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Study: Light-Emitting Screens Before Bedtime Disrupt Sleep

Posted by Soulskill on from the why-you're-tired-all-the-time dept.

jfruh writes: Tablets and e-readers are more convenient in many ways than paper books, but many people have complained that the physical experience of using them isn't as good. And now we have some specific quantification of this fact: a study has shown that people who read text on a tablet before bed don't sleep as well as those who read a traditional book (abstract).

6 of 179 comments (clear)

  1. I had this problem, then I got f.lux. by pushing-robot · · Score: 5, Informative

    Just get f.lux.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    1. Re:I had this problem, then I got f.lux. by disambiguated · · Score: 4, Informative

      when things are dark, and you need more light, it dims things.

      Exactly the opposite: when things are dark, your pupils dilate and you need less light. Do you turn your smartphone brightness down in bright sunlight?

      But brightness isn't the point -- color temperature is. I haven't read the documentation; the software is too simple and easy for that, but the homepage describes what it does. Flux lowers the color temperature at night, which interferes less with sleep. I also find it much more pleasant.

    2. Re:I had this problem, then I got f.lux. by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Informative

      Or for Android, since the summary implies mobile devices, there's Twilight.

      Or for Unix, since this is slashdot you fucking savage, Redshift.

      On Unix, sadly, only Adobe Flash player detects color corrections and plays your video in proper color. Neither Google nor Mozilla have figured this out for flash video, either. Also, Flash player is the only video player which properly suppresses the screensaver on Linux. What year is it?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  2. Just get f.lux! by Radak · · Score: 4, Informative

    I use f.lux on my MacBook and it's great (also available for Windows and Linux, but I haven't tried those versions). It adjusts the colour temperature of the screen, using your location and the time of day, to match the colour temperature of the natural light of that time of day. I have noticed a significant difference in the quality of my sleep since I started using it. Plus, whenever I happen to get up during the night and want use the computer for something, I'm not blinded by the screen.

  3. Re:At a guess . . . by ProzacPatient · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since most reading you'll do is black text on a white background I always go into accessibility settings and invert the screen so it will be white text on a black background which will emit significantly less light than the former.

  4. Re:At a guess . . . by Cinnamon+Beige · · Score: 4, Informative

    I went and poked around medical journal databases. MedlinePlus has little, though it confirms the dosage recommendations, while a bit of work via PubMed located this study which I think may be the correct citation. Its PubMed listing seems to indicate that it's not the sole possibility, though, as do its references.