Lots of people struggle to get enough sleep — and the responsibility for fixing the problem tends to fall on the individual. Experts offer advice like reducing screen time, exercising more, or just going to bed earlier in the evening.

But many restless nights can’t be solved with blackout curtains, ear plugs, or other typical suggestions. On average, Black adults in the U.S. get poorer sleep than white adults — often for reasons outside of their control. A growing number of experts argue that in order to address such racial disparities, health professionals need to start discussing sleep within the complex tapestry of a person’s life and surroundings.

“A large proportion of the disparities in sleep are really due to social and environmental factors” such as noise pollution, said Mercedes Carnethon, vice chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and an expert on racial disparities in cardiovascular disease.