When you lie down at night to rest, it can be debilitating to deal with the urge to smoke, especially if you have a long-time habit of smoking every day. For those looking to stop smoking, you might be wondering how to curb these urges. Is there a way to do so? What methods work best, and how quickly do they work? These are all important questions, some of which we will answer in this article.
We’ll take a look at how you can cope with nicotine cravings late at night, providing you with some proven strategies that do work. From nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to mindfulness exercises and more, we’ll give you an overview of the best tactics to use so you can rest peacefully and without feeling like you have to get up to smoke. Let’s first examine one of the most common strategies: nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
Use Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
If you have been feeling withdrawal symptoms and want to find a way to still reduce these cravings, why not try nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)? NRT is a proven method that can help you mitigate late-night urges while also supporting your efforts to stop smoking. The reason that this method works so effectively is that it works to stimulate your nicotine receptors while also reducing the number of nicotine receptors over time.
In other words, it can limit your tobacco dependence in the long term while satisfying the receptors and their need for nicotine in the short term. Evidently, NRT has some proven benefits, so it might be worth trying this, at least in the short term, to manage your nighttime cravings.
Keep Your Hands and Mouth Busy
Aside from NRT, if you find yourself craving nicotine at night, many people find comfort in busying their hands and mouth in other ways, as in replacing one habit with another. If you find yourself wanting to smoke a cigarette, chewing gum can be an excellent way for you to busy your mouth and even limit your withdrawal symptoms. One study showed that flavored gum was the most beneficial and led to a reduction of withdrawal symptoms (Source: International Journal of Health Sciences).
Other distractions that you could try include using a toothpick, sucking on hard candy, and more. Some people have even taken to picking up other habits like knitting so that they can keep their hands busy and distract themselves. No matter what works for you, the most important thing is that you continue to experience less and less cravings for nicotine as time passes on.
Redirect Your Attention to Distractions or Other Images
Sometimes, the best way to end a habit is to simply distract yourself enough until you begin to experience less and less withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. Many people have used distractions as a means of reducing their nicotine cravings, typically in the form of relaxation training. One study showed that people benefitted from watching TV before bed, while sleep restriction tended to worsen their cravings over time.
Your distraction could truthfully be anything that takes up the time you would spend outside smoking. For instance, as mentioned, you might knit to busy your hands, or you may even opt to watch your favorite show instead. You can even try to listen to audiobooks or soothing music, as this can help you relax and even make you forget about your nicotine craving.
Engage In Mindfulness Exercises or Deep Breathing
Nicotine withdrawal can be particularly uncomfortable to deal with, but one of the best coping strategies to help you relax and get to sleep at night is mindfulness exercises. From mindful meditation to deep breathing, you can engage in a number of mindfulness activities and see a shift in your overall mood and how well you cope with these symptoms. One study showed that mindful yogic or deep breathing actually led to an alleviation of some adverse effects from nicotine withdrawal (Source: Psychology of Addictive Behaviors).
Not only does this help in the short term, but there are other long-term studies as well that show how effective mindfulness exercises can be. Mindfulness training was used by Chinese women in their efforts to achieve smoking cessation, leading to benefits psychologically and even greater reports of abstinence from nicotine over that timeframe. With these two studies in mind, mindfulness exercises are an enticing strategy to use to cope with your nicotine withdrawals and likely one that will work long-term!
Establish a Calming Bedtime Routine
Finally, the most crucial step that you can take to support your smoking cessation efforts is to create a bedtime routine that makes you feel relaxed. You need to have a nighttime pattern that helps you feel at ease, not one that stresses you out. Some of the steps that you can take to help you get settled and prepared for bed include taking a warm bath, incorporating some mindfulness exercises or meditation as we described above, or even reading one of your favorite books.
No matter what you prefer, you can take steps to encourage your beneficial rest while also limiting your chances of feeling the urge to get up for a cigarette at night. Remember: your bedtime routine should reflect you, so find activities that make you feel joyful and relaxed. The more relaxed you are, the less likely you may find yourself fixating on your cravings.
What Strategy Will You Implement in Your Routine?
With all of these strategies, you’ll have no shortage of options to try to see what helps your nicotine cravings. It can be hard to achieve smoking cessation, but you’re not alone, and with proper planning, you can do it! We hope that this article was informative and provided you with some inspiration to apply in your own life. For more tips and tricks to improve your sleep health and overall well-being, visit our website today for the latest articles.
