How Does Smoking Affect Your Sleep?
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No effects that I can discern. I always sleep well.... and would enjoy more sleep... but the damn alarm clock tells me what I need to do.
One of those things where individual's idiosincrasy plays a major role. I don't smoke enough or even daily, so I can't help you there, but I've noticed that if I drink a cup of coffee I can become drowsy (my coffee is always mild, mind you), which runs counter to normal (i.e. coffee increases alertness). If I drink more or if it's medium to strong, though, then yes, I'll be unable to sleep—both from the stimulant effect and from the monster headache.
The only time I had nicotine notoriously mess with my sleep was when I snuffed several times one evening and I had strange dreams. I didn't have trouble falling asleep, but the dreams were way too vivid and accompanied of an unpleasant body sensation at the same time. Best way I can describe it is that I was alert in my sleep.
The only time I had nicotine notoriously mess with my sleep was when I snuffed several times one evening and I had strange dreams. I didn't have trouble falling asleep, but the dreams were way too vivid and accompanied of an unpleasant body sensation at the same time. Best way I can describe it is that I was alert in my sleep.
I can't say that smoking before bed affects me in any way, other than my liking the nicotine jolt just before slipping off. I do know that if I get any more sleep than my normal five or six hours, I will usually end up with a headache. So the question, at least regarding length of sleep, becomes moot in my case. Quality of sleep: Dunno. Seems OK.
Here's a side issue: I never like to smoke before lunch, and don't. Ain't that weird?
Here's a side issue: I never like to smoke before lunch, and don't. Ain't that weird?
It keeps me from getting enough sleep. Mostly because I don't have the opportunity to start smoking until 9:00 or 10:00 at night and if I smoke a couple bowls I don't get to bed until after midnight.
Sometimes after that I do notice that I can't just close my eyes and fall asleep like I could if I just went to bed without smoking.
Sometimes after that I do notice that I can't just close my eyes and fall asleep like I could if I just went to bed without smoking.
A lot of good answers. Thank you and keep them coming. It shouldn't be all about me and my sleep, I'm curious as to how the pipe affects y'all's sleep as well. Interesting comments on dreams. I've read someone, somewhere say that nicotine gives them vivid, strange dreams. They considered that a feature, not a bug.
PS: I've had my heart checked. It could have a faster resting rate, who knows. I do have below 5% blockage.
PS: I've had my heart checked. It could have a faster resting rate, who knows. I do have below 5% blockage.
My dad was having some issues (unrelated to smoking) and I looked up some info about what was happening to him. I read a study in the UK about older guys and their resting heart rate and how it relates to an early death. If your resting heart rate is lower, you are more healthy (coronary) and will therefore feel better. If smoking increases your resting heart rate this could easily effect your sleep I would think. The counter to this? Exercise. 
to the point your resting heart rate begins to lower.
a 5% blockage is minuscule. My dad was blocked over 95% in a bunch of spots. He has something like 19 stents.
to the point your resting heart rate begins to lower.a 5% blockage is minuscule. My dad was blocked over 95% in a bunch of spots. He has something like 19 stents.
Exercise helping many issues being my thoughts as well. I'm not sure what my resting heart rate was or is, but I have been doing my own little cockamamie thing (as usual) and bringing my heart rate up to just touch 130 to 140 on an elliptical machine and then backing off and coasting for 10 minutes. When I started, it was 100 to 110 it touched, so...My dad was having some issues (unrelated to smoking) and I looked up some info about what was happening to him. I read a study in the UK about older guys and their resting heart rate and how it relates to an early death. If your resting heart rate is lower, you are more healthy (coronary) and will therefore feel better. If smoking increases your resting heart rate this could easily effect your sleep I would think. The counter to this? Exercise.
a 5% blockage is minuscule. My dad was blocked over 95% in a bunch of spots. He has something like 19 stents.
Anyway, I'm thinking that it's the brain effects which may affect my sleep. I never had such an effect when I smoked decades ago. I am just curious to hear what other pipe smokers have noticed as to sleep and piping.
The older I get, the less I seem to need to sleep, with a nap in the afternoon. But, I have always had insomnia. Before I started smoking a pipe, I was having to switch out sleeping aids through my doctor. But, I just never felt rested after taking a pill to sleep. Then I found that if I smoked a high nicotine blend in a large pipe, that I could smoke myself to sleep, so to speak, pushing through that nicotine overdose feeling. Then as my eyes got heavy, I could just roll over into bed and sleep the full night through and feel very rested by morning.
But, the older I get the more I have to get up to piss, and the less likely I will even try to go back to sleep. So, I have limited by high nicotine blends to every other day or so. I have also been cutting my chronic clenching down to just six or so pipes a day. I may reduce it down more latter.
But, I've also been going to the YMCA every day, and working out in the morning, and then hitting the pool to swim laps before bed. I feel much better overall. But, I don't forsee giving up high nicotine blends altogether. They do really make me fell much more rested after sleeping it off. I just don't want to become acclimated to it, where I have to keep chasing harder and harder tobaccos. Cotton Boll Twist is about as high nic as I want to go... not even sure if there is a harder one.
