Screen Time and Sleep: What the Research Actually Shows

New research tracking over 1,000 residents in Tunis has found that evening screen time is one of the biggest factors behind deteriorating sleep quality across the capital, raising wellness concerns among both health professionals and local families.

The study, published this May by clinicians at La Rabta Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center, comes amid a sharp uptick in complaints about fatigue and restlessness, according to Dr. Lotfi Mabrouk, a general practitioner on Avenue Habib Bourguiba. Phone consultations at local clinics focused on insomnia have climbed by more than 30% since Ramadan, with patients routinely mentioning late-night scrolling on their phones or tablets.

The Digital Glow in Tunisian Bedrooms

From the Medina to the upscale enclave of Les Berges du Lac, phone and tablet screens have become the new nightlights. Cafés like El Ali, once bustling with late-evening conversation, now also buzz with the glow of messaging apps and video feeds after dark. According to an internal survey by Espace Fitness Mutuelleville, more than half their adult members admitted to checking devices within 10 minutes of going to bed.

The wellness community is feeling the effects. At SleepCo Tunis, a local start-up offering cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia, enrolment in group workshops doubled this spring. “The link between bedtime device use and interrupted sleep is hard to ignore,” said a staff sleep coach, requesting anonymity due to clinic policy. “We regularly see clients struggling to disconnect, even when prioritizing wellness in other areas.”

What the Research Actually Says

Globally and locally, mounting evidence points to late-night device use as a major disruptor of sleep cycles. The La Rabta Hospital study tracked participants’ screen habits with wrist-mounted activity monitors for one month. Results showed those using screens for more than 45 minutes after 9 pm had, on average, 47 fewer minutes of restorative deep sleep each night.

Other Tunis-based data echo the trend: digital health analytics company MedTech Menzah, which launched a sleep tracking wearable this year (retailing for 149 TND at Carrefour La Marsa), reports that users active on social media after 10 pm log an average sleep efficiency score 13% lower than those offline earlier in the evening. The main culprit, according to both studies’ authors, is blue light emission, which delays the release of melatonin, the hormone that cues the body’s sleep response.

For Tunis residents grappling with sleep trouble, experts are quick to offer practical advice. At several city pharmacies including Pharmacie de l’Indépendance in Lafayette, blue-light blocking glasses are now promoted beside sleep aid teas. Doctors recommend powering down devices an hour before bedtime, enabling night mode screens as a fallback, and building new routines—such as reading a physical book or practicing guided relaxation. SleepCo’s four-week digital detox group starts again on 15 July, with registration open online and at their office on Rue du Lac Biwa. For those struggling, consulting a sleep specialist remains the best first step towards better rest—and better days in Tunis.