wellness
Late-Night Phones Cut Chicago Sleep Quality, Research Confirms
Recent findings tie late-night phone habits directly to shorter, lower-quality rest for residents across Chicago neighborhoods.
How we reported this
A 2025 University of Chicago study tracked 420 adults and found that those who used phones or tablets in the final hour before bed took an average of 47 minutes longer to fall asleep than those who avoided screens.
The timing stands out in July 2026 because many Chicago households have added second or third devices since the last major sleep survey in 2022, pushing average evening screen time past three hours. Local primary-care clinics report a steady rise in patients citing fatigue that starts after 10 p.m. device sessions rather than earlier in the day.
Wicker Park routines shift
On Division Street, the Bloom Yoga Studio now runs a 7:30 p.m. screen-free wind-down class on Tuesdays and Thursdays that ends with participants locking phones in a basket at the door. Two blocks north on Milwaukee Avenue, the Wicker Park Athletic Club added a 9 p.m. mindfulness session in May that limits discussion to sleep hygiene and offers blue-light glasses at the front desk for $28 a pair. Both programs report waitlists that fill within two days of posting.
Research from the same University of Chicago group showed participants who kept devices outside the bedroom improved total sleep time by 38 minutes on average after four weeks. The study also measured melatonin onset and found it arrived 34 minutes earlier when screens were removed after 9 p.m.
Next steps for residents
Clinic staff at the nearby Six Corners medical building recommend setting a single charging station in the kitchen and using the phone’s built-in wind-down mode starting at 8:30 p.m. People who tested the change for two weeks last month said they woke with fewer headaches and needed less coffee by midday. Local libraries on Damen Avenue keep a small supply of paper sleep logs that residents can pick up without an appointment.