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. 2013 Oct;7(5):10.1007/s12170-013-0330-0.
doi: 10.1007/s12170-013-0330-0.

Sleep and its Relationship to Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease

John H Kingsbury  1 , Orfeu M Buxton, Karen M Emmons
Affiliations

Sleep and its Relationship to Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease

John H Kingsbury et al. Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

There are substantial racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease in the U.S., but few mechanisms have emerged as feasible intervention targets. A growing body of research suggests that racial/ethnic differences in sleep deficiency, including extreme sleep duration, sleep-disordered breathing, and insomnia, may help explain disparities in cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying racial/ethnic disparities in sleep. In this article, we review the extant literature on sleep and cardiovascular outcomes (e.g., hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease) and racial/ethnic differences in these relations. We also discuss possible mechanisms that might help explain racial/ethnic sleep disparities, including neighborhood disadvantage, psychosocial and occupational stressors, acculturation, and treatment access and adherence. More research is needed to establish causal linkages among race/ethnicity, sleep, and these mechanisms, but existing evidence suggests that targeting these factors in interventions may reduce racial/ethnic sleep disparities and improve primary prevention of cardiovascular disease among all racial/ethnic groups.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease; disparities; ethnicity; insomnia; race; sleep; sleep duration; sleep-disordered breathing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Karen Emmons has a pending R01 grant for social and environmental effects on sleep and hypertension in low income families.

Orfeu Buxton received a grant from NIOSH, Sepracor Inc, NIA and NHLBI; served as a consultant for Dinsmore LLC and Matsutani America; gave expert testimony for Dinsmore LLC; and received honoraria from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.

John H. Kingsbury and Susan Redline declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of insufficient sleep and coronary heart disease across the United States.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conceptual model of relationship among social and environmental factors, sleep, and cardiovascular disease outcomes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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