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More than a third of adults say reading news on phones or tablets at night makes their sleep worse.

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• More than one-third (38%) of adults say doomscrolling before bed makes their sleep worse, according to a new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

• Younger adults are affected the most, with 46% of those ages 1824 reporting poorer sleep after viewing news or current events before bedtime.

• Screens are already a nightly habit for many Americans, with half of adults using a device in bed every day.

Many Americans stay glued to their phones and tablets all day, and even into the night. But new research suggests nocturnal viewing may be interfering with their sleep.

The survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) found that 38% of adults say using a phone or tablet before bed to read news sometimes referred to as doomscrolling makes their sleep slightly or significantly worse. The impact is even more pronounced among younger adults, with 46% of those ages 18 to 24 reporting poorer sleep after scrolling through news at night.

Sleep experts say the problem isnt just screen time its also the emotional weight of the content people consume late in the evening.

Internalizing topics that are stressful or worrisome before bed makes it difficult to have the deep, restorative sleep that is imperative to overall health, said Dr. James Rowley, past president of the AASM.

Phone use before bed should be limited altogether, but its important to also be mindful of the type of content you view near bedtime.

You need at least seven hours of shut-eye

Health guidelines recommend that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night and avoid exposure to blue light from handheld electronics for 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. But the survey suggests many Americans struggle to follow that advice.

More than one-quarter of adults (26%) say they prioritize phone use over getting the recommended amount of sleep. Meanwhile, half of adults (50%) report using a screen such as a TV, smartphone, computer, tablet or e-reader while in bed every day. Another 33% say they use screens in bed most days or several days a week.

Experts say the combination of screens and stimulating content can interfere with the bodys natural sleep signals.

Unintended consequences

Americans are turning to screens to unwind and relax before bed, even though it may prevent them from getting the rest they need, Rowley said. Blue light, especially when combined with emotionally charged content, can trick our body clocks into a state of daytime-level alertness, disrupting the circadian rhythm and making it more difficult to achieve high-quality sleep.

Lack of sleep can have immediate effects on daily functioning. Even one night of poor sleep may lead to trouble concentrating, headaches, mood changes and reduced cognitive performance.

Over time, chronic sleep deprivation can increase the risk of more serious health issues, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and excessive daytime sleepiness.

Sleep specialists say establishing healthy bedtime habits can help improve both sleep duration and quality.

Among the recommendations from AASM experts:

• Turn off electronics at least 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.

• Keep phones out of the bedroom and use a traditional alarm clock instead.

• Develop a relaxing nighttime routine such as reading, journaling or taking a warm shower.

• Silence phone alerts if devices remain in the bedroom.

• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule by waking up at the same time each day and going to bed when sleepy.

While scrolling through headlines may feel like a harmless way to unwind, experts say unplugging before bed could be one of the simplest ways to get a better nights sleep.

But AAA reports the cost of charging an EV has remained the same

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped nearly 27 cents in the past week to $3.25.

• Rising crude oil prices tied to conflict in the Middle East have pushed oil into the mid-$70 per barrel range.

• The increase returns the national average to roughly where it stood in early April 2025, and marks the largest weekly jump since March 2022 during the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The national average price for gasoline has jumped every day this week as geopolitical tensions pushed oil prices higher and seasonal market factors began to take hold.

According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline climbed to $3.32, up sharply from $2.983 a week ago. That represents a jump of nearly 35 cents, the steepest weekly increase in about four years.

The latest increase puts gasoline prices back to about the same level seen in early April 2025, after several weeks of relatively modest price movement.

Energy analysts say the spike is tied largely to rising crude oil prices driven by conflict in the Middle East, which has lifted benchmark oil prices into the mid-$70 per barrel range.

At the close of Wednesdays formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate crude rose 10 cents to settle at $74.66 per barrel.

Spring brings higher prices

Seasonal factors are also beginning to influence the market. Spring often brings higher fuel prices as gasoline demand rises ahead of the summer driving season and refineries shift to producing summer-blend gasoline, which is more expensive to manufacture.

Despite the price increase, recent government data shows gasoline consumption dipped slightly.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand fell from 8.73 million barrels per day to 8.29 million barrels per day last week. Total domestic gasoline supplies also declined, dropping from 254.8 million barrels to 253.1 million barrels.

Meanwhile, gasoline production increased, averaging 9.3 million barrels per day.

