How Do You Follow Election Night Without Doomscrolling Until 3 a.m.?

The 2026 US midterms are Tuesday, Nov. 3, and some close races may take days to call. Offline.now founder Eli Singer on getting through the night and getting some sleep.

Nov 3, 2026

2 min

The 2026 US midterm elections are Tuesday, Nov. 3, and some close races may not be called for days (NPR). Eli Singer, founder of Offline.now, says the hardest part for most people will be the night itself.

"People have been in this news cycle for months. They've seen the ads and had the hard conversations, at home and at work. On both sides, people feel their future is at stake. A strict phone rule for one night won't hold up against that."

Eli Singer, founder of Offline.now

What the research says

Election stress shows up in sleep. In a study of the 2020 presidential election, 437 people in the US reported on their sleep every day before and after the vote (Cunningham and colleagues, Sleep Health, 2022). Election Day brought less sleep and more stress, and disrupted sleep that night went along with changes in mood. It was a volunteer sample, so it may not match the country as a whole.

The worry starts early. In a 2024 survey of 2,006 US adults, 46% said they had lost sleep worrying about the presidential election (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2024).

Make a plan you can keep

Singer's advice is to decide the shape of the night ahead of time, ideally with someone else.

Talk it through with someone in your house before the polls close.
Pick the point when you accept you won't know until morning.
Plan something for the evening besides the phone, like a walk.
Decide how you'll wind down. You'll be keyed up, and sleep will be harder than usual.
Keep the phone out of the bedroom if you can, and set an early alarm to check the results.

Offline.now's guide to doomscrolling covers the daytime habits that make a night like this easier.

"Election night asks for the most self-control at the hour you have the least. Make your plan at dinner, while you're still thinking clearly."

Eli Singer

"The results will be there in the morning. Waking up early to check them is a perfectly good plan."

Eli Singer

Where to start

Lasting change runs on confidence, not willpower. Two questions find your starting place: Find Your Starting Place.

If election stress feels persistent or overwhelming, a qualified professional can help you tailor support.

About the expert

Eli Singer is the founder of Offline.now, a directory of therapists and coaches who work on screen and phone use. He created the Offline.now Matrix and wrote Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance. He is available to comment this week on election-night phone use and news stress: eli@offline.now, or the Contact button below.

Connect with:

Eli Singer

Founder and CEO

Founder of Offline.now and creator of the Offline.now Matrix. ICF-trained ADHD coach. Speaks on phone habits and screen time.

Behaviour ChangeDigital BurnoutPhubbingDigital DetoxDoomscrolling

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