6 ms·

If you don't want orange glasses, try f.lux (Windows, Mac) or redshift (Linux). Either one accomplishes much the same effect by adjusting the (apparent) color

If you don't want orange glasses, try f.lux (Windows, Mac) or redshift (Linux). Either one accomplishes much the same effect by adjusting the (apparent) color temperature of your screen depending on time of day. It distorts colors, if you fancy yourself a photographer, but your eyes will thank you.

grayfox 12y ago
Was my first thought as well - does f.lux not scratch an itch that a physical pair of lenses does?
- Zikes 12y ago
  f.lux isn't as portable, as it doesn't cover TVs, smartphones, LED bulbs, etc.
  - tempestn 12y ago
    You can get, for example, Lux Auto Brightness for Android though. Helps me since I read in bed on my phone before going to sleep. Edit: the name notwithstanding, it does more than adjust brightness, including filtering color temperature, much like f.lux
    - Zikes 12y ago
      Certainly, there are solutions for each, but glasses seem to be the only universal solution so far.
    - scott_karana 12y ago
      GP's point was that glasses do everything. Nobody is going to port flux to your lightbulb, or TV. ;) Why install N pieces of software when 1 piece of hardware will do?
      - wlesieutre 12y ago
        >Nobody is going to port flux to your lightbulb Maybe not your lightbulb! https://justgetflux.com/news/pages/bigupdate/ https://justgetflux.com/news/pages/bigupdate/ (#10)
        scott_karana 12y ago
        I knew someone would post that ;) Kudos!
      - tempestn 12y ago
        Well, I find the app more comfortable than glasses when lying in bed...
  - cmiles74 12y ago
    "Twilight" for Android works well for me.
higherpurpose 12y ago
I'm not sure if it's in Android 5.1 or just a feature of CyanogenMod (12.1) but there's a feature in there to also change the color at night, and I find it less aggressive than f.lux, which I like.
- platz 12y ago
  I've used these tools, they simply don't filter enough blue coming from the display, dispite such tools that try to limit the light genereated, compared to tinted glasses
panglott 12y ago
Neat, I don't need to figure out how to wear it over my prescription glasses. But then, I can't install it on the TV ;)
Lost_BiomedE 12y ago
I used flux for a few years and it helps. For me, the glasses were more effective. Maybe because I live with my partner and a light would be flipped on at some point.
WalterSear 12y ago
They don't. They might reduce eyestrain (I have it installed on all my computers, fwiw), but they aren't effective enough on their own to help with sleep. In psychology grad school, I learned that a single blue photon hitting the back of the is sufficient to cause a measurable shift in melatonin output. Note: measurable is not the same as deleterious, but flux doesn't even eliminate all the blue light your computer is putting out, let alone the other sources in your house. The only solution, baring blacking out all your windows, or removing all modern light sources from your house, or replacing them all with red lights, is 0.3-0.5 mg of melatonin a few hours before bed. Note: it's sold in the stores in 5 mg tablets - an order of magnitude too much. http://www.gwern.net/Melatonin http://www.gwern.net/Melatonin
- bsg75 12y ago
  What is the result of the typical over-the-counter dose, often 3-5 mg?
  - drzaiusapelord 12y ago
    I take 5mg every weeknight as a insomnia treatment. I start getting sleepy about 45-60 minutes after taking it. If I fall asleep then, I'll sleep the entire night.
  - eikenberry 12y ago
    I found that the higher doses lead to me falling asleep fine but I tend to wake up in the middle of the night. I assumed the pill was getting my melatonin to high and when it went back to natural levels it triggered my waking up. I've been using 1mg lately (the lowest I can find) and they work much better. Still help make me drowsy, but without waking up in the middle of the night.
    - WalterSear 12y ago
      I've found that 0.3 mg will have me waking up very briefly in the night, but that my sleep is still refreshing. I assumed that this might have something to do with the 'dual sleep' that humans are ostensibly supposed to have had, before electricity came along. I recommend experimenting with amounts (I break my pills up) and finding the amount that works for you.
dates 12y ago
I Jailbroke my iphone just to install f.lux on it, I definitely recommend it!
stefantalpalaru 12y ago
> It distorts colors, if you fancy yourself a photographer I was actually bothered by the uneven distortion so I created multiple display profiles with a monitor calibrator at different color temperatures and then wrote a simple tool to load them at the appropriate time: https://github.com/stefantalpalaru/iccloader https://github.com/stefantalpalaru/iccloader

grayfox 12y ago

Was my first thought as well - does f.lux not scratch an itch that a physical pair of lenses does?

