wellness
Why People Are Sleeping Worse in Amarillo and What to Do About It
Extended evening screen use and shifting work patterns have cut average rest by nearly an hour per night for many locals.
How we reported this
Amarillo adults now average 6.2 hours of sleep on weeknights, down from 7.1 hours reported in a 2023 city health survey. The drop tracks directly with increased phone use after 9 p.m. and later commutes along I-40.
Potter County data released last month show a 14 percent rise in residents logging fewer than six hours of sleep compared with two years ago. That change lines up with the spread of remote-work setups that keep laptops open past midnight and the growing number of service shifts that end after 11 p.m. on South Georgia Street.
Local routines driving the change
Many residents point to habits formed during the past two winters. The Amarillo Area YMCA on 45th Avenue extended its 24-hour fitness access in 2024, drawing night-shift workers who then scroll through feeds in the lobby before heading home. At the same time, the Wellness Collective on Georgia Street added late-evening meditation apps to its membership package, which some users say keeps phones in hand longer than intended.
Neighborhood walks along Wolflin Avenue have shortened as well. Streetlights installed in 2025 improved safety but also encouraged residents to linger outdoors with phones until later, delaying wind-down time once they reach homes near the intersection with 34th Street.
Practical steps already working
City health workers have begun offering free 30-minute sleep workshops at the Amarillo Public Library branch on 710 S 1st Street every Tuesday at 6 p.m. Attendance has climbed from 12 people in January to 47 last month, according to library records. Participants receive printed checklists that recommend setting phone alarms for 9:30 p.m. and keeping chargers outside the bedroom.
Local stores on Route 66 now stock blackout curtains for $28 a panel, and several report selling out of the $45 weighted blankets that arrived on shelves in May. The Amarillo Sleep Center on Coulter Street has added a $75 intake visit that includes a one-week sleep-log review and a follow-up call at no extra charge. Residents who completed the program last quarter logged an average gain of 42 minutes of sleep per night.
Starting tonight, setting a device curfew at 10 p.m. and walking one block on Polk Street before bed can reset the pattern within a week for most people. The library workshops continue through August, and the YMCA offers a 7 a.m. stretch class that pairs well with earlier bedtimes.