Why people are sleeping worse and what to do about it

Clinic intake logs at the University of Oregon Student Health Center show a 22 percent rise in sleep complaints from May 2025 to May 2026, with patients citing late-night phone use and street noise on the east side of campus.

The increase matters now because summer daylight lingers past 9 p.m. along Willamette Street, extending screen time for residents who already juggle remote work and family schedules. Lane County data collected last spring found that adults who averaged six or fewer hours of sleep reported higher rates of afternoon fatigue at local workplaces.

Local drivers in Whiteaker and South Eugene

Noise from brewery crowds on Blair Boulevard keeps windows open past midnight in the Whiteaker district, while traffic on 18th Avenue in South Eugene adds low-frequency rumble that residents say cuts into deep-sleep cycles. The Downtown Athletic Club on 10th Avenue logged a 30 percent jump in yoga and breathwork class attendance this spring, with instructors noting participants arrive citing restless nights.

A 2025 Oregon Health Authority survey placed Lane County’s average adult sleep duration at 6.4 hours, down from 7.1 hours recorded in 2019. The same report tied the drop to increased evening device use, with 61 percent of respondents checking phones within 30 minutes of bedtime.

Practical steps that fit Eugene routines

Residents can start by setting a 9:30 p.m. device curfew and taking a 20-minute walk along the Ruth Bascom Riverfront Path before bed. The Hilyard Community Center offers a six-week sleep-hygiene workshop that begins July 15 and costs $45 for non-members; early sessions focus on light exposure timing and bedroom temperature settings around 65 degrees. Participants who finished the spring cohort reported an average 45-minute gain in total sleep time after four weeks.

Those measures require only small schedule tweaks yet address the specific pressures showing up in local clinic numbers.