Beat the computer blues with f.lux to get a better sleep

f.lux automatically detects where you are and what time it is, and adjusts the light emitted by your screen accordingly. Courtesy f.lux

I started using f.lux, a free app for Windows, OS X and Linux, after an email conversation with a friend.

We are both typically overworked city dwellers who watch videos on our laptops before going to bed, and we had both been feeling chronically tired.

I sent her an article that cited research saying that the blue light emitted by laptops and tablets tricked our bodies into thinking it was still daytime and interfered with sleep. In one study, it says, people who read an e-reader four hours before bed released the melatonin that makes them sleepy an hour and a half later than those who read a book in the same time slot.

The friend sent me back a link to f.lux, an app that automatically detects where you are and what time it is, and adjusts the light emitted by your screen accordingly. You can tell the app when you wake up and go to bed, and it will give your laptop or phone a sweetly rose-tinted look at sunset, and an even deeper orange colour at bedtime.

It may feel strange watching Seinfeld with a tangerine filter, but for the period of time I have been trialling it, it seems to be working. I haven't been falling into the usual trap of feeling exhausted at 10pm but perking up at 11pm after an hour of TV, and it feels gentler on my eyes when I am working late and staring at a screen for less relaxing reasons late at night.

My eyes quickly adjust to the new colour scheme too — after using it for long enough at night, the screens of other devices that aren’t running the app start to look bright blue.

The app has been given five stars by the likes of PC World, and once it is running you can pretty much forget about it. This isn’t a kitchen sink app that will monitor your habits and record your sleep quality or moods, although you can select Movie Mode to stop your videos looking so weird, and manually adjust the colour temperature and brightness. It has one job, and it does it well.

q&a shading it for productivity

Jessica Holland reveals more about f.lux:

What does the screen look like during the day?

I am typing by a window at 5pm right now with f.lux enabled, and I cannot tell the difference between my screen and any other. It is set automatically to the brightest setting for daylight.

Will the colour of my screen start fluctuating a lot?

No — only at sunset then bedtime, and you can set the transitions to take place quickly, or so slowly you won’t even notice them.

What exactly is Movie Mode?

It is designed to preserve sky colours and shadow detail, but the overall tone is warmer than it would be without the app.

Why does blue light affect sleep?

According to f.lux’s FAQ, a new photoreceptor called Melanopsin was discovered in the eye about 15 years ago. They have an effect on sleep and are only sensitive to a narrow band of blue light.

Will it help my productivity?

The evidence says yes. Many studies show how a good night’s sleep is crucial to mental performance.

What about graphic designers and others who need to see colours accurately?

F.lux concedes the app “is not suitable for use during advanced colour work”, but the company recommends people doing this type of task use the option to disable f.lux for an hour at a time, rather than stopping the app completely.

Where can I download the app?

Just get flux.com

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