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Smokers may have more sleep problems: study

Smokers may get fewer hours of sleep and have less restful slumber than non-smokers, according to a German study that looked at more than 2,000 people.

Smokers may get fewer hours of sleep and have less restful slumber than non-smokers, according to a German study that looked at more than 2,000 people.

Researchers whose work appeared in the journal Addiction Biology found that of nearly 1,100 smokers surveyed, 17 per cent got fewer than six hours of sleep each night and 28 per cent reported "disturbed" sleep quality.

That compared with rates of seven per cent and 19 per cent respectively among more than 1,200 non-smokers who were also surveyed, said lead researcher Stefan Cohrs, of Charite Berlin medical school in Germany.

The findings cannot prove that smoking directly impairs sleep, since smokers may have other habits that could affect their shut-eye such as staying up late to watch TV or getting little exercise, Cohrs said.

But there is also reason to believe the stimulating effects of nicotine may be to blame.