😴 Does sleep really get deeper when you quit?
What the bedtime cigarette gave you may not have been sleep, but a short routine for papering over the unease before it.
The bedtime cigarette has a persuasive quality all its own.
It signals the end of the day. You dim the lights, put the phone down, breathe out by the window. Even knowing it's bad for you, those few minutes feel like a ritual for closing the day.
But is tobacco really on the side of your sleep?
Nicotine acts as a stimulant, pushing the body toward wakefulness. The Sleep Foundation explains that nicotine affects breathing, blood pressure and heart rate, and can interfere with sleep. Even if you feel settled before bed, something other than preparation for sleep may be happening inside.