Yesterday I shared some information discussing my favourite sleep boosting app – F.Lux; you can read all about this here. Today, I wanted to share some information regarding a simple function on our I-phones that will also help promote a healthier sleep.

Almost all of our gadgets will emit a blue light and whilst it’s OK to absorb this blue light during the day, exposure to blue light at night can interfere with our sleep patterns. You can read all about this here.

Blue light interferes with our production of melatonin, a powerful sleep hormone and as such, staring at our phones (as well as computers, laptops and televisions) well into the evening, can make it difficult for us to fall asleep.

The team at Apple are onto most things and are incredibly receptive to consumer demand, hence they recently introduced “night shift”; a simple function built into our I-phone that switches the blue light down a notch, substituting it with a warm amber light (just like a fire would in the caveman days), helping to promote healthy melatonin levels and consequently, a healthier sleep.

Who has access to “Night Shift”? Everyone with an I-phone 5 model or later who has installed i.OS 9.3 or later.

HOW DO I DO THIS?

Because there is a function in built into our phones, there is no need to download an app from the app store. Just follow these six simple steps, it’s as easy as that!

1. Ensure your iPhone or iPad software has been updated to i.OS 9.3 or later.
2. Open Settings. Select Display & Brightness.
3. Open Night Shift
4. Toggle on “schedule”, select from “Sunset to Sunrise”
5. Set colour temperature at “More Warm” for the least amount of blue light during these times

REMEMBER: Whilst this is a great tool to help you reduce your blue light exposure, switching off your electronic devices at least 1 hour before bed is always recommended ;).

Don’t have an I-phone? F.Lux is available for Android download. You can read more about F.Lux here.