Quit Smoking This New Year and Get a Better Night's Sleep

Want to quit smoking this New Year's? Then you may be in for a better night's sleep. Scientists have found that smoking disrupts the circadian clock function in both lungs and the brain, which means that cigarettes can ruin productive sleep and can lead to cognitive dysfunction, mood disorders, depression and anxiety.

In this latest study, the researchers found that tobacco smoke affects clock gene expression rhythms in the lung by producing parallel inflammation and depressed levels of brain locomotor activity. Short- and long-term smoking decreased a molecule known as SIRTUIN1 (SIRT1 is an anti-aging molecule) and that this reduction altered the level of the clock protein, BMAL1, in both lung and brain tissues in mice. A similar reduction was seen in lung tissue from human smokers and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Intrigued by this, the researchers then used mice deficient in SIRT1 and found that tobacco smoke caused a dramatic decline in activity. However, this effect was attenuated in mice that over expressed this protein or were treated with a small pharmacological activator of the anti-aging protein.

"This study has found a common pathway whereby cigarette smoke impacts both pulmonary and neurophysiological function," said Irfan Rahman, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Further, the results suggest the possible therapeutic value of targeting this pathway with compounds that could improve both lung and brain function in smokers."

The findings reveal how smoking can impact almost every aspect of your health and life. Quitting smoking can actually add on the number of healthy years in your life. Now, scientists have found something else that it can do; it can help you get a better night's sleep.

The findings are published in the FASEB Journal.