A few weeks ago I wrote a column about health apps and how they can revitalize your fitness routine. Last weekend, I met up with a friend and she shared something with me that blew my mind.
Do you ever feel sleepy during the day? Do you tend to doze off at weird times for no apparent reason? Or do you just feel drained a lot of the time? If you answered yes to any of these questions, believe it or not, there’s an app for that. It’s called f.lux.
But before I get into details about this amazing app, I’d like to highlight exactly why it’s so vital to get not just a recommended amount of sleep, but also a recommended quality of sleep.
Sleep is vital to your body, no matter how unimportant you may deem it. Sleep really should be a priority for everyone! Granted, you can adjust to getting less sleep, but most people still need an underlying amount of quality sleep to function properly.
A lack of quality sleep can result in decreased immune-system response, decreased attention span and cognitive function and feeling withdrawn throughout the day. Let’s face it, with so much at stake, whether you’re a student or professional, you can’t afford to let a lack of quality sleep get the best of you!
That’s where f.lux comes in. It’s an app that essentially changes the color of your monitor’s screen to match the current time of day. F.lux claims to “adjust the colors in a way that greatly reduces the stimulating effects of blue light at night” — reducing the amount of blue-light exposure from your screen at nighttime. Blue light has been shown to have adverse effects on sleep in studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health.
It could be that you’re staying up extra late because of this blue-light exposure! F.lux reports that the American Medical Association’s Council on Science and Public Health says that “…exposure to excessive light at night, including extended use of various electronic media, can disrupt sleep or exacerbate sleep disorders, especially in children and adolescents. This effect can be minimized by using dim red lighting in the nighttime bedroom environment.”
F.lux claims that “experimental research suggests that an average person reading on a tablet for a couple hours before bed may find that their sleep is delayed by about an hour.”
Living in downtown Phoenix has its perks, including easy access to prominent places such as sports stadiums, the convention center, art galleries and more. Living in such a vibrant setting is sure to keep some from getting the shut-eye they most definitely need.
I’m sure many of you have heard the phrase “Downtown doesn’t sleep.” It’s often true, and while downtown Phoenix may not always be awake at all hours, there are more than enough things to keep a person awake into the late hours any day of the week. Those events are important and fun, but it’s also important to remember to make sure you’re getting quality sleep amongst all of them — the last thing we need in a vibrant downtown like ours is a bunch of sleep-deprived zombies, unless of