Want a good night's sleep? Quit smoking: Cigarette smoke disrupts the body clock Smoking can prevent good quality sleep, causing depression and anxiety Lack of sleep can also cause other mood disorders and cognitive decline Smoking cigarettes can decrease levels of a molecule in the body that alters the levels of the protein that controls the body clock The findings could pave the way for treatments to improve both lung and brain function in smokers People try everything from sleeping pills to exercise to help them get a good night's sleep. Now, research suggests the best tactic might be to give up smoking. Researchers found smoking can disrupt sleep leading to conditions such as depression and anxiety. Smoking can prevent restful sleep which can, in turn, lead to depression and anxiety They found smoking disrupts the body clock in the lungs and the brain. As a result, it prevents restful sleep - a lack of sleep can, in turn, cause cognitive decline, mood disorders, depression and anxiety. This study has found a common pathway whereby cigarette smoke impacts both pulmonary and neurophysiological function,' said Dr Irfan Rahman from the University of Rochester Medical Centre in New York. Dr Rahman and his colleagues found tobacco smoke affects the body clock in the lungs by causing inflammation, and by depressing levels of brain activity. They found that even short-term smoking decreased a molecule known as SIRTUIN1 and this reduction altered the level of the protein that controls the clock in mice. A similar reduction was seen in lung tissue from human smokers. Even short-term smoking decreases a molecule known as SIRTUIN1 and this reduction alters the level of the protein that controls the body clock The researchers made the discovery using two groups of mice which were placed in smoking chambers. One of the groups was exposed to clean air only, and the other was exposed to different numbers of cigarettes during the day. Researchers monitored their daily activity patterns and found these mice were considerably less active following smoke exposure. The researchers also found low levels of the molecule SIRTUIN1 can result in a disturbed body clock in both mice and humans exposed to cigarette smoke. But they suggest it is also possible to reverse this effect. "If you only stick to one New Year's resolution this year, make it quitting smoking," said Gerald Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal which published the research. Dr Rahman added that the results could pave the way for treatments to improve both lung and brain functions in smokers, thereby improving their sleep. He said: "The results suggest the possible therapeutic value of targeting this pathway with compounds that could improve both lung and brain functions in smokers. We envisage that our findings will be the basis for future developments in the treatment of those patients who are suffering with tobacco smoke-mediated injuries and diseases.