Comparison of the effects of a 24-hour nicotine patch and a 16-hour nicotine patch on smoking urges and sleep

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide), published as a randomized controlled trial.

This randomized, open-label, crossover study was conducted to compare the effects of a 24-hr nicotine patch and a 16-hr nicotine patch on morning smoking urges and sleep quality of dependent smokers during a short period of cigarette abstinence.

Why It Was Studied

A total of 20 smokers (9 women and 11 men) smoking at least 20 cigarettes/day completed the two smoke-free study periods.

For each period, cigarette abstinence started on the first evening and a nicotine patch was applied the next morning (for 16 or 24 hr), after baseline measures; a second patch was applied the next morning, 1 hr before the end of the experimental period.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 9 women were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, open-label and crossover.

Because people in this Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Everyone knew when Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) was being given (open label), which is simpler to run but leaves more room for expectations to affect what is reported.

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

What Was Measured

For each period, cigarette abstinence started on the first evening and a nicotine patch was applied the next morning (for 16 or 24 hr), after baseline measures; a second patch was applied the next morning, 1 hr before the end of the experimental period.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Administration, Cutaneous, Nicotine, Nicotinic Agonists, Polysomnography, Sleep, Smoking Cessation and Statistics, Nonparametric.

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.

The publication is from 2006 (Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco), a journal based in England.

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