Zikes 12y ago
f.lux isn't as portable, as it doesn't cover TVs, smartphones, LED bulbs, etc.
- tempestn 12y ago
  You can get, for example, Lux Auto Brightness for Android though. Helps me since I read in bed on my phone before going to sleep. Edit: the name notwithstanding, it does more than adjust brightness, including filtering color temperature, much like f.lux
  - Zikes 12y ago
    Certainly, there are solutions for each, but glasses seem to be the only universal solution so far.
  - scott_karana 12y ago
    GP's point was that glasses do everything. Nobody is going to port flux to your lightbulb, or TV. ;) Why install N pieces of software when 1 piece of hardware will do?
    - wlesieutre 12y ago
      >Nobody is going to port flux to your lightbulb Maybe not your lightbulb! https://justgetflux.com/news/pages/bigupdate/ https://justgetflux.com/news/pages/bigupdate/ (#10)
      - scott_karana 12y ago
        I knew someone would post that ;) Kudos!
    - tempestn 12y ago
      Well, I find the app more comfortable than glasses when lying in bed...
- cmiles74 12y ago
  "Twilight" for Android works well for me.

higherpurpose 12y ago

I'm not sure if it's in Android 5.1 or just a feature of CyanogenMod (12.1) but there's a feature in there to also change the color at night, and I find it less aggressive than f.lux, which I like.

platz 12y ago
I've used these tools, they simply don't filter enough blue coming from the display, dispite such tools that try to limit the light genereated, compared to tinted glasses

panglott 12y ago

Neat, I don't need to figure out how to wear it over my prescription glasses. But then, I can't install it on the TV ;)

Lost_BiomedE 12y ago

I used flux for a few years and it helps. For me, the glasses were more effective. Maybe because I live with my partner and a light would be flipped on at some point.

WalterSear 12y ago

They don't. They might reduce eyestrain (I have it installed on all my computers, fwiw), but they aren't effective enough on their own to help with sleep. In psychology grad school, I learned that a single blue photon hitting the back of the is sufficient to cause a measurable shift in melatonin output. Note: measurable is not the same as deleterious, but flux doesn't even eliminate all the blue light your computer is putting out, let alone the other sources in your house. The only solution, baring blacking out all your windows, or removing all modern light sources from your house, or replacing them all with red lights, is 0.3-0.5 mg of melatonin a few hours before bed. Note: it's sold in the stores in 5 mg tablets - an order of magnitude too much. http://www.gwern.net/Melatonin http://www.gwern.net/Melatonin

bsg75 12y ago
What is the result of the typical over-the-counter dose, often 3-5 mg?
- drzaiusapelord 12y ago
  I take 5mg every weeknight as a insomnia treatment. I start getting sleepy about 45-60 minutes after taking it. If I fall asleep then, I'll sleep the entire night.
- eikenberry 12y ago
  I found that the higher doses lead to me falling asleep fine but I tend to wake up in the middle of the night. I assumed the pill was getting my melatonin to high and when it went back to natural levels it triggered my waking up. I've been using 1mg lately (the lowest I can find) and they work much better. Still help make me drowsy, but without waking up in the middle of the night.
  - WalterSear 12y ago
    I've found that 0.3 mg will have me waking up very briefly in the night, but that my sleep is still refreshing. I assumed that this might have something to do with the 'dual sleep' that humans are ostensibly supposed to have had, before electricity came along. I recommend experimenting with amounts (I break my pills up) and finding the amount that works for you.

dates 12y ago

I Jailbroke my iphone just to install f.lux on it, I definitely recommend it!

stefantalpalaru 12y ago

> It distorts colors, if you fancy yourself a photographer I was actually bothered by the uneven distortion so I created multiple display profiles with a monitor calibrator at different color temperatures and then wrote a simple tool to load them at the appropriate time: https://github.com/stefantalpalaru/iccloader https://github.com/stefantalpalaru/iccloader