Are you having trouble falling asleep? Are your kids hyperactive when playing with the tablet before bed time?
Are you using your smart phone or tablet in the late evening? Twilight may be a solution for you!
WARNING: Android O+ does no allow the app to cover your notifications any more.
CAUTION: Android TV installation got more complicated as Google did not implement the overlay permission screen, please see below:
https://twilight.urbandroid.org/how-to-install-twilight-on-android-tv-android-6/
Recent research suggests that exposure to blue light before sleep may distort your natural (circadian) rhythm and cause inability to fall asleep.
The cause is the photoreceptor in your eyes, called Melanopsin. This receptor is sensitive to a narrow band of blue light in the 460-480nm range which may suppress Melatonin production - a hormone responsible for your healthy sleep-wake cycles.
In experimental scientific studies it has been shown an average person reading on a tablet or smart phone for a couple of hours before bed time may find their sleep delayed by about an hour.
The Twilight app makes your device screen adapt to the time of the day. It filters the flux of blue light emitted by your phone or tablet after sunset and protects your eyes with a soft and pleasant red filter. The filter intensity is smoothly adjusted to the sun cycle based on your local sunset and sunrise times.
Documentation
http://twilight.urbandroid.org/doc/
Get more from Twilight
1) Bed reading: Twilight is more pleasant on the eyes for night reading. Especially as it is able to lower the screen backlight far below the ability of the backligt controls on your screen
2) AMOLED screens: We have tested Twilight on an AMOLED screen for 2.5 years without any sign of depletion or over-burning. If properly configured Twilight causes less light emission (by enabling dimming) with more equal light distribution (dark areas of the screen such as the status bar get tinted). This may in fact increase your AMOLED screen life time.
Basics on circadian rhythm and the role of melatonin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanopsin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm_disorder
Permissions
- location - to find out your current sunset/surise times
- running apps - to stop Twilight in selected apps
- write settings - to set back-light
- network - access smartlight (Philips HUE) to shield you household light from blue
Automation (Tasker or other)
https://sites.google.com/site/twilight4android/automation
Related scientific research
Amplitude Reduction and Phase Shifts of Melatonin, Cortisol and Other Circadian Rhythms after a Gradual Advance of Sleep and Light Exposure in Humans Derk-Jan Dijk, & Co 2012
Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans Joshua J. Gooley, Kyle Chamberlain, Kurt A. Smith & Co, 2011
Effect of Light on Human Circadian Physiology Jeanne F. Duffy, Charles A. Czeisler 2009
Efficacy of a single sequence of intermittent bright light pulses for delaying circadian phase in humans Claude Gronfier, Kenneth P. Wright, & Co 2009
Intrinsic period and light intensity determine the phase relationship between melatonin and sleep in humans Kenneth P. Wright, Claude Gronfier & Co 2009
The Impact of Sleep Timing and Bright Light Exposure on Attentional Impairment during Night Work Nayantara Santhi & Co 2008
Short-Wavelength Light Sensitivity of Circadian, Pupillary, and Visual Awareness in Humans Lacking an Outer Retina Farhan H. Zaidi & Co, 2007
High sensitivity of the human circadian melatonin rhythm to resetting by short wavelength light. Lockley SW & Co. 2003
Sensitivity of the human circadian pacemaker to nocturnal light: Jamie M Zeitzer, Derk-Jan Dijk & Co 2000
For a desktop try RedShift (Linux) or on Windows there are also blue light flux filtering apps.
Are you using your smart phone or tablet in the late evening? Twilight may be a solution for you!
WARNING: Android O+ does no allow the app to cover your notifications any more.
CAUTION: Android TV installation got more complicated as Google did not implement the overlay permission screen, please see below:
https://twilight.urbandroid.org/how-to-install-twilight-on-android-tv-android-6/
Recent research suggests that exposure to blue light before sleep may distort your natural (circadian) rhythm and cause inability to fall asleep.
The cause is the photoreceptor in your eyes, called Melanopsin. This receptor is sensitive to a narrow band of blue light in the 460-480nm range which may suppress Melatonin production - a hormone responsible for your healthy sleep-wake cycles.
