The Unequal Night: New Research Reveals How Sleep Disparities Start in Childhood

Black children were 2.6 times more likely to suffer from insomnia that starts in childhood and continues into young adulthood, in comparison to white children.
Many individuals have faced a night or two of sleeplessness, spending hours restless and unable to either drift off to sleep or remain asleep. However, for a number of people, issues with sleep aren’t merely one-off occurrences; these problems can start as early as childhood.

A team, led by Penn State researchers, found that children and teens from racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by persistent insomnia symptoms that begin in childhood and continue through young adulthood. Specifically, Black children were 2.6 times more likely to experience these long-term sleep problems compared to white children. The findings underscore the need to identify insomnia symptoms early and intervene with age-appropriate treatment.