Am J Epidemiol. 2022 Aug 22;191(9):1540-1543. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwac086.
Light exposure at night impedes sleep and shifts the circadian clock. An extensive body of literature has linked sleep deprivation and circadian misalignment with cardiac disease, cancer, mental health disorders, and other chronic illnesses, as well as more immediate risks, such as motor vehicle crashes and occupational injuries. In this issue of the Journal, Zhong et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2022;191(9):1532-1539) build on this literature, finding that in a cohort of 50,000 California teachers, artificial light at night, noise, green space, and air pollution were all associated with sleep disturbances. Light, noise, air pollution, and the lack of green space are problems inequitably distributed across the population, concentrated among vulnerable populations in inner cities. Zhong et al. provide novel data on the manner in which these local environmental exposures drive sleep deprivation. Future research should explore the degree to which place-based disparities in sleep in turn drive disparities in short and long-term health. Addressing home-based sleep disparities could be an avenue to addressing systemic racism and achieving environmental justice.
夜间光照会妨碍睡眠并打乱生物钟。大量文献已经将睡眠不足和昼夜节律紊乱与心脏病、癌症、心理健康障碍和其他慢性疾病以及更直接的风险（如机动车事故和职业伤害）联系起来。在本期《美国流行病学杂志》（Am J Epidemiol. 2022;191(9):1532-1539）中，Zhong 等人在这一文献基础上进一步研究发现，在加利福尼亚州 5 万名教师的队列中，夜间人工光、噪音、绿地和空气污染都与睡眠障碍有关。光、噪音、空气污染和缺乏绿地是在人群中分布不均的问题，集中在城市内部的脆弱人群中。Zhong 等人提供了关于这些局部环境暴露如何导致睡眠剥夺的新数据。未来的研究应该探讨睡眠的地方差异在多大程度上反过来又导致短期和长期健康方面的差异。解决家庭睡眠差异可能是解决系统性种族主义和实现环境正义的一个途径。
