Sleep in America: Role of racial/ethnic differences

Abstract

Summary Sleep duration in America has gradually declined over the last four decades and appears to have reached a plateau for the last six years, with recent studies reporting that the population's current average sleep duration is approximately 6 hours. In this paper, we examine epidemiologic and community-based data on sleep complaints reported by American adults, specifically addressing the role of race/ethnicity in the subjective report of sleep problems. Subjective and objective findings indicate that black1 Americans have higher rates of long (≥ 9 h) and short (≤5 h) sleep than their white counterparts, and this may mediate a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity and diabetes among blacks. In addition, studies show mixed results on sleep complaints among blacks compared to those among other ethnicities. This paper explores factors that may contribute to racial/ethnic differences in sleep including intra-ethnic variation, cultural biases, genetics and psychosocial factors.

Geographic variations in sleep duration: a multilevel analysis from the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey

“…13 Not all segments of the population, however, appear to have equal distributions of sleep duration. Disparities have been noted by race/ ethnicity 1415 and socioeconomic status (SES), 1617 with shorter sleep duration in those with low SES and in minority populations. 18 Sleep symptoms such as sleep latency, sleep disturbances and sleep quality also differ by social and demographic factors.…”

“…19 Such disparities have been proposed to mediate racial and socioeconomic disparities in health. 1415 For example, African-Americans and Hispanics have shorter sleep durations as compared to Caucasians, rates of obesity and diabetes are higher among these racial/ethnic groups, and the prevalence of coronary heart diseases is greater in black populations than in any other racial/ethnic group. 20-22 Other individual determinants of sleep have also been documented, including lifestyle habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption.…”

Minority Breast Cancer Survivors: The Association between Race/Ethnicity, Objective Sleep Disturbances, and Physical and Psychological Symptoms

“…The following questions are recommended for screening: “do you have difficulty falling or staying asleep,” “how long does it take to fall asleep,” “how many times do you wake up every night,” or “how long have you had difficulty in falling or staying asleep?” If indicated after screening, nurses should conduct comprehensive diagnostic exams including a sleep-oriented history, physical examination, objective testing, and education [60]. Routine assessment of sleep duration should be completed at regular physical exams, specifically for minority BCSs [23]. Inquiring about TST, by asking patients “how many hours are you sleeping at night,” may be more helpful in the identification of BCSs who are at a higher risk of sleep disturbances.…”

Could adult female acne be associated with modern life?

“…Over recent years, society is sleeping less and less [2,9,60,62]. Lack of sleep can be considered sleep deprivation, which occurs when the choice is made not to sleep or sleep is prevented due to sleep disturbances such as insomnia and obstructive sleep.…”