Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Discrimination, Sleep, and Stress Reactivity: Pathways to African American-White Cardiometabolic Risk Inequities

  • Published:
Population Research and Policy Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This review provides a model explicating two related physiologic and behavioral pathways through which the chronic daily stress of the expectation and experience of discrimination exposure can shape life course cardiometabolic risk trajectories: sleep and stress reactivity. We argue that these two pathways work together jointly to shape African American-White disparities in cardiometabolic morbidities. The body’s ongoing anticipation of experiencing racism-related stressors disrupts sleep, a behavior highly responsive to stress reactivity, which is also elevated during stressful conditions. The constant feedback between sleep disruption and the body’s stress response can lead to higher allostatic load and disproportionate exposure to stress-related illness among African Americans earlier in their life course.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adam, E. K., Heissel, J. A., Zeiders, K. H., Richeson, J. A., Ross, E. C., Ehrlich, K. B., et al. (2015). Developmental histories of perceived racial discrimination and diurnal cortisol profiles in adulthood: A 20-year prospective study. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 62, 279–291. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.08.018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Almazan, E. P., Roettger, M. E., & Acosta, P. S. (2014). Measures of sexual minority status and suicide risk among young adults in the United States. Archives of Suicide Research, 18(3), 274–281. doi:10.1080/13811118.2013.824832.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balbo, M., Leproult, R., & Van Cauter, E. (2010). Impact of sleep and its disturbances on hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. International Journal of Endocrinology. doi:10.1155/2010/759234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balfour, P. C., Jr., Rodriguez, C. J., & Ferdinand, K. C. (2015). The role of hypertension in race-ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease. Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep. doi:10.1007/s12170-015-0446-5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beatty, D. L., Hall, M. H., Kamarck, T. A., Buysse, D. J., Owens, J. F., Reis, S. E., et al. (2011). Unfair treatment is associated with poor sleep in African American and Caucasian adults: Pittsburgh SleepSCORE project. Health Psychology: Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 30(3), 351–359. doi:10.1037/a0022976.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, S. P., Langberg, J. M., & Byars, K. C. (2015). Advancing a biopsychosocial and contextual model of sleep in adolescence: A review and introduction to the special issue. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(2), 239–270. doi:10.1007/s10964-014-0248-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonilla-Silva, E. (2015). The structure of racism in color-blind, “Post-Racial” America. American Behavioral Scientist. doi:10.1177/0002764215586826.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brody, G. H., Lei, M.-K., Chae, D. H., Yu, T., Kogan, S. M., & Beach, S. R. H. (2014). Perceived discrimination among african american adolescents and allostatic load: A longitudinal analysis with buffering effects. Child Development, 85(3), 989–1002. doi:10.1111/cdev.12213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brody, G. H., Yu, T., Miller, G. E., & Chen, E. (2015). Discrimination, racial identity, and cytokine levels among African-American adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(5), 496–501. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.01.017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brotman, D. J., Golden, S. H., & Wittstein, I. S. (2007). The cardiovascular toll of stress. Lancet, 370(9592), 1089–1100. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61305-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, T. M., & Schatzberg, A. F. (2005). On the interactions of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sleep: Normal HPA axis activity and circadian rhythm, exemplary sleep disorders. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 90(5), 3106–3114. doi:10.1210/jc.2004-1056.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CDC. (2011). Unhealth sleep and sleep related behaviors. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/.

  • CDC. (2015). Insufficient sleep is a public health problem. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/.

