Study Shows Vape Smokers Have as Much Trouble Sleeping as Traditional Smokers

Many former smokers have made the switch to vaping, but as more studies have started to emerge, it looks as though it’s not quite the safer alternative to smoking it was once thought to be. On Wednesday, scientists published a study in the Journal of Sleep Research, and their findings indicate that vape users generally have a poor quality of sleep. In fact, those who smoked cigarettes shared similar issues.

The group of scientists reviewed surveys from 1,664 college students, and 40.9 percent of them said they regularly use or had used e-cigarettes of some form. Their sleep scores, which were measured according to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, showed that the vape users had numerous difficulties with sleep. Among the issues were difficulties with getting to sleep in the first place, sleep disturbance, and a perceived reduction in overall sleep quality.

As the study indicated, vapers and smokers have both reported a generally low quality of sleep on an average night. Those who used e-cigarettes said they also used more sleep medication than the cigarette smokers in the survey, which the group behind the study have theorized could be because they’re consuming more nicotine than your average smoker. It’s also worth pointing out that only 29 percent of those surveyed had smoked or continued to smoke cigarettes regularly. 

Even more worrisome, those who did not vape frequently but had done so in the past still reported using more sleeping medication than non-smokers and non-vapers. In a note, the researchers added that “even such occasional exposure to nicotine may contribute to the development of disruptions in sleep.”

Lead author Emma Brett added, “Given that poor sleep and substance use, including e-cigarette use, are both common among college students, understanding how e-cigarette use may impact sleep is crucial given its association with numerous health concerns.” This is undoubtedly yet another blow for the booming vape industry, as earlier this week Michigan Governor Cretchen Whitmer temporarily banned the sale of flavored e-cigarette cartridges in the state.

Last month, the first death linked to a vaping-related illness was reported.