Wake up and smell the coffee, not the smoke
9 December 2009
People who smoke their first cigarette within a few minutes of waking up have higher levels of nicotine in the body than those who wait more than half an hour to smoke, according to new research.
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Dr Paula Franklin, Bupa's Director of healthcare development |
Although this study does not answer questions about why people who smoke first thing in the morning have higher levels of nicotine, the take home message is clear - don't smoke. If you are a smoker, don't smoke as soon as you wake up, or better still quit altogether. 
The study, carried out in the US, involved over 250 male and female smokers. The researchers measured the amount of a nicotine by-product (cotinine) there was in the urine and bloodstream of each person. They did this to find out if there is a link between the time the first cigarette is smoked and the amount of nicotine absorbed by the body. The researchers also asked each person a series of questions about their smoking history.
The people in the study were divided into two groups: those who smoked within the first 30 minutes of waking up, (the high dependency group) and those who waited more than 30 minutes, (the low dependency group).
The researchers found that regardless of how many cigarettes a person smoked, if they smoked within the first half hour of waking, they had higher nicotine levels than those who waited. More importantly, nicotine levels appear to reflect the risk of lung cancer, therefore, people who smoke immediately after waking may be at higher risk of developing lung cancer.
Dr Paula Franklin, director of healthcare development at Bupa commented on the study: "This research gives us some potentially valuable insights into the behavioural patterns of smoking and how this can affect health risks.
"Although this study does not answer questions about why people who smoke first thing in the morning have higher levels of nicotine, the take home message is clear - don't smoke. If you are a smoker, don't smoke as soon as you wake up, or better still quit altogether.
"To help you quit smoking it helps to choose the date of your last cigarette - this will be your target date. Although gradually cutting down can work for some people, smoking cessation experts advise that it's best to commit to a quit date, and then give up completely. Also you can have a chat with your doctor, who can put you in touch with groups to help you quit smoking and may prescribe nicotine replacement medicines."
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Related information
Read the study
Time to first cigarette after waking predicts cotinine levels. Joshua E. Muscat,1 Steven Stellman, Ralph Caraballo. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(12).
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