Experts have spoken, studies have been conducted, the results are in: screen time at night is bad for our sleep. The blue wavelengths of light from LED screens like those in our phones, laptops and tablets mess with our circadian rhythm by suppressing the body's release of melatonin, the hormone our body secretes as it gets dark in order to calm us and prepare us for sleep.
When we stare at these blue-lit screens at night time, our bodies don't release the needed amount of melatonin, but release cortisol -- the stress hormone -- instead, which keeps us awake. Neurologists who conducted studies on people who were exposed to blue-heavy lights before bedtime found that those people took far longer to fall asleep than those who were exposed to warmer light or light more evenly distributed across the color spectrum.
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[An] app [f.lux] for your desktop or laptop computer adjusts the color temperature of your monitor throughout the day to best mimic what type of light your eyes should be exposed to at those times. During daylight hours, the light is more blue-toned and similar to the bright daylight you would be exposed to outside, but as day turns to night, the monitor slowly goes warmer to match the indoor lights around you.
The article also mentions two other apps, Oyster and Twilight. Have any Soylentils used apps like these?
(Score: 3, Informative) by opinionated_science on Thursday August 06 2015, @11:43PM
Redshift is cross-platform ( I use linux) and does the same as the others (fl.ux etc...).
It works very well, and I have used it for over 2 years now in multiple timezones.
Give it a try for 2 weeks, and then one evening disable it. It will surprise you how well you adapt...
(Score: 2) by twistedcubic on Friday August 07 2015, @12:05AM
Hear, hear! Redshirt is available in Debian, and the man page explains its easy configuration.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Translation Error on Friday August 07 2015, @02:54PM
(Score: 2, Funny) by lyserge on Friday August 07 2015, @12:06AM
Yep, I've been using Redshift and I never notice the tint these days unless someone comments on it. Since installing it I don't get that dead-behind-the-eyes feeling after an evening in front of a screen any more.
I also use Twilight on my (Android) phone, does the same thing.
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Friday August 07 2015, @01:39AM
"dead-behind-the-eyes" ;-)
(Score: 2) by kbahey on Friday August 07 2015, @12:32AM
I tried Red Shift for a few weeks (on Linux). Did not find it to make any positive difference regarding sleep patterns. I found out that it makes reading harder (less contrast) when the sun is below the horizon.
What I did find makes a difference is go off caffeine completely. No tea, and no coffee. Only decaffeinated Swiss Water process coffee. Made a world of difference.
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(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Friday August 07 2015, @01:42AM
check the calibration ( and that it is set for right region). Depending on your monitor or other apps trying to change the screen, the effect may not be implemented.
I used it for the first time in 2013 and I really couldn't believe how quickly I'd start feeling like sleep at 9pm (say).
(Score: 2) by mojo chan on Friday August 07 2015, @07:25AM
My glasses have a blue light filter. Gives everything a slight red tint, but it is very subtle. Not sure how much it helps, but it is all the rage in Japan.
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(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Friday August 07 2015, @07:28PM
human eyes have receptors that measure light levels as well as colour, so a fixed filter would probably not be as effective.
The monitor has a very large number of illumination states (2^24?) and therefore it is very subtle. Slow adaptation is preferred by biology!