Sleep disparities in Asian Americans: a comprehensive review.

Study Objectives: This review summarizes race-based sleep health disparities between Asian Americans and other American racial groups and compares sleep outcomes between Asian American subgroups disaggregated by ethnicity and ancestral national origin. The study identifies gaps in the existing literature, analyzes barriers to studying Asian American sleep, and recommends topics for future research.

Methods: A PubMed review of research on adult Asian American sleep was conducted. The articles included utilized actigraphy, polysomnography, and questionnaires to gather sleep health metrics. Information from these articles included data on sleep duration, sleep quality, sleep disturbances, and sleep disorders.

Results: Most aggregated studies find Asian American adults experiencing lower sleep duration and poorer sleep quality compared to non-Hispanic White Americans and comparable or slightly higher sleep duration compared to Black Americans. Within Asian Americans, first-generation immigrants report better sleep quality than subsequent generations. East Asian Americans may experience better sleep outcomes compared to Southeast Asian Americans. Obstructive sleep apnea is critically underreported in South Asian Americans.

Conclusions: Significantly more research is required in Asian American sleep disparities, specifically in South and Southeast Asian Americans. Sleep disparities between Asian Americans and other racial groups are impacted by perceived discrimination, poor mental health, and cultural attitudes toward sleep. The observed within-group disparities of Asian American sleep may be attributed to socioeconomic status and generational status/acculturation. Existing barriers to research include the model minority myth and lack of disaggregated racial sleep data.

Citation: Nandagiri V, Vannemreddy S, Spector A. Sleep disparities in Asian Americans: a comprehensive review. . 2023;19(2):393-402.