title: Sleep changes in smokers before, during and 3 months after nicotine withdrawal.
abstract: Nicotine may affect sleep by influencing sleep-regulating neurotransmitters. Sleep disorders can increase the risk for depression and substance dependency. To detect the influence of sleep disturbances on the effect of smoking cessation, we investigated polysomnographically (PSG) the sleep of smoking subjects during a period of smoking, during withdrawal and after a period of abstinence from nicotine. Thirty-three smokers (23 male, 10 female, median age 29 years, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence score 6.3) were examined during smoking, 24-36 hours after smoking and 3 months after cessation. All subjects had an adaptation night followed by the PSG night. Compared with the smoking state, we found increased arousal index and wake time during nicotine withdrawal. Smokers who later relapsed (11) presented a higher degree of nicotine dependence and more withdrawal symptoms than those who abstained (22) and were characterized by less rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a longer REM latency as well as by more intense sleep impairments in the subjective sleep rating during the withdrawal. Impairments of sleep during the withdrawal phase may reflect more severe nicotine dependence and may contribute to earlier relapse into smoking behaviours.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Freiburg University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaehne
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Freiburg University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Unbehaun
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Freiburg University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feige
authors.affiliation: Department of Sleep Medicine, St. Hedwig Clinic, Berlin, Germany.|Department of Physiology, Sleep Medicine and Chronobiology, Charité, Berlin, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cohrs
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Sleep Medicine and Chronobiology, Charité, Berlin, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodenbeck
authors.forename: Anna-Lisa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Schütz
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Uhl
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zober
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Freiburg University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Riemann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012008:Recurrence; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: nicotine; sleep; smoking