Amarillo Adults Lose Sleep to Screens and Shift Work, City Data Shows

Surveys from the Amarillo Area Foundation found 42 percent of adults in Potter and Randall counties slept fewer than six hours on most nights in 2025, up from 31 percent in 2022.

The increase tracks with longer commutes along Interstate 40 and more residents checking phones late into the evening after shifts at the Tyson plant or the nearby refineries. Hotter summer nights and wind that rattles windows along the Wolflin neighborhood add to the problem.

Local programs track the trend

The Amarillo Public Library on South 5th Street launched a monthly sleep workshop series in January 2026 that draws 35 to 40 people each session. Participants log sleep habits on paper forms before staff review patterns with them. Across town, the YMCA branch at 45th and Bell offers 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. yoga classes aimed at shift workers who need wind-down routines before bed.

Staff at both sites say attendance has doubled since the start of the year. The library sessions cost nothing and run on the second Tuesday of each month.

Evidence points to clear patterns

A 2025 report by the Texas Department of State Health Services listed the Panhandle region with the second-highest rate of insufficient sleep among metro areas of similar size. One in three adults reported using screens within 30 minutes of bedtime on weekdays, a habit linked to later sleep onset. Local utility records show air-conditioning use rising 18 percent on summer nights since 2023, which can fragment sleep when units cycle on and off.

Small changes produce results. Turning off devices by 9 p.m., keeping bedrooms at 68 degrees, and walking the trail at Memorial Park before sunset each cut average time to fall asleep by 12 minutes in the library workshop group after four weeks. Residents can sign up for the next library session online or call the branch at 806-378-3036.