So, a quick refresher on something you already know – using your phone right before bed is not conducive for getting a good night’s sleep. Science has studied this and determined that the blue light your phone gives off dramatically reduces the secretion of melatonin which is a hormone that helps prepare you for sleep and actually makes you sleepy.

Can’t Put The Phone Down? We’ve Got You Covered!

OK, so you’re not going to change your behavior and that’s totally understandable! But there are some things you can do that will enable you to continue using your phone before bed but in a less disruptive manner. We still recommend not using your phone before bed, but if you’re going to try these tips to make it less of issue.

Activate Night Mode / Night Light

After years of third-party apps offering a semi-effective version, smart phones now come with a night mode that reduces the amount of blue light emissions. On iPhones it’s called Night Mode and Android calls it Night Light. Both are found in the display settings and can be set to automatically turn on when the sun goes down, so you don’t have to think about it.

Try Blue Light Glasses

If you don’t want to try and walk your grandmother through setting this up on her phone you can always just get a her a pair of blue light blocking glasses. These do the same thing as the phone setting or app, but all you have to do it slip them on to enjoy the benefits.

Invert Your Text & Background Colors

If you’re a bedtime reader, you have some options. You can read a good old-fashioned printed book and keep a light on, you can use an e-reader, you can use your phone’s e-reader, or you can try an audiobook. E-readers are typically rather bright which can be harsh on the eyes in a low-light situation. Most e-reader apps or devices allow you to change the book display and invert the colors from a white background with black words to a black background with white words which is easier on the eyes.

iPhone Users – Go Red

Another good option if you find yourself waking up to use your phone is to turn your iPhone screen red to preserve your night vision. This is also very useful if you’re into astronomy and stargazing. Follow these steps to have it come on with 3 clicks on the power button.

How to Turn Your iPhone Screen Red

1. Go into your Settings app.
2. Select General.
3. Select Accessibility.
4. Select Display Accommodations.
5. Select Color Filters.
6. Turn Color Filters on.
7. Select Color Tint.
8. Below Color Tint, two scrolling bars will pop up: Intensity and Hue. Scroll both pointers to the right to turn Hue to red and to turn Intensity up to maximum.
9. Now go back two stages of the options menu to Accessibility. Scroll down to the bottom and select Accessibility Shortcut.
10. 10.Select Color Filters so a blue tick appears to the left.

You will now be able to click your home button or the power button quickly three times to instantly turn the screen red. Triple click it again to turn the red filter off.

Image used under license from Shutterstock.com