In experimental scientific studies it has been shown an average person reading on a tablet or smart phone for a couple of hours before bed time may find their sleep delayed by about an hour.
The Twilight app makes your device screen adapt to the time of the day. It filters the flux of blue light emitted by your phone or tablet after sunset and protects your eyes with a soft and pleasant red filter. The filter intensity is smoothly adjusted to the sun cycle based on your local sunset and sunrise times.
Documentation
http://twilight.urbandroid.org/doc/
Get more from Twilight
1) Bed reading: Twilight is more pleasant on the eyes for night reading. Especially as it is able to lower the screen backlight far below the ability of the backligt controls on your screen
2) AMOLED screens: We have tested Twilight on an AMOLED screen for 2.5 years without any sign of depletion or over-burning. If properly configured Twilight causes less light emission (by enabling dimming) with more equal light distribution (dark areas of the screen such as the status bar get tinted). This may in fact increase your AMOLED screen life time.
Basics on circadian rhythm and the role of melatonin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanopsin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm_disorder
Permissions
- location - to find out your current sunset/surise times
- running apps - to stop Twilight in selected apps
- write settings - to set back-light
- network - access smartlight (Philips HUE) to shield you household light from blue
Automation (Tasker or other)
https://sites.google.com/site/twilight4android/automation
Related scientific research
Amplitude Reduction and Phase Shifts of Melatonin, Cortisol and Other Circadian Rhythms after a Gradual Advance of Sleep and Light Exposure in Humans Derk-Jan Dijk, & Co 2012
Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans Joshua J. Gooley, Kyle Chamberlain, Kurt A. Smith & Co, 2011
Effect of Light on Human Circadian Physiology Jeanne F. Duffy, Charles A. Czeisler 2009
Efficacy of a single sequence of intermittent bright light pulses for delaying circadian phase in humans Claude Gronfier, Kenneth P. Wright, & Co 2009
Intrinsic period and light intensity determine the phase relationship between melatonin and sleep in humans Kenneth P. Wright, Claude Gronfier & Co 2009
The Impact of Sleep Timing and Bright Light Exposure on Attentional Impairment during Night Work Nayantara Santhi & Co 2008
Short-Wavelength Light Sensitivity of Circadian, Pupillary, and Visual Awareness in Humans Lacking an Outer Retina Farhan H. Zaidi & Co, 2007
High sensitivity of the human circadian melatonin rhythm to resetting by short wavelength light. Lockley SW & Co. 2003
Sensitivity of the human circadian pacemaker to nocturnal light: Jamie M Zeitzer, Derk-Jan Dijk & Co 2000
For a desktop try RedShift (Linux) or on Windows there are also blue light flux filtering apps.
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The app is available for free for Windows, Mac and Linux and it's easy to install. Twilight adjusts your screen temperature to block out blue light. Screenshot by Sarah Mitroff/CNET.
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Urbandroid (Petr Nálevka)
Klausova 1447/26Praha 5155 00Czech republic
Does staring at a screen hurt your eyes after a while? You're not the only one.
Digital eye strain is caused by prolonged exposure to blue light-emitting devices like desktop computer monitors, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. According to The Vision Council, staring at screens for too long without periods of rest can result in physical eye discomfort that may also trigger headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes and pain in the neck and shoulders.
Besides putting an uncomfortable strain on your eyes, research has shown that excessive blue light exposure can also throw off your circadian rhythm by making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. The circadian rhythm is influenced by blue light, so staring at blue light-emitting devices that mimic natural daytime light during the evening hours prior to going to sleep can trick the body into thinking it's still daytime, thus delaying sleep onset.
Taking breaks from staring at screens as well as limiting use of these devices in the evening hours is a good idea, but installing an application that tints your screen to neutralize the blue light is another fast and effective option you have to instantly reduce exposure to blue light. It can make a big difference when you can't afford to take too many breaks or when you need to use your devices during the evening hours.
Here are six tools worth checking out that you can install on compatible devices to reduce the amount of blue light they emit.
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f.lux
What We Like
- Free for personal use.
- One of the original light-filter apps for Windows.
What We Don't Like
- Developer is branching into smart devices; future iterations of the app may become hardware-specific.
- Cost for corporate or site licenses.