Crude oil inventories rose during the same period. The EIA reported U.S. crude oil stockpiles increased by 3.5 million barrels, bringing total inventories to 439.3 million barrels, about 3% below the five-year average for this time of year.

Where gas is most and least expensive

Gas prices vary widely across the country. AAA reports the most expensive gasoline markets are:

1. California $4.81

2. Washington $4.44

3. Hawaii $4.43

4. Oregon $4.04

5. Nevada $3.87

6. Alaska $3.72

7. Arizona $3.58

8. Illinois $3.36

9. Pennsylvania $3.35

10. Michigan $3.27

The least expensive markets are mostly in the South and Midwest:

1. Oklahoma $2.79

2. Mississippi $2.81

3. Kansas $2.83

4. Tennessee $2.84

5. Texas $2.87

6. Arkansas $2.90

7. Louisiana $2.90

8. Wyoming $2.90

9. North Dakota $2.91

10. Missouri $2.92

EV charging prices steady

While gasoline prices jumped, the national average price of electricity at public EV charging stations remained unchanged at 39 cents per kilowatt hour.

West Virginia has the highest average EV charging price at 52 cents per kWh, followed by Hawaii and Alaska. The lowest charging costs are in Kansas (25 cents per kWh), Wyoming and Missouri.

With the spring driving season approaching and oil prices reacting to global tensions, motorists could see continued volatility at the pump in the weeks ahead.

Employers cut 92,000 positions last month

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• U.S. employers cut 92,000 jobs in February, the first monthly decline in several months, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.4%.

• Health care, information, and federal government saw notable job losses, with strike activity contributing to the drop in medical employment.

• Wages continued to rise, with average hourly earnings increasing 0.4% to $37.32, up 3.8% from a year earlier.

U.S. job growth turned negative in February as payrolls slipped and several major sectors shed workers, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 92,000 jobs in February, reversing some of the gains seen earlier in the year. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.4%, representing about 7.6 million unemployed Americans.

Employment in health care dropped by 28,000 jobs, largely because of strike activity affecting physicians offices, which alone lost 37,000 positions. Hospitals partially offset the decline by adding 12,000 jobs.

Even with Februarys losses, the sector has remained one of the stronger sources of job growth over the past year, averaging 36,000 new jobs per month.

Federal and information jobs continue downward trend

The information sector lost 11,000 jobs in February, continuing a longer-term decline in the industry. Over the past year, employment in the sector has fallen by an average of 5,000 jobs per month.

Federal government employment fell by another 10,000 jobs during the month. Since peaking in October 2024, federal employment has dropped by 330,000 jobs about 11% of the workforce.

Not all industries experienced declines. Social assistance added 9,000 jobs, driven largely by growth in individual and family services.

Meanwhile, transportation and warehousing employment was little changed overall, though job losses among couriers and messengers offset gains in air transportation.

Most other major sectors including construction, manufacturing, retail trade, financial services, and leisure and hospitality saw little change during the month.

Well all lose an hour of sleep on Sunday

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Americans will spring forward one hour this weekend as daylight saving time begins across most of the United States.

• Research shows the one-hour shift can disrupt sleep and circadian rhythms, triggering short-term health risks for some people.

• Studies have linked the transition to increases in heart attacks, traffic accidents and other health issues in the days following the change.

Daylight saving time returns this weekend, and researchers say the one-hour shift may do more than make people groggy.

At 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, clocks across most of the United States will jump ahead one hour, marking the start of daylight saving time (DST). The practice, intended to extend evening daylight during warmer months, will remain in effect until Nov. 1.

While the change is routine for millions of Americans, scientists have spent years studying how even a small shift in time can affect the human body.

Sleep disruption and circadian rhythm changes

The primary concern centers on sleep. Losing an hour of rest can disrupt the bodys circadian rhythm the roughly 24-hour internal clock that regulates sleep, hormones and other biological processes.

When clocks move forward in spring, many people experience several days of shorter or poorer sleep as their bodies adjust. Even a one-hour change can increase stress hormones and alter normal sleep patterns, especially for people already dealing with sleep deprivation or underlying health conditions.

Sleep researchers say this temporary misalignment can affect mood, alertness and overall well-being.

Evidence of short-term health risks

Several studies have documented a spike in certain health problems immediately after the spring transition. Research cited by health organizations has found that the risk of heart attacks increases by about 24% on the Monday following the time change.

