Social determinants and health disparities affecting sleep

The past two decades have witnessed a remarkable and sustained emphasis on research delineating health disparities in sleep and sleep disorders in the USA and globally.1,2 Health disparities are defined as inequitable and preventable differences in health outcomes between groups (eg, racial and ethnic groups), which remain unresolved because they are entrenched in historical, socioeconomic, and cultural or political contexts. Addressing disparities with regard to sleep is warranted given their link with cardiometabolic diseases, as well as the mounting health-care costs with which they are associated.