Sleep effects of a 24-h versus a 16-h nicotine patch: a polysomnographic study during smoking cessation

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide).

Sleep disturbance is a common symptom of tobacco withdrawal and might contribute to early relapse vulnerability in abstinent smokers.

This study was designed to compare the effects on sleep of nicotine patches applied either for 24 h (Nicopatch) or 16 h (Nicorette).

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 9 women taking part.

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults, both men and women.

During a short smoking cessation period (48 h), this open-label, randomised, two-period crossover study compared the effects on sleep of the two nicotine patches in 20 heavy smokers (9 women, 11 men).

During each period, polysomnographic recordings were performed from 12 pm to 7 am for two consecutive nights (baseline and treatment nights).

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, open-label and crossover study.

The women were allocated by chance, so the Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Nothing was hidden in this open-label Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) study: the women and staff both knew the treatment.

Each person switched between Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.

Smoking cessation started from 8 pm the day of the baseline sleep recordings, and treatments were applied around 8 am the following morning.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Administration, Cutaneous, Administration, Topical, Ganglionic Stimulants, Nicotine, Polysomnography, Sleep, REM and Smoking Cessation.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, open-label and crossover study of Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) in 9 women.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Results are reported in around 2 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2006 (Sleep medicine), a journal based in Netherlands.

More context: the Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) compound page, all human trials.