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Accepted manuscript

Social Drivers of Sleep Experiences: Conversations with Midlife Working-Class Women from Mexico City

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2025

Astrid N. Zamora Open the ORCID record for Astrid N. Zamora [Opens in a new window] ,
Elizabeth F.S. Roberts ,
Martha M. Tellez-Rojo ,
Karen E. Peterson ,
Libni A. Torres-Olascoaga ,
Alejandra Cantoral  and
Erica C. Jansen
Astrid N. Zamora
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Elizabeth F.S. Roberts
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Martha M. Tellez-Rojo
Affiliation:
Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Karen E. Peterson
Affiliation:
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Libni A. Torres-Olascoaga
Affiliation:
Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Alejandra Cantoral
Affiliation:
Health Department, Ibero-American University, Mexico City, Mexico
Erica C. Jansen*
Affiliation:
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Department of Neurology, Division of Sleep Medicine, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Erica C. Jansen, PhD MPH, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 3863 SPH 1, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; 734-764-9335; email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Sleep is essential for the health of midlife women, yet the barriers and facilitators to achieving adequate sleep, particularly among Latin American working-class women, are not well understood. This study aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the factors influencing sleep among working-class midlife women in Mexico City. A mixed-methods approach was employed among women enrolled in a Mexico City cohort. We utilized epidemiologic data to describe sleep and its correlates in a sample of 120 women, incorporating both self-reported (questionnaires and sleep diaries) and behavioral (actigraphy) measures of sleep.

A subset of 30 women participated in ethnographic interviews to explore barriers and facilitators to sleep, including coping strategies. Many women experienced poor sleep, with 43% reporting insomnia-related difficulties and 53% experiencing short sleep duration. Barriers included family-related stress, lack of sleep due to caregiving responsibilities, mental health challenges, and food insecurity. Women turned to coping mechanisms such as caffeine use and napping, along with natural remedies. This study highlights the critical role social factors play in shaping sleep outcomes among midlife women. Sleep is inherently a social behavior influenced by family dynamics, caregiving responsibilities, and other social pressures. These findings underscore the importance of considering psychosocial and cultural contexts in promoting healthy sleep among Mexican midlife women.

Keywords

ethnographyepidemiologyglobal healthmidlifemixed-methodssleep
Type
Results
Information
Research Directions: Sleep Psychology , Accepted manuscript , pp. 1 - 41
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press