Cigarette Smoking and Abstinence: Comparative Effects Upon Cognitive Task Performance and Mood State over 24 Hours.

Twenty regular smokers were assessed over 24-h of normal cigarette smoking, and an equivalent period of abstinence, in both conditions, a non-deprived baseline was followed by performance tests 2, 6 and 24 h later, while subjective feelings were assessed every 2 h. Compared to normal smoking, abstinence led to reduced heart rate, worse task performance, feelings of depression, stress, irritability, restlessness, poor concentration, and urges to smoke. Letter cancellation and number vigilance task performance were significantly poorer after 2 and 6 h of abstinence. Subjective feeling stales were significantly worse after 4 h of abstinence, and became increasingly impaired over the rest of the day. However many abstinence symptoms (except heart rate), were reduced in severity at the 24-h session, held on the morning of the following day. This suggests that many of the psychological effects of smoking abstinence, may build-up afresh each day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]