What’s All the Fuss About? Blue light

Microsoft wants to help you get a good night’s sleep

What is it?

Light from the blue region of the spectrum that’s causing an epidemic of sleeplessness. Blue light is emitted by computer screens, smartphones and tablets in particular. The problem is that it suppresses your body’s production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. So if you stare at your device before bedtime, you’ll take longer to nod off, and this can disrupt your body clock – also known as your circadian rhythm.

Is it a serious problem?

Yes, and more so than scientists used to think. Recent studies have shown that a shortage of sleep can affect the biological ‘clocks’ in the body’s organs, leading to long-term health damage. The behaviour of younger people leaves them particularly at risk: research in 2014 showed that over 90 per cent of people aged 18-24 use devices two hours before going to bed. Addicted to Facebook posts and Youtube videos, many of us lack the self-control to switch off in the evening.

Does Microsoft have a solution?

It would appear so – for computers at least. The company revealed to members of the Windows Insider Program ( https:// insider.windows.com) some new features that may be included in the next Windows 10 update (codenamed Redstone 2), the most interesting of which is a ‘blue light reduction’ setting.

Wait, another update? When’s this one due?

In early 2017. The Anniversary Update may only just have arrived, messing up some PCS in the process (see page 50), but Microsoft is already busy working on the next one.

How will the blue-light setting work?

You’ll probably switch it on and off from the Action Centre, which is the pane that slides in from the right when you click the flag icon in your taskbar. Hopefully, it will work like f.lux ( https://justgetflux. com), an excellent free program that gradually adjusts the ‘colour temperature’ of your screen throughout the day. As the evening progresses, the program replaces blue light with less harmful red light, bathing the screen in a soothing pinkish glow (see screenshot above).

Is it similar to Night Shift in IOS?

Yes. Night Shift, which Apple introduced with IOS 9.3 in March, adjusts the colour of iphone and ipad screens towards the “warmer end of the spectrum” at the end of the day. To turn it on, tap the Settings app on your home screen, then tap ‘Display & Brightness’, Night Shift. From there you can set a schedule and change the brightness.

Do any other devices have this feature built in?

Some do, such as Amazon’s Fire tablets, which received the Blue Shade option late last year. Kobo’s new Aura One ebook reader offers something similar.

But to much surprise Google disabled the feature in its final version of Android 7.0 (called Nougat), despite including it in betas. However, the setting is still buried in Android, which means you can turn it back on with a simple hack. To do this, download the free app Night Mode Enabler ( www.snipca.com/21739) from the Google Play store, then follow the instructions. If that doesn’t work, try another free app, called Twilight ( www.snipca. com/21740). Twilight has over 130,000 five-star reviews on the Play store.

Are there other solutions to blue light?

Aside from banning light-emitting devices from the bedroom, you could try wearing amber-tinted glasses, such as this pair: www.snipca. com/21743 (£49 from Amazon, pictured left). You can then use your devices whenever you like before drifting off to dream sweet dreams.