  • Chambers, E. C., Tull, E. S., Fraser, H. S., Mutunhu, N. R., Sobers, N., & Niles, E. (2004). The relationship of internalized racism to body fat distribution and insulin resistance among African adolescent youth. Journal of the National Medical Association, 96(12), 1594–1598.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R., Anderson, N. B., Clark, V. R., & Williams, D. R. (1999). Racism as a stressor for African Americans: A biopsychosocial model. American Psychologist, 54(10), 805–816. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.10.805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R., Benkert, R. A., & Flack, J. M. (2006). Large arterial elasticity varies as a function of gender and racism-related vigilance in black youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39(4), 562–569. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.02.012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., Schwartz, J. E., Epel, E., Kirschbaum, C., Sidney, S., & Seeman, T. (2006). Socioeconomic status, race, and diurnal cortisol decline in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68(1), 41–50. doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000195967.51768.ea.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cozier, Y. C., Wise, L. A., Palmer, J. R., & Rosenberg, L. (2009). Perceived racism in relation to weight change in the Black Women’s Health Study. Annals of Epidemiology, 19(6), 379–387. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2009.01.008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daw, J. (2017). Contribution of four comorbid conditions to racial/ethnic disparities in mortality risk. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 52(Supplement 1), S95–S102. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2016.07.036.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeSantis, A. S., Adam, E. K., Doane, L. D., Mineka, S., Zinbarg, R. E., & Craske, M. G. (2007). Racial/ethnic differences in cortisol diurnal rhythms in a community sample of adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(1), 3–13. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.03.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeSantis, A. S., Adam, E. K., Hawkley, L. C., Kudielka, B. M., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2015). Racial and ethnic differences in diurnal cortisol rhythms: Are they consistent over time? Psychosomatic Medicine, 77(1), 6–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller-Rowell, T. E., Curtis, D. S., El-Sheikh, M., Duke, A. M., Ryff, C. D., & Zgierska, A. E. (2016). Racial discrimination mediates race differences in sleep problems: A longitudinal analysis. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 23(2), 165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller-Rowell, T. E., Doan, S. N., & Eccles, J. S. (2012). Differential effects of perceived discrimination on the diurnal cortisol rhythm of African Americans and Whites. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 37(1), 107–118. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.05.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geronimus, A. T., Hicken, M., Keene, D., & Bound, J. (2006). “Weathering” and age patterns of allostatic load scores among blacks and whites in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 96(5), 826–833. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.060749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geronimus, A. T., & Thompson, J. P. (2004). To denigrate, ignore, or disrupt: Racial inequality in health and the impact of a policy-induced breakdown of African American communities. Du Bois Review, 1(02), 247–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gluckman, P. D., Hanson, M. A., & Spencer, H. G. (2005). Predictive adaptive responses and human evolution. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 20(10), 527–533. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2005.08.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goosby, B. J., Cheadle, J. E., & McDade, T. (2016). Birth weight, early life course BMI, and body size change: Chains of risk to adult inflammation? Social Science and Medicine, 148, 102–109. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goosby, B. J., & Heidbrink, C. (2013). The transgenerational consequences of discrimination on African-American health outcomes. Sociology Compass, 7(8), 630–643. doi:10.1111/soc4.12054.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goosby, B. J., Malone, S., Richardson, E. A., Cheadle, J. E., & Williams, D. T. (2015). Perceived discrimination and markers of cardiovascular risk among low-income African American youth. Am J Hum Biol. doi:10.1002/ajhb.22683.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, T. L., & Darity, W. A. (2010). Under the skin: Using theories from biology and the social sciences to explore the mechanisms behind the black-white health gap. American Journal of Public Health, 100(Suppl 1), S36–S40. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.171140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hairston, K. G., Bryer-Ash, M., Norris, J. M., Haffner, S., Bowden, D. W., & Wagenknecht, L. E. (2010). Sleep duration and five-year abdominal fat accumulation in a minority cohort: The IRAS Family Study. Sleep, 33(3), 289–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hale, L., & Do, D. P. (2007). Racial differences in self-reports of sleep duration in a population-based study. Sleep, 30(9), 1096–1103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hale, L., & Rivero-Fuentes, E. (2011). Negative acculturation in sleep duration among Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 13(2), 402–407. doi:10.1007/s10903-009-9284-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrell, C. J. P., Burford, T. I., Cage, B. N., Nelson, T. M., Shearon, S., Thompson, A., et al. (2011). Multiple pathways linking racism to health outcomes. Du Bois Review, 8(1), 143–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hicken, M. T., Lee, H., Ailshire, J., Burgard, S. A., & Williams, D. R. (2013). “Every shut eye, ain’t sleep”: The role of racism-related vigilance in racial/ethnic disparities in sleep difficulty. Race and Social Problems, 5(2), 100–112. doi:10.1007/s12552-013-9095-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoggard, L. S., & Hill, L. K. (2016). Examining how racial discrimination impacts sleep quality in African Americans: Is perseveration the answer? Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 1–14.

