Sleep-friendly software makes your computer screen easy on the eyes

A free program available for download promises to promote sleep by automatically altering your computer screen’s picture.

As recent studies indicate, bright screens found on laptops, cell phones and iPads can suppress the body’s melatonin production, potentially leading to insomnia. The hormone regulates the natural sleep-wake cycle by signaling when its time to sleep.

F.lux, available for mac and pc, promises to reduce this effect by making your computer screen by altering its color temperature to make it look like orange-colored soft indoor lighting at night. The program is fully automated based on where you live.

F.lux’s website cites several studies about lighting color and intensity and the related physiological effects. One in particular mentions how blue wavelength light reduces deep sleep. However, new research suggests green light, or even the entire spectrum may mess with melatonin functions, affecting sleep.

Because there are no peer-reviewed studies to verify whether the F.lux actually limits the insomnia-causing effects of computer screens this blogger decided to try it out.

I installed f.lux on my Macbook earlier this week. I found the dim orange nighttime look to be oddly easy to look at, maybe even reducing the eye strain associated with evening viewing. But make no mistake about it, the default settings are there for a reason. The orange look can’t compare to the bright colorful factory settings.

Does it work for the sleep? I don’t know. I had no problem getting to sleep after using my laptop, but there’s no way to know if it’s because of F.lux. I have my doubts based on the recent research about green light previously mentioned in this article.

There’s no doubt the program is a more affordable option than other products designed to cut down on blue light. The best solution is better sleep hygiene. For quality sleep turn off all electronics about a half hour before bedtime and do something relaxing, like a puzzle or light reading.

Green light also alters sleep, television before bed still bad

Sleep experts warn the bright light produced by televisions, computers and iPads can meddle with sleep. There’s a line of products made to counter that effect by blocking out blue light wavelengths, which can reset the body’s circadian clock. Online you can purchase special sunglasses and screen filters, but there’s no guarantee the products will work as advertised and prevent insomnia.

There’s new evidence that its not just blue wavelength light that alters the body’s circadian clock. Researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found the green light produced from those same sources has a similar effect.

More than a decade ago, scientists discovered there are special cells in the eye that contain the blue light-absorbing pigment melanopsin. When the eye detects blue light, it delays the body from secreting melatonin.

The authors of the new study wanted to see if the eye’s rods and cones, which respond to green light wavelengths, also contributed to the body’s circadian adjustment.

The researchers exposed a group of volunteers separately to blue and green light, both for several durations and intensities. The experiment happened in the evening, before the body naturally secretes melatonin. Scientists measured the subjects’ melatonin response in each condition.

At low intensity, there was very little difference in the body’s reaction to blue and green light wavelengths. However, blue light produced a greater effect over time and at higher intensities.

The authors suggest there’s room to improve light therapy for sleep disorders based on these findings. The treatment may be more effective if the light devices combined blue and green light.

The study may have potentially substantial implications for the field of sleep research.

AASM President Clete Kushida told USA Today “(the finding) sort of goes against what was believed before.”

He said researchers should explore the possibility that the full spectrum of light may affect the body clock.

For our readers who aren’t scientists, the study reinforces the notion that evening use of electronic screens can hinder sleep, and special sunglasses won’t help. We recommend shutting off the television or other bright electronic devices an hour before bedtime and picking up a book, or better yet, an e-reader.

Overcoming Jet Lag with the Help of a Computer Program

A new study published on June 19 shows that mathematical models can be used to design effective treatment schedules for jet lag. The tools were used to create optimal schedules for bright light therapy.

The system was tested on a simulated 12-hour shift of a sleep-wake schedule. This is similar to what a person would experience when traveling from New York to Hong Kong. Simulation results show that the computer-generated treatment schedule produced faster performance recovery.

"This work shows how interventions can cut the number of days needed to adjust to a new time zone by half," study co-author Daniel Forger said in a prepared statement.

Properly timed light exposure can reset the circadian body clock to align with a new time zone. But using bright light therapy at the wrong times can be detrimental.

"Timed light exposure is a well-known method for beating jet lag,” Forger told CNN. “But few people realize that if timed incorrectly, it can actually make jet lag worse."

The authors report that it can be hard to create general rules for a treatment schedule. It may take weeks to manually design and test a treatment schedule. In contrast, the program tested in this study can produce an effective treatment schedule on a laptop computer in less than two minutes.

But it may be a while before this program is available to the public. Forger told CNN that it could be five years before the product is ready for release.

The authors also report that their system can be used for other jet lag treatments. Their next step will be to develop modules for interventions such as naps, caffeine and melatonin.

And the system may be useful in developing treatment schedules for people with shift work sleep disorder.

Go to SleepEducation.com to get more details about this study.

Read the full text of the study on the Web site of PLoS Computational Biology.

Get help for jet lag at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Image by Kossy

The Young & the Restless: Children, TV & Bedtime

The AP reports that there is some controversy over a bedtime TV program for children. “The Good Night Show” is a three-hour block of programs for children between the ages of 2 and 5. It airs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the PBS Kids Sprout network.

A network executive says the show is a helpful tool in the “real world” where most homes have a TV on at night. It’s a better viewing option for children than other programs that are on at the same time.

But critics say that parents should be interacting with their children instead of plopping them in front of the TV at night. They also say that TV viewing can make it harder for children to fall asleep. It stimulates them when they should be winding down.

Research shows that there is good reason to be concerned. Studies indicate that watching TV can have a negative effect on children’s sleep.

A study in 1999 involved 495 children in kindergarten through the fourth grade. Increased TV viewing at bedtime was linked to bedtime resistance, delayed sleep onset, sleep anxiety and short sleep duration.

Research also shows that sleep problems frequently occur when children have a TV in their bedroom.

A 2007 study involved children who were 5.5 years of age. Having a TV in the bedroom was associated with sleep problems. Forty-one percent of the children had a TV in their bedroom.

You might think that this problem is unique to children in the U.S. But it is common in other countries as well.

One study involved children between 6 and 12 years of age in Japan. Watching TV, playing video games and surfing the Internet had a negative impact on sleep. Children were more active before bedtime if they had a TV or video game system in their bedroom.

About 18 percent of children in a Chinese study had a TV or computer in the bedroom. These children had later bedtimes and wake times, and shorter sleep durations. They also were more likely to display bedtime resistance and sleep anxiety.

In a study from Belgium, teens with a TV set in their bedroom went to bed later and spent less time in bed. Teens who watched more TV also woke up later and were more tired.

It’s clear that parents should keep the TV out of their child’s bedroom. While you’re at it, take the computer out of the bedroom too.

You also can help your child wind down for bedtime by turning off the TV and the computer earlier in the evening.