I always have difficulties sleeping if I don’t stopped using the computer at least half an hour before bed time. It is especially apparent when I’m playing the occasional adrenaline-pumping game like Dungeon Defenders (great co-op game), and it usually keeps me up throughout the night.
These days, I make it a point to ward off activities that will trigger massive brain activities before midnight. In place of the never-ending net surfing, I read a physical book or magazine, write the day’s happening in Day One, and even lie on the bed lazing, dreaming about the future. 30 minutes of not turning to the digital blue light.
While I’m sure I wasn’t alone in the company of discomfort caused by late night usage of digital devices, this is the first article I came across that explain about why are we so disturbed by these gadgets. It talks about the impact on suppressing the production of melatonin. Melatonin gets us sleepy, and is an antioxidant that slows down the progression of cancer and other diseases.
So, the blue light is responsible, or partly responsible for this.
Looking at the iPhone screen in a relatively dimmed environment hurts my eyes. Likewise, I always find the brightness a little too much for my liking on my Mac. To alleviate this issue, I’m using f.lux on the MacBook. If only I can install f.lux on iOS without jailbreak. I recently got the Samsung Tab S and it’s over-saturated and bright screen is even more torturing during the night. Luckily, the presence of Twilight is a major relief.
I’m not sure how much reduction of blue light there is, but my eyes are much more comfortable without those bight, glaring light.