But, the older I get the more I have to get up to piss, and the less likely I will even try to go back to sleep. So, I have limited by high nicotine blends to every other day or so. I have also been cutting my chronic clenching down to just six or so pipes a day. I may reduce it down more latter.
But, I've also been going to the YMCA every day, and working out in the morning, and then hitting the pool to swim laps before bed. I feel much better overall. But, I don't forsee giving up high nicotine blends altogether. They do really make me fell much more rested after sleeping it off. I just don't want to become acclimated to it, where I have to keep chasing harder and harder tobaccos. Cotton Boll Twist is about as high nic as I want to go... not even sure if there is a harder one.
Dreams... vivid dreams. Usually very enjoyable; infrequently disquieting.
So far I've been lucky with sleep in general, drop off fast, usually sleep through.
It is interesting you asked this, because I was wondering the same thing...
I usually smoke one bowl in a day, max two on occasion and sometimes I miss several days in a row due to weather, schedule, etc., so I have perceived it has never been a big factor particularly because I usually smoke mildish tobaccos strength wise anyhow.
Well, Saturday I hit a rare roll and smoked four bowls. I seem to notice that night that I did not sleep well and I felt keyed up. Whether it was because I had a bit of a smoking binge or not, I don't know... but it got me thinking.
I usually smoke one bowl in a day, max two on occasion and sometimes I miss several days in a row due to weather, schedule, etc., so I have perceived it has never been a big factor particularly because I usually smoke mildish tobaccos strength wise anyhow.
Well, Saturday I hit a rare roll and smoked four bowls. I seem to notice that night that I did not sleep well and I felt keyed up. Whether it was because I had a bit of a smoking binge or not, I don't know... but it got me thinking.
In my case, I suspect larger bowls right before bedtime may have negative effects on how fast I fall asleep, especially If I smoke those after 10 pm
Well, it depends on the dream. In my case, trust me, it was highly uncomfortable, and it led to my personal rule of no nicotine before bedtime—unless the bedtime is brought about by nicotine poisoning from a strong cigar ?. It's also been reported that computer gamers not only tend to have vivider dreams but they are also able to control them: top that nicotine!
Addendum: yes, I can relate to my last sentence, and I don't mind vivid dreams too much. Yes, they can be enjoyable; but not when paired with that physical sensation/state/what-have-you that I felt after too much snuff.
Not sure if it's what I ate, drank, watched, or smoked last night, or a combination of all the above, but I had a pretty bizarro dream last night.
Some Goonie-esque neighborhood teenagers found hidden treasure in an abandoned mine that tunneled under my property and I was helping them out when a search party came looking for them. Only, the search party was a bunch of pipe club guys that met up in a hunting lodge behind my house.. the last one to show up was @BROBS who carried in 3 huge paint cans full of tobacco! One can was dry snuff, the other was moist snuff, and the last was "whole leaf" tobacco. He cracked a Joe Dirt joke and said "I brought 2 cans of the good stuff, and one of that pussy skoal!"!!! I went straight for the last can and popped it open - it was full of what looked like yellow and brown spring mix! Straight up arugula, chard, and baby spinach! It smelled like wintergreen (couldn't smell it, but I knew that's what it smelled like). I proceeded to load up a pipefull of popeye's favorite and everyone headed out to search for the missing kids. Then, I doubled back to tell the kids the coast was clear. I took one more look at the can of greens thinking it was some weird looking baccy, then woke up!
I suppose the set-up for all this was that I ate some spring mix and chick'n (vegetarian mashed chick peas) salad for dinner, had a big glass of wine, and lit a bowl of And So To Bed, then fell asleep in my chair while my lady watched Sabrina on Netflix. On the show, I think there was a bunch of kids in an abandoned mine...
BROBS comin' through with the paint can full of wintogreen scented arugula lookin' baccy???!
Some Goonie-esque neighborhood teenagers found hidden treasure in an abandoned mine that tunneled under my property and I was helping them out when a search party came looking for them. Only, the search party was a bunch of pipe club guys that met up in a hunting lodge behind my house.. the last one to show up was @BROBS who carried in 3 huge paint cans full of tobacco! One can was dry snuff, the other was moist snuff, and the last was "whole leaf" tobacco. He cracked a Joe Dirt joke and said "I brought 2 cans of the good stuff, and one of that pussy skoal!"!!! I went straight for the last can and popped it open - it was full of what looked like yellow and brown spring mix! Straight up arugula, chard, and baby spinach! It smelled like wintergreen (couldn't smell it, but I knew that's what it smelled like). I proceeded to load up a pipefull of popeye's favorite and everyone headed out to search for the missing kids. Then, I doubled back to tell the kids the coast was clear. I took one more look at the can of greens thinking it was some weird looking baccy, then woke up!
I suppose the set-up for all this was that I ate some spring mix and chick'n (vegetarian mashed chick peas) salad for dinner, had a big glass of wine, and lit a bowl of And So To Bed, then fell asleep in my chair while my lady watched Sabrina on Netflix. On the show, I think there was a bunch of kids in an abandoned mine...
BROBS comin' through with the paint can full of wintogreen scented arugula lookin' baccy???!
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