Other studies have linked the shift to increases in strokes and fatal traffic accidents during the first few days after clocks move forward, when sleep loss and fatigue are most pronounced.

In addition, disruptions to circadian rhythms have been associated with a wide range of health issues, including depression, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

However, the evidence is not unanimous. Some large analyses have found little or no measurable change in heart attack rates around the DST transition, suggesting other seasonal factors may also influence the data.

Debate over whether DST should continue

Because of these findings, some sleep experts and medical organizations have called for eliminating the twice-yearly clock changes. Studies modeling national health data suggest that adopting permanent standard time could reduce the burden on circadian rhythms and potentially prevent hundreds of thousands of stroke and obesity cases over time.

Still, daylight saving time remains in place nationwide, though the policy continues to be debated in Congress and state legislatures.

Health experts say the best way to cope with the spring shift is to prepare in advance going to bed slightly earlier in the days leading up to the change, getting morning sunlight and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule.

Even if the clock only moves by an hour, scientists say the body may take several days to catch up.

Experts weigh in

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Since 2020, the average U.S. residential electric bill has increased 29.3%, as energy demand climbs with the rapid expansion of AI-powered data centers.

• Experts say utilities are investing billions in new power generation and transmission to meet data center demand, and those costs are often spread across all ratepayers, including households.

• Policymakers say new rate structures and requiring tech companies to fund their own power needs could help prevent residential customers from subsidizing data center electricity use.

Since 2020, residential electric bills have soared. The rising bills coincide with the rapid construction of large data centers that power artificial intelligence.

A ConsumerAffairs analysis of the Energy Information Administrations Electric Power Monthly reports found that the average residential electric bill has risen 29.3%.

An analysis of Consumer Price Index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the same years shows a similar rise, including a spike during 2022 and 2023, when inflation reached a multi-year high.

Phil Odonkor, power grid and energy sustainability expert from Stevens Institute of Technology, says its a simple matter of supply and demand.

There is not enough new power to meet the rising demand, which is hiking up prices, Odonkor told ConsumerAffairs.

Chris Black is the CEO of GridX, a company that works with utility companies on rate design for consumers. Black said data centers consume a lot of electricity and residential customers are subsidizing a lot of it. But he says data centers dont have to be the villain.

With the right rate structures things like long-term contracts, minimum demand commitments, and smarter tariff design that incentivizes data centers to flex their load during peak periods utilities can actually protect residential customers and keep bills in check," Black said. That's the direction this industry needs to move tools and rate structures that put people first, not as an afterthought."

Sudden spike

For two decades, electricity demand was relatively flat. Utility companies didnt see the need to build capacity ata rapid rate. But utilities in states with the fastest growth in data centershave experienced aspike in bills.

In states like Virginia the world's largest data center hub household bills in some regions have already soared by 267% over the last five years as utilities scramble to keep up with the load, said Greg Field, owner of PGT Home Energy Solutions.

Arif Gasilov, partner at Gasilov Group, a firm that works on energy regulatory and sustainability strategy, says utilities are filing massive capital spending plans to serve projected loads, and those infrastructure costs get spread across all ratepayers, including residential customers.

In Nevada, for example, NV Energy's latest resource plan projects a 47% increase in electricity demand driven almost entirely by data center growth, and its Greenlink transmission project ballooned from $2.5 billion to $4.2 billion, with roughly 80% of that line's capacity committed to data center operators.

Meanwhile residential customers in the same service territory just got a new daily demand charge. The cost allocation question of whether data center operators are paying their fair share of the grid buildout they're driving, or whether residential and small commercial customers are subsidizing it, is one that utility commissions are only starting to discuss.

Fox Swim, senior solar industry researcher at Aurora Solar, agrees that the rapid buildout of AI data centers is driving a surge in electricity demand.

Expect volatile energy prices

There are an incredible number of factors that will play a role in whether energy prices change this year, most of which are not clear yet, Swim told us. Regardless of how this plays out, consumers can probably expect that energy prices will be quite volatile this year, with an overall trend upward."

National policymakers have taken notice. President Trump addressed the issue during last months State of the Union address.

Many Americans are also concerned that energy demand from AI data centers could unfairly drive up their electric utility bills, Trump said, announcing efforts to require major technology firms to provide for their own power needs when they construct data centers.

Three Senate Democrats also sent letters to seven large tech firms, calling on them to provide support for residential utility customers who are facing rising bills.