Northwestern University: "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women"3/27/2022 "A strong Black woman is a cultural icon. But when Black women cling to that image rather than acknowledging and addressing the stress and trauma so many have experienced, they may experience mental and physical problems, says Northwestern Medicine clinical psychologist Inger Burnett-Zeigler. Burnett-Zeigler wants to help them confront their pain and suffering, and learn tools for coping through her new book, "Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women (Amistad, June 29, 2021.)" An estimated eight out of 10 Black women have experienced some form of trauma. Burnett-Zeigler describes the different types of trauma Black women often endure — intergenerational trauma, childhood trauma, abusive relationships, pregnancy trauma — through her own personal stories and the stories of family members and clients. Rather than maintaining the cultural expectation of being strong, which can lead to anxiety, depression, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and more, Burnett-Zeigler offers Black women a new framework in which to understand how their life experiences have impacted them. Then she shows them how to adopt practices for body and mind health. Inger Burnett-Zeigler is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. She has two decades of clinical experience helping people with stress, trauma, anxiety and depression. She spoke with Northwestern Now recently."
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"Currently, 30 percent of American adults suffer from some form of insomnia, but the condition affects Black women disproportionately. For example, even when studies account for socioeconomic status, Black women report shorter total sleep time than White women and greater difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. However, there have been no studies published to date that focus on psycho-behavioral interventions for Black women to address their sleep deficits."
"Is it important for us to understand menopause now, even though it will not impact us for years? The answer, I found, is absolutely yes!...new research from this year suggests that woman may experience most menopause symptoms even earlier than we once thought. This late reproductive stage (LRS) can last for 10 years, and the severity of symptoms experienced by any one woman can be just as intense as they are in older women. Struggles with sleep, memory, and hot flashes can come as a surprise to women in their 30s. Woman of all ages need to have conversations with their health care providers about these topics. And researchers need to continue investigating perimenopause symptoms in younger women. Thankfully, there are also some things young women should do now to improve their chances for better long-term health, particularly to help prevent two diseases that grow more common as women age and the protective effect of estrogen diminishes: osteoporosis and heart disease."
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