![]() ![]() They also found using an iPad delayed the participant’s sleep patterns, negatively impacted the quality of sleep, and impaired morning alertness. The team at Harvard concluded reading an iPad in the hours before bedtime decreased the participant’s sleepiness and suppressed the release of melatonin during the time they were using an iPad. Each participant also rated his or her sleepiness on a scale every evening and morning. Other measurements were made such as total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and the percentage of time each participant spent asleep. Blood samples were collected every hour from each participant to test melatonin levels, which is the natural hormone released at nighttime, which helps you go to sleep. The first was reading on an iPad for four hours before going to bed and the second was reading a paperback book for four hours before bedtime. Each participant was tested under two conditions. The study consisted of testing twelve healthy young adults over a 14-day period. Ultimately, the team at Harvard discovered using light-emitting electronics, before bedtime prolongs the time it takes to fall asleep. Back in 2014, the journal published a study by Harvard Medical School comparing the effects of reading an iPad at nighttime versus a paper book. ![]() The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is one of the most cited scientific journals in the world. The increased popularity of smart light bulbs that change color could come in handy to help you wind down at night. ![]() Keep in mind that many light bulbs put off blue light, so take that into consideration the next time you’re at the store picking those out. The results of these studies suggest warmer color temperatures create a smooth lowering of brain activity before bedtime, and using these warmer colors can be effective in a bedroom or other such environment where you want to facilitate a sense of relaxation. However, keep in mind that the best situation at nighttime is to adjust the color temperature of your display along with turning down the brightness. These studies have concluded that simply lowering the brightness of a display at nighttime without adjusting the color temperature is much less effective than changing the color temperature and leaving the brightness where it is. The effect of a display’s brightness has also been heavily researched, and most studies have determined that the effects of color temperature are greater than the brightness of the display. In comparison, Melanopsin doesn’t react the same way to warmer colors such as red and yellow so when our eyes are exposed to these colors our brains aren’t tricked into thinking it is high noon when it’s really closer to midnight. It was a significant discovery because Melanopsin is sensitive to a broad range of blue and green light and when Melanopsin is exposed to such light it causes our brains to perceive daytime when we look into electronic displays, even at night. One of the major breakthroughs was the discovery of a photoreceptor in our eyes called Melanopsin. Research as to why blue light affects our sleep patterns began many years ago. So I did some research on the subject and here’s what I discovered. On the surface it makes sense that exposing yourself to that type of light at night would hinder your ability to go to sleep, but if you’re anything like me you’re curious to know why. ![]() Most displays on electronic devices, including your iPhone and iPad, are designed to emulate sunlight, which is a problem when using them at nighttime. Either way, the feature claims to help users sleep better, so I dug into the science behind it to see if the feature is a gimmick something you should be excited about. In fact, there are lots of people lashing out at Apple for essentially copying the idea, but that’s a story for another day. Much of the excitement is from users of the popular Mac app, f.lux, which implements the same concept as Night Shift. There has been lots of buzz surrounding Apple’s upcoming Night Shift mode set to debut on the iPhone and iPad in iOS 9.3. ![]()
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