Have you ever felt like you can‘t put down your iPhone at night? Do screens seem excessively bright and uncomfortable to look at in dim evening lighting? There‘s a reason behind that.
Blue light emitted by devices like iPhones can negatively impact sleep and eye health if we don‘t take proper precautions, especially after sunset.
The good news? Your iPhone has hidden settings to filter out blue light and avoid these issues. Read on to learn all about blue light risks and expert-recommended ways to reduce exposure from your smartphone screen.
What is Blue Light and Why Is It Potentially Harmful?
First, let‘s cover some key facts about blue light:
- Blue light is a high-energy visible light near the bluer end of the light spectrum.
- It helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, as blue light emitted during sunlit hours suppresses melatonin.
- But blue light exposure at night from screens can be disruptive to circadian rhythms.
- Studies connect blue light at night to hormone changes negatively impacting sleep quality and eye health long-term.
In moderation, blue light exposure during daytime is harmless. But chronic, excessive blue light absorption, especially in the evening from our ubiquitous phones/tablets, can contribute to:
- Digital eye strain
- Headaches
- Blurry vision
- Increased risk of macular degeneration
- Disrupted melatonin production
This melatonin suppression is key – it makes falling and staying asleep much more challenging.
Just take a look at some statistics on the recent escalation of smartphones use and sleep disturbances:
| Category | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Global smartphone users | 6.648 billion (2021) |
| % of U.S. adults who report "almost constant" checking of phone | 45% (2021) |
| Average daily smartphone screen time by U.S. adult | 4.2 hours (2021) |
| % increase in U.S. teen sleep loss between 2009-2015 | 17% |
With even health organizations like the American Academy of Sleep Medicine connecting blue light exposure at night to impaired sleep, it‘s clear this is an increasingly problematic issue in our tech-dominated world.
The takeaway: all that evening iPhone scrolling likely isn‘t doing any wonders for your sleep schedule or eye comfort.
But there are ways to enjoy your device after dark while still limiting that pesky blue light…
How to Activate iPhone Night Shift
Your iPhone has a hidden blue light filter called Night Shift intended specifically for addressing these concerns.
When enabled, Night Shift automatically shifts colors to the warmer end of the spectrum after sunset – filtering out high energy blue hues from your screen.
Here‘s how to turn on Night Shift:
Access the Control Center
On newer iPhones (XR, XS/Max, 11, 12, 13 series):
- Swipe down from upper right corner of the screen
On older iPhones (X or earlier):
- Swipe up from the very bottom edge
This opens the Control Center overlay.
Tap the Night Shift Icon
Look for the crescent moon shaped icon labeled ‘Night Shift‘ and tap it.
Selecting this instantly activates the blue light filter.
Customize Color Temperature
Dragging the slider below Night Shift left/right lets you control intensity:
- More blue light (cooler temp) = Less Warm
- More filtering (warmer temp) = More Warm
I recommend setting to Most Warm for maximum blue light blocking in the evenings.
This makes your screen appear amber-hued as the filter goes into effect to limit those high energy blue wavelengths from your phone display.
And that‘s all it takes to reduce sleep-disrupting blue light! But let‘s cover some additional settings for even more control…
Advanced Night Shift Settings
Along with the basic on/off toggle, there are a few extra customizations possible for Night Shift as well:
Disable Night Shift Schedule
By default, Night Shift follows a sunset to sunrise schedule. To keep it off completely:
- Go to Settings > Display & Brightness
- Select Night Shift
- Switch Scheduled to Off
This prevents automatic activation in the evenings.
Set Custom Night Shift Times
Don‘t like the preset sunset/sunrise filter times? You can also manually define custom hourly schedules.
Simply select "Custom" instead of Sunset to Sunrise, then adjust start/end times to your liking.
Adjust Color Temperature
Fine-tune the specific color tone and intensity of blue light filtering via the color temperature setting detailed previously.
Enable True Tone
While not exclusively a blue light filter, True Tone adapts screen colors based on ambient lighting to subtly reduce blue light in darker environments.
Under Display & Brightness settings, toggle on this complementary feature in tandem with Night Shift for enhanced protection.
Now that you know how to leverage Night Shift, what about some alternate blue light reduction solutions?
Other Ways to Limit Blue Light Exposure
Alongside Night Shift, also consider incorporating these tactics for minimizing blue light from your iPhone:
Lower Brightness
Dim screens emit less light of all wavelengths than brighter settings.
Manually reduce brightness slider for easy blue light reduction.
Blue Light Filtering Apps
If for whatever reason you don‘t want to use the native Night Shift tool, 3rd party options like Flux provide similar benefits:
Flux warms color temps and lets you customize scheduling.
Downsides include no system-level integration, so it won‘t apply to every app. But nevertheless an alternate solution.
Use Reader Mode
Safari‘s Reader Mode converts web pages to simpler, distraction-free formats. Along with declining ads/clutter, Reader Mode displays pages on sepia-toned backgrounds to help decrease blue light.
Enable in Safari by tapping the "AA" icon in the address bar on sites you want an optimized dark mode-esque reading experience.
Wear Blue Light Glasses
Don‘t underestimate the power of computer glasses to protect your eyes from screens!
Look for glasses blocking 100% UV and filtering at least 30-50% blue light. I recommend familiar trusted brands like Gunnar Optiks and Felix Gray. These can make extended use much more comfortable on your eyes.
So in summary – Night Shift provides the first line of defense against iPhone blue light harms, while tweaks like reduced brightness, True Tone, and dedicated filtering apps can supplement these efforts.
Give the tips covered here a try to curb device overuse and enjoy healthier sleep! Please don‘t hesitate to contact me directly with any other iPhone blue light questions.
