For some smokers, cigarettes on an empty stomach in the morning have already become a kind of ritual, but this habit can be even more harmful than smoking all day long.. Smoking right after waking up increases risk of lung, head and neck cancer, two new studies show.

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In order to determine why only some smokers get cancer, the researchers tried to find out whether how soon a person grabs their first cigarette after waking up affects their risk of developing lung, head and neck cancer - regardless of how often they smoke and for how long.

One analysis included 4775 patients with lung cancer and 2835 other regular smokers who did not have lung cancer.. People who started smoking within 30 minutes of waking up were 1.79 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who waited more than 60 minutes before lighting their first cigarette after a night's sleep, analysis found.

And people who habitually smoked within 31-60 minutes of waking up were 1.31 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who spent at least an hour after waking up..

The second analysis included 1055 people with head and neck cancer and 795 people who also smoked but did not have cancer.. So, smokers who grabbed a cigarette within 30 minutes of waking up were 1.59 times more likely to develop neck and head cancer than those who could wait an hour, as the analysis showed.. And those who smoked within 31-60 minutes of waking up from a night's sleep were 1.42 times more likely to develop head and neck cancer than those who smoked for at least 60 minutes..

The researchers said the findings could help professionals recognize smokers who are at particularly increased risk of developing lung, head and neck cancer and who would therefore benefit from smoking cessation programs..

The researchers, however, noted that smoking at any time of the day increases the likelihood of developing various types of cancers..

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