Is your iPhone keeping you up at night? Most people know that staring at a bright LED screen before winding down for bed is counter-productive, but we all do it anyway. With their latest iOS 9.3 update, Apple has introduced a new feature called “Night Shift” which they state will help late night iPhone users fall asleep faster. The LED light that is emitted from smartphones is known as “blue light,” which studies show can stimulate your brain and make it harder to fall asleep.
Before the invention of modern electricity, our bodies relied on sunlight to tell us when to wake and when to sleep. The theory behind blue light messes with your body’s internal alarm clock by waking up your brain and tricking it into thinking that it is daytime. When this happens, and it is actually nighttime, you might be in for a sleepless evening. Studies also find that blue light can put a brain drain on our melatonin supply, which in turn zaps our natural ability to fall asleep.
To combat this phenomenon, Apple’s engineers created the Night Shift feature, which will eliminate your iPhone from emitting blue light.
The function is already pre-set to begin right at sunset. This is great news for those iPhone aficionados who set their alarm clock early. That means that you will have a few hours of non-blue light viewing before hitting the hay. With this feature your brain will have a little time to wind down and realize that it is time to crash out.
When your phone is in night shift mode the images on your iPhone will appear to have warmer hues, and if you find this annoying, you can adjust the color temperature to your heart’s desire. You can also adjust the time that you want to the feature to turn on. Now turn on the night shift, and get some sleep!
