Health

Lack of sleep leads to, exacerbates racial and income inequality, report says

Leave a comment


Lack of sleep can fuel other social inequality and is particularly evident in black communities.


SEATTLE (PRWEB)

Tuck.com, a robust online resource dedicated to all things sleep, published a literature review showing how sleep is a mechanism connecting social inequalities to larger health effects, which cyclically stems further inequality.

The report looked at the CDC’s survey of close to 444,000 Americans that draws direct relationships between ethnicity and short sleeping (sleeping less than 7 hours). A similar connection was found between income and sleep duration, whereby those nearer to or below the poverty threshold sleep less. See the full report here: https://www.tuck.com/the-inequality-of-sleep/

The main takeaways:

  • Wealthy, white Americans get the most sleep, while people of color and low income are systematically sleeping less.

  • Nearly 46% of Black adults in the US are under-sleeping.

  • 33% of adults whose income is below the federal poverty threshold sleep less than 7 hours.

  • Short sleep contributes to a host of health issues (diminished cognitive functioning, mental health impairment, weight gain, and a 30% greater risk of mortality) and social issues (parenting, school performance, work performance, etc.), which can create multi-generational cycles of inequality.


Unequal sleep is an under-considered driver of systemic inequalities, particularly regarding ethnicity and socioeconomic status. It is a key factor in a continuous succession of worse health outcomes, and social, and economic separation.

Tuck.com is a publication dedicated to testing and evaluating sleep products, providing its readers access to comprehensive, unbiased reviews and sleep information.Tuck has been featured in outlets including NBC News, Well+Good, Shape, & Huffington Post. Visit the Tuck website, as well on social at Facebook and Twitter.

Share article on social media or email:



Leave a Reply