Neuroscience study: Quit smoking in your sleep

Battling a smoking addiction is a complex process often accompanied by stressful withdrawal symptoms, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, the solution may be as easy as going to sleep.

Professor Noam Sobel and PhD student Anat Arzi discovered just how powerful the synthesis of vile smells and a little sleep could go. According to a recent research study conducted at the New Weizmann Institute, conditioning applied during sleep can help change smoking habits, commonly referred to as sleep-learning. 

The researchers report in the Journal of Neuroscience that olfactory aversive conditioning applied during sleep helps cut down cigarette-smoking behavior.

Researchers exposed 66 smokers to pairs of smells – the combination of cigarettes together with rotten fish or eggs – while the subjects slept. The smokers were instructed to keep a daily smoking diary noting how many cigarettes they smoked the following week.

And the results? The study revealed a significant reduction in smoking following the conditioning during sleep, by approximately 30%. Interestingly enough, the subjects who were awake while exposed to the foul odors didn’t smoke less afterwards.

So if you’re ready to quit smoking, perhaps this is your chance. All you need to do is go to sleep. 

For more information, the study can be found