Thomas Alan Mellman1, Kimberly Ann Bell2, Soleman Hassan Abu-Bader3, Ihori Kobayashi1. 1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine. 2. Department of Psychology, University of the District of Columbia. 3. Howard University School of Social Work, Washington, DC.
Abstract
Study Objectives: Stressful neighborhood environments are known to adversely affect health and contribute to health disparities but underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Healthy sleep can provide a respite from sustained sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. Our objective was to evaluate relationships between neighborhood stress and nocturnal and daytime SNS and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity. Methods: Eighty-five urban-residing African Americans (56.5% female; mean age of 23.0) participated. Evaluation included surveys of neighborhood stress and sleep-related vigilance, and continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) and actigraphic recording in participants' homes from which heart rate variability (HRV) analysis for low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio and normalized high frequency (nHF), as indicators of SNS and PNS activity, respectively, and total sleep time (TST), and wake after sleep onset were derived. Results: All significant relationships with HRV measures were from the sleep period. Neighborhood disorder correlated negatively with nHF (r = -.24, p = .035). There were also significant correlations of HRV indices with sleep duration and sleep fears. Among females, LF/HF correlated with exposure to violence, r = .39, p = .008, and nHF with census tract rates for violent crime (r = -.35, p = .035). In a stepwise regression, TST accounted for the variance contributed by violent crime to nHF in the female participants. Conclusions: Further investigation of relationships between neighborhood environments and SNS/PNS balance during sleep and their consequences, and strategies for mitigating such effects would have implications for health disparities.
Study Objectives: Stressful neighborhood environments are known to adversely affect health and contribute to health disparities but underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Healthy sleep can provide a respite from sustained sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. Our objective was to evaluate relationships between neighborhood stress and nocturnal and daytime SNS and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity. Methods: Eighty-five urban-residing African Americans (56.5% female; mean age of 23.0) participated. Evaluation included surveys of neighborhood stress and sleep-related vigilance, and continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) and actigraphic recording in participants' homes from which heart rate variability (HRV) analysis for low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio and normalized high frequency (nHF), as indicators of SNS and PNS activity, respectively, and total sleep time (TST), and wake after sleep onset were derived. Results: All significant relationships with HRV measures were from the sleep period. Neighborhood disorder correlated negatively with nHF (r = -.24, p = .035). There were also significant correlations of HRV indices with sleep duration and sleep fears. Among females, LF/HF correlated with exposure to violence, r = .39, p = .008, and nHF with census tract rates for violent crime (r = -.35, p = .035). In a stepwise regression, TST accounted for the variance contributed by violent crime to nHF in the female participants. Conclusions: Further investigation of relationships between neighborhood environments and SNS/PNS balance during sleep and their consequences, and strategies for mitigating such effects would have implications for health disparities.
Authors: Najib T Ayas; David P White; JoAnn E Manson; Meir J Stampfer; Frank E Speizer; Atul Malhotra; Frank B Hu Journal: Arch Intern Med Date: 2003-01-27
Authors: Stefano Guzzetti; Nicos Spyrou; Stuart D Rosen; Silvia Mezzetti; Elena Martinoli; Rodney A Foale; Paolo G Camici Journal: Basic Res Cardiol Date: 2002-01 Impact factor: 17.165
Authors: Kimberly A Bell; Ihori Kobayashi; Ameenat Akeeb; Joseph Lavela; Thomas A Mellman Journal: J Psychosom Res Date: 2019-03-26 Impact factor: 3.006
Authors: Monica R Ordway; Eileen M Condon; Bridget Basile Ibrahim; Emily A Abel; Melissa C Funaro; Janene Batten; Lois S Sadler; Nancy S Redeker Journal: Sleep Med Rev Date: 2021-05-01 Impact factor: 11.401