Associations Between Cigarette Smoking and Poor Sleep Among Adults With a Lifetime Cancer Diagnosis

Background Poor sleep is associated with cigarette smoking and cancer diagnosis, but little is known about the contribution of smoking to poor sleep following a cancer diagnosis. Methods Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey ( N = 6183), multivariable Poisson regression models estimated the associations between lifetime cancer diagnosis, cigarette smoking, and poor sleep, controlling for covariates and evaluating interactions between smoking and cancer diagnosis. Results Among adults, 11.6% reported a lifetime cancer diagnosis, and 13.3% of those reported current cigarette smoking. Adults with a cancer diagnosis who smoked had a higher prevalence of inappropriate sleep duration (Adjusted Prevalence Ratio, APR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.03, 5.13) and snorting/stop breathing (APR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.41) than those without a cancer diagnosis who don't smoke. Conclusion Smoking among adults with a lifetime cancer diagnosis is correlated with poor sleep, highlighting the need for targeted smoking cessation interventions to improve sleep health in this population.