Why people are sleeping worse and what to do about it

Barwon Health recorded a 42-minute drop in average nightly sleep for Geelong adults between 2023 and 2025, with 47 percent now logging under six hours on weeknights.

The decline tracks the spread of hybrid work setups that keep laptops open past 10 pm and the steady rise in streaming on phones in bedrooms across the city. Local clinicians link the pattern to both extended blue-light exposure and the absence of fixed wind-down times that once anchored household schedules.

Local routines tied to rest

Evening walks along the Barwon River walking trail from the James Harrison Bridge to the Barwon Heads Road footbridge have become a common prescription at Barwon Health clinics, where staff note patients who log 30 minutes outdoors report falling asleep 18 minutes faster. Morning swims at the Eastern Beach rock pool, open daily from 6 am, produce similar reports when residents combine the activity with the Geelong Waterfront parkrun held each Saturday at 8 am along the waterfront path.

These sites sit within easy reach of central suburbs and require no paid membership, unlike commercial gyms charging $45 weekly.

A March 2026 Barwon Health audit of 1,200 local patients found those using the trail or rock pool at least three times weekly reduced insomnia scores by 26 percent compared with the previous year.

Practical steps that fit existing schedules

Start by setting a device curfew at 9 pm and replacing the final scroll with a 20-minute stretch or a short loop along the river trail before bed. Keep the bedroom cool and dark, using blackout curtains available at Geelong hardware stores for under $30 a pair.

Track patterns for two weeks with a simple notebook rather than another app, then adjust one habit at a time. Barwon Health advises anyone whose sleep stays below six hours for more than a month to book a check-up rather than rely on over-the-counter aids alone.