  • Huynh, V. W., Guan, S.-S. A., Almeida, D. M., McCreath, H., & Fuligni, A. J. (2016). Everyday discrimination and diurnal cortisol during adolescence. Hormones and Behavior, 80, 76–81. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.01.009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Irwin, M. R. (2015). Why sleep is important for health: a psychoneuroimmunology perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 143–172. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jamieson, J. P., Koslov, K., Nock, M. K., & Mendes, W. B. (2013). Experiencing discrimination increases risk taking. Psychological Science, 24(2), 131–139. doi:10.1177/0956797612448194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaestner, R., Pearson, J. A., Keene, D., & Geronimus, A. T. (2009). Stress, allostatic load and health of Mexican immigrants. Social Science Quarterly, 90(5), 1089–1111. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00648.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kern, S., Oakes, T. R., Stone, C. K., McAuliff, E. M., Kirschbaum, C., & Davidson, R. J. (2008). Glucose metabolic changes in the prefrontal cortex are associated with HPA axis response to a psychosocial stressor. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 33(4), 517–529. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.01.010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kingsbury, J. H., Buxton, O. M., & Emmons, K. M. (2013). Sleep and its relationship to racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports. doi:10.1007/s12170-013-0330-0.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, P. M., & Friedman, E. M. (2009). Sleep duration in the United States: A cross-sectional population-based study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 169(9), 1052–1063. doi:10.1093/aje/kwp023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lauderdale, D. S. (2006). Birth outcomes for Arabic-named women in California before and after September 11. Demography, 43(1), 185–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, H. E., Lee, D., Guo, G., & Harris, K. M. (2011). US trends in body mass in adolescence and young adulthood, 1959–2002. The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 49(6), 601–608. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2011.04.019.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, T. T., Aiello, A. E., Leurgans, S., Kelly, J., & Barnes, L. L. (2010). Self-reported experiences of everyday discrimination are associated with elevated C-reactive protein levels in older African-American adults. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 24(3), 438–443. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2009.11.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, T. T., Barnes, L. L., Bienias, J. L., Lackland, D. T., Evans, D. A., & Mendes de Leon, C. F. (2009). Perceived discrimination and blood pressure in older African American and white adults. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 64A(9), 1002–1008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, T. T., Cogburn, C. D., & Williams, D. R. (2015). Self-reported experiences of discrimination and health: Scientific advances, ongoing controversies, and emerging issues. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 11(1), 407–440. doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032814-112728.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, T. T., Everson-Rose, S., Powell, L. H., Matthews, K. A., Brown, C., Karavolos, K., et al. (2006). Chronic exposure to everyday discrimination and coronary artery calcification in African-American women: The SWAN Heart Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68(3), 362–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, T. T., Troxel, W. M., Kravitz, H. M., Bromberger, J. T., Matthews, K. A., & Hall, M. (2013). Chronic exposure to everyday discrimination and sleep in a multi-ethnic sample of middle-aged women. Health Psychology: Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 32(7), 810–819. doi:10.1037/a0029938.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marino, M., Li, Y., Rueschman, M. N., Winkelman, J. W., Ellenbogen, J. M., Solet, J. M., et al. (2013). Measuring sleep: Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of wrist actigraphy compared to polysomnography. Sleep, 36(11), 1747–1755. doi:10.5665/sleep.3142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, K. A., & Pantesco, E. J. M. (2016). Sleep characteristics and cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents: An enumerative review. Sleep Medicine, 18, 36–49. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2015.06.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McEwen, B. S. (1998). Stress, adaptation, and disease: Allostasis and allostatic load. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 840, 33–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McEwen, B. S. (2004). Protection and damage from acute and chronic stress: Allostasis and allostatic overload and relevance to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1032, 1–7. doi:10.1196/annals.1314.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McEwen, B. S. (2006). Sleep deprivation as a neurobiologic and physiologic stress: Allostasis and allostatic load. Metabolism, Clinical and Experimental, 55(Supplement 2), s20–s23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meerlo, P., Sgoifo, A., & Suchecki, D. (2008). Restricted and disrupted sleep: Effects on autonomic function, neuroendocrine stress systems and stress responsivity. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 12(3), 197–210. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2007.07.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mezick, E. J., Matthews, K. A., Hall, M., Strollo, P. J., Jr., Buysse, D. J., Kamarck, T. W., et al. (2008). Influence of race and socioeconomic status on sleep: Pittsburgh SleepSCORE project. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70(4), 410–416. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e31816fdf21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. E., Chen, E., & Zhou, E. S. (2007). If it goes up, must it come down? Chronic stress and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in humans. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 25–45. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. E., Cohen, S., & Ritchey, A. K. (2002). Chronic psychological stress and the regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines: A glucocorticoid-resistance model. Health Psychology, 21(6), 531–541. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.21.6.531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mozaffarian, D., Benjamin, E. J., Go, A. S., Arnett, D. K., Blaha, M. J., Cushman, M.,… Stroke Statistics, S. (2016). Heart disease and stroke statistics-2016 update: A report from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 133(4), e38–e360. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000350.

