I recently read a fascinating new study which was performed at BYU where perceived racism was shown to be related to sleep difficulties and depression in Hispanic immigrants.

In the study the authors wrote:

"We found that perceived racism impacts the quality of their sleep and that disturbed sleep is related to depression," explained lead author Patrick Steffen, assistant professor of clinical psychology. "Individuals who have experienced racism could be thinking about what happened the previous day, feeling stressed about their ability to succeed when being judged by something other than merit -- skin tone or a different way of speaking. Sleep is the pathway through which racism affects depression."

Knowing that quality of sleep is tied to physical effects like blood pressure and the immune system, the author hopes to find a causal relationship. But in his advice I felt he falls short.

The author states that when feeling depression from perceived racism you need to seek counseling, which I completely agree with. However he never speaks to one's sleep habits.

I say yes go to counseling, but also look at your sleep. Are you making sure you have a good sleep schedule? Is your bedroom a good sleep environment? Are you adhering to cultural differences in sleep that your body has gotten used to over the years (like a Siesta)? If these are also problems, think about a dual treatment track both counseling and sleep.

Related Topics: Sleep Lifestyle Quiz, Tired and Sleepless

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