Parents’ smoking deprives asthmatic kids of sleep

Parents of asthmatic children have one more reason to quit smoking. A recent study published in the American medical journal Pediatrics says asthmatic children who live with smokers have a tough time getting proper sleep.

Based on a study conducted on 219 children, who were enrolled in an asthma intervention trial and were exposed regularly to second hand smoke (SHS), researchers claimed that such children were prone to have difficulty in falling asleep. They also risked getting poor sleep at night along with more night-time breathing symptoms, the study said. Sleepwalking, nightmares and drowsiness during the day were some more problems they were likely to face, said the study.

This was mainly because exposure to smoke affects the quality of sleep among asthmatic children. While all children can have such problems, children with asthma are especially vulnerable to the effects of tobacco smoke exposure.

During the study serum cotinine levels were used to measure exposure to tobacco smoke, and sleep patterns were assessed through parent reports. The researchers indicated that such parents should refrain from smoking in front of their children or in areas where they can be exposed to smoke.

This study is in tune with another study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health two years back which concluded that passive smoking can disrupt children’s learning and school performance and parents who smoke can be highly responsible for their children’s poor performance in school. It had found that teens exposed to second hand smoke at home were at increased risk of school test failure.