Puriness

Sleep problems are common among Americans, but a growing body of research reveals glaring racial and ethnic disparities in sleep quality and quantity that have major health consequences.

Compared with white Americans, people who are African American or Black, Hispanic or Latinx, American Indian, Native Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander are more likely to have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and getting deep, restorative sleep. These groups are also more likely to have sleep disorders such as insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea, yet are less likely to receive a doctor’s diagnosis and get treatment for these problems, researchers have found. (We’ll dive into the numbers below.)

The result isn’t just feeling tired during the day. Studies, including a review published in 2019 the journal Nature and Science of Sleep, link slumber inequities with higher risk for chronic, life-threatening health conditions that racial and ethnic minority groups develop at higher rates than white people. These include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, anxiety, and even an early death.

And research points to systemic racism as the major, underlying cause.

“At a basic human rights level, we want to make healthy sleep available equally for all people,” says Dayna Johnson, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, whose research focuses on the root causes of sleep disparities and their impact on chronic disease. (She was the lead author of the 2019 review.)

“If we can target and improve sleep, we could potentially reduce this health burden for individuals. At the same time, this will reduce the burden on our healthcare system and our economy,” Dr. Johnson says.