Sleep is supposed to be a place of peace. Yet for many across the Black diaspora, rest feels distant, interrupted, or impossible. Insomnia isn’t just
Sleep is supposed to be a place of peace. Yet for many across the Black diaspora, rest feels distant, interrupted, or impossible. Insomnia isn’t just about tossing and turning — it’s a mirror of stress, history, and survival.
The Hidden Causes of Sleeplessness in the Black Diaspora
-
Living Under Stress:
Everyday racism, microaggressions, and systemic inequities keep the nervous system on alert — fueling sleepless nights. -
Historical Trauma in the Body:
From slavery to Jim Crow to colonization, generations carried hypervigilance as a survival skill. That legacy shows up today in bodies that cannot fully relax. -
Health Disparities:
Black communities face higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease — all linked with sleep disorders. -
Environmental Pressures:
Noise, being targeted, pollution, and night-shift jobs increase the risk of insomnia. -
Medical Dismissal:
Black patients are less likely to be diagnosed or treated for sleep apnea and insomnia, even when the symptoms are obvious. -
Diaspora-Specific Struggles:
-
Migrants wrestle with time zones, economic precarity, and cultural dislocation.
-
Many in the diaspora work multiple jobs, making rest feel like a luxury instead of a birthright.
-
Beyond Physical — The Spiritual Toll
In African and Afro-diasporic traditions, sleep and dreams aren’t just biological. They’re sacred spaces to meet ancestors, receive visions, or restore balance. Insomnia robs not only rest but also that spiritual inheritance.
Why This Matters
Insomnia in the Black diaspora isn’t random. It’s patterned. It’s systemic. And it reveals how deeply injustice can reach — right into the place where we are supposed to find restoration.
Questions to Reflect On
-
What does it mean for a people when even rest feels unsafe?
-
How do systemic inequities steal not only years of life, but nights of peace?
-
What would it look like to reclaim sleep as resistance — as a radical act of care, healing, and power?
✨ Cultural Note:
In many African and Afro-diasporic traditions, sleep and dreams are considered spiritual portals — ways to connect with ancestors or receive guidance. The disruption of sleep can therefore feel not only physical but also a disruption of spiritual balance.
