecedented. When it comes to caffeine effect on sleep, the earlier
evidence is mixed,” added Spadola.
In the study,
sleep disruption was very strongly associated with nicotine among other
substances. In terms of sleep duration, insomnia and evening nicotine use showed
a statistically heavy interaction. According to the CDC, tobacco, which
includes nicotine, causes over 7 million deaths each year around the globe. Earlier
studies have linked obstructive sleep apnea, lighter sleep, and trouble falling
asleep with nicotine use.