The Underlying Reason Why You May Not Sleep Well
Sometimes we wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep. We wonder what is wrong with us that we cannot just go to sleep and stay awake, even when we’re tired. The answer may be ancestral.
Sometimes going to sleep at night and staying asleep can be difficult. It’s so common that we call it keeping demon time, witching hours, or insomnia. But the devil is in the details – of Black history.
Mainstream society recognizes a “sleep gap” between Black people and whites. However, there have always been sleep disparities since enslavement. Black people were deprived of sunlight as we were transported across the Atlantic during the slave trade and once here, worked around the clock to ensure white households functioned during the day.
But that’s not the entire story. At night, enslaved people relaxed, even if they had to work. They had a reprieve from the daylight’s cruel hours and hunted and fished in peace.
Today we can find the same type of freedom at night. Allow yourself to rest when you’re tired. Make space for other Black people to rest or not have to “be on” when they’re in your company. Make space for things you enjoy.
Our lack of rest has benefitted everyone except us. It’s time we cared for ourselves by finding ways to rest. That starts by unlearning that you must work all day and sleep all night.
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