F.lux is one of the most popular tools for reducing blue light exposure, and best of all, it's totally free to download.
The tool is designed to match the amount of light according to the time of day it is by taking your geographical location, day of the year and time of the day into consideration. With this information, the app determines when the sun is scheduled to set and them adjusts your screen to a warmer, slightly amber-tined hue that minimizes blue light.
As you're using your device, you may notice the color of your screen automatically change as f.lux kicks in during a certain evening hour.
F.lux Compatibility
- Mac OS X
- Windows
- Linux
- Jailbroken iPhones/iPads
- Some Android devices
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Redshift
What We Like
- Optimized for Linux.
- Free and open-source project.
What We Don't Like
- Last version released in January 2016.
- Obscure Linux dependencies might make this program challenging. What mac app is for designing flyers and business logo documents?.
Redshift is another popular blue light-reducing application that adjusts the color of your screen according to the position of the sun in your location.
In the early morning hours, you'll see your screen start to transition from a nighttime to daytime color very slowly to help your eyes to adapt. When night arrives, the color will slowly readjust itself again so that it matches the light from the lamps and other artificial lighting from the room you're in.
The source code for Redshift is available on GitHub. Here's how to install the software if you're unfamiliar with using GitHub.
Redshift Compatibility
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SunsetScreen
What We Like
- You set the time the light transitions, not your computer's clock.
- Configuration of day and night 'temperature' settings.
What We Don't Like
- Unappealing app design.
- Not deeply hooked into Windows.
SunsetScreen may have one big advantage over f.lux—it keeps the screen brighter in the winter months rather than transitioning too early with the sun. While this may not count as much of an important feature for everyone, some people may benefit from being exposed to brighter blue light at 5 or 6 o'clock in the evening during the winter months even after the sun has gone down.
With SunsetScreen, you have the option to customize your sunrise and sunset times, select a precise color you want for your screen, disable the app temporarily if you need to and so much more.
SunsetScreen Compatibility
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![For For](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133908333/412589010.png)
Iris
What We Like
- Significant degree of customization.
- Versions for just about every imaginable platform.
What We Don't Like
- Ugly interface design.
- Pricing model.
Iris is a cross-platform application designed to detect whether it's daytime or nighttime and adjust the color of the screen accordingly to reduce blue light. The tool has a wide variety of customizable options such as color temperature, brightness, manual/automatic settings and lots more.
Unfortunately, Iris is not totally free. To get all of the advanced features, you'll need to pay a small price. Luckily, this tool is not terribly pricey at just $5 for Iris Mini Pro or $10 for Iris Pro.
Besides all the amazing customizable options made available by Iris, perhaps the best thing about this tool is that it's available for most major desktop and mobile platforms.
Iris Compatibility
- Windows
- Mac OS X
- Linux
- Android
- iOS
- Google Chrome web browser
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Twilight
What We Like
- Gets the job done. Download channel 7 news app.
- Highly rated on Google Play Store.
What We Don't Like
- Lots of (unnecessary) junk science.
- Android only.
If you have an Android smartphone or tablet, you're in luck—there's a great app out there that's built to neutralize blue light coming from your device's screen, and it's called Twilight.
The app allows you to set the color temperature, intensity and screen dim to automatically turn off and on whenever you want. Set it up to be activated from sunrise to sunset, according to your alarm or from a custom setting.
The app also includes information on more of the science of how blue light impacts your body and your sleep so you can gain a better understanding of how device use affects your health.
Twilight Compatibility
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Night Shift
What We Don't Like
- Not much room for customization.
Night Shift isn't exactly an application you can download, but it's an iOS feature worth knowing about if you regularly use your iPhone or iPad in the evening.
If your Apple device is running on iOS 9.3 or later, you can simply swipe up from the bottom to bring up the control center and then tap the sun/moon icon to turn on Night Shift. You can optionally choose to turn it on for the time being until 7 AM the next morning or schedule your settings so that it automatically turns on and off at specific times every night.
In addition to scheduling specific times for Night Shift to turn on, you can also adjust the warmth of the screen tint, brightness level and more. Anytime you want to temporarily turn Night Shift off, just swipe up to access the control center and tap the sun/moon icon so that it's no longer highlighted.