  • Nakajima, H., Kaneita, Y., Yokoyama, E., Harano, S., Tamaki, T., Ibuka, E., et al. (2008). Association between sleep duration and hemoglobin A1c level. Sleep Medicine, 9(7), 745–752. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2007.07.017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NCHS. (2012). Health, United States, 2011: With special feature on socioeconomic status and health. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nijm, J., & Jonasson, L. (2009). Inflammation and cortisol response in coronary artery disease. Annals of Medicine, 41, 224–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Padela, A. I., & Raza, A. (2015). American Muslim health disparities: the state of the Medline literature. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, 8(1), 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pepin, J.-L., Borel, A.-L., Tamisier, R., Baguet, J.-P., Levy, P., & Dauvilliers, Y. (2014). Hypertension and sleep: Overview of a tight relationship. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 18(6), 509–519. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2014.03.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petrov, M. E., & Lichstein, K. L. (2016). Differences in sleep between black and white adults: An update and future directions. Sleep Medicine, 18, 74–81. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2015.01.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phelan, J. C., & Link, B. G. (2015). Is racism a fundamental cause of inequalities in health? Annual Review of Sociology, 41(1), 311–330. doi:10.1146/annurev-soc-073014-112305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poh, M.-Z., Swenson, N. C., & Picard, R. W. (2010). A wearable sensor for unobtrusive, long-term assessment of electrodermal activity. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 57(5), 1243–1252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, L. R., Jesdale, W. M., & Lemon, S. C. (2016). On edge: The impact of race-related vigilance on obesity status in African-Americans. Obesity Science & Practice, 2(2), 136–143. doi:10.1002/osp4.42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quist, J. S., Sjödin, A., Chaput, J.-P., & Hjorth, M. F. (2016). Sleep and cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 29, 76–100. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2015.09.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reskin, B. (2012). The race discrimination system. Annual Review of Sociology, 38(1), 17–35. doi:10.1146/annurev-soc-071811-145508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, L. J., & Brown, T. H. (2016). (En)gendering racial disparities in health trajectories: A life course and intersectional analysis. SSM-Population Health, 2, 425–435. doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2016.04.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez, J. M., Geronimus, A. T., Bound, J., & Dorling, D. (2015). Black lives matter: Differential mortality and the racial composition of the U.S. electorate, 1970-2004. Social Science and Medicine, 136–137, 190–192. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.04.014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sadeh, A. (2011). The role and validity of actigraphy in sleep medicine: An update. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 15(4), 259–267. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2010.10.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sano, A., & Picard, R. W. (2011). Toward a taxonomy of autonomic sleep patterns with electrodermal activity. Paper presented at the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC, 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE.

  • Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why zebras don’t get ulcers/Robert M. Sapolsky (3rd ed.). New York: Times Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sapolsky, R. M., Romero, L. M., & Munck, A. U. (2000). How do glucocorticoids influence stress responses? Integrating permissive, suppressive, stimulatory, and preparative actions. Endocrine Reviews, 21(1), 55–89. doi:10.1210/edrv.21.1.0389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, M. L., Shirtcliff, E. A., Haggerty, K. P., Coe, C. L., & Catalano, R. F. (2011). Allostasis model facilitates understanding race differences in the diurnal cortisol rhythm. Development and Psychopathology, 23(4), 1167–1186. doi:10.1017/S095457941100054X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slopen, N., Lewis, T. T., & Williams, D. R. (2016). Discrimination and sleep: A systematic review. Sleep Medicine, 18, 88–95. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2015.01.012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slopen, N., & Williams, D. R. (2014). Discrimination, other psychosocial stressors, and self-reported sleep duration and difficulties. Sleep, 37(1), 147–156. doi:10.5665/sleep.3326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sterling, P. (2003). Principles of allostasis: Optimal design, predictive regulation, pathophysiology and rational therapeutics. In J. Schulkin (Ed.), Allostasis, homeostasis, and the costs of adaptation. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sterling, P. (2012). Allostasis: A model of predictive regulation. Physiology & Behavior, 106(1), 5–15. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.06.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternthal, M. J., Slopen, N., & Williams, D. R. (2011). Racial disparities in health: How much does stress really matter? Du Bois Review, 8(1), 95–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swan, M. (2013). The quantified self: Fundamental disruption in big data science and biological discovery. Big Data, 1(2), 85–99. doi:10.1089/big.2012.0002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, K. S., Bardwell, W. A., Ancoli-Israel, S., & Dimsdale, J. E. (2006). The toll of ethnic discrimination on sleep architecture and fatigue. Health Psychology: Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 25(5), 635–642. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.25.5.635.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomfohr, L., Cooper, D. C., Mills, P. J., Nelesen, R. A., & Dimsdale, J. E. (2010). Everyday discrimination and nocturnal blood pressure dipping in black and white americans. Psychosomatic Medicine, 72(3), 266–272. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181d0d8b2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomfohr, L., Pung, M. A., Edwards, K. M., & Dimsdale, J. E. (2012). Racial differences in sleep architecture: The role of ethnic discrimination. Biological Psychology, 89(1), 34–38. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2011.09.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tull, E. S., Cort, M. A., Gwebu, E. T., & Gwebu, K. (2007). Internalized racism is associated with elevated fasting glucose in a sample of adult women but not men in Zimbabwe. Ethnicity and Disease, 17(4), 731–735.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Cauter, E., Spiegel, K., Tasali, E., & Leproult, R. (2008). Metabolic consequences of sleep and sleep loss. Sleep Medicine, 1(Supplement 1), S23–S28. doi:10.1016/S1389-9457(08)70013-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, D. R. (2012). Miles to go before we sleep: Racial inequities in health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 53(3), 279–295. doi:10.1177/0022146512455804.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeiders, K. H., Hoyt, L. T., & Adam, E. K. (2014). Associations between self-reported discrimination and diurnal cortisol rhythms among young adults: The moderating role of racial-ethnic minority status. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 50, 280–288. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.08.023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank participants of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and European Research Council (United Kingdom) “How Social Environments Get Under the Skin” workgroup and Thom McDade for their helpful feedback on earlier drafts of this manuscript. This research was funded by a University of Nebraska Minority Health Disparities Award and is part of a larger study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (K01 HD 064537, Bridget Goosby, PI).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA

    Bridget J. Goosby, Elizabeth Straley & Jacob E. Cheadle

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 741 Oldfather Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA

    Bridget J. Goosby

Authors
  1. Bridget J. Goosby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Elizabeth Straley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jacob E. Cheadle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bridget J. Goosby.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Goosby, B., Straley, E. & Cheadle, J. Discrimination, Sleep, and Stress Reactivity: Pathways to African American-White Cardiometabolic Risk Inequities. Popul Res Policy Rev 36, 699–716 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-017-9439-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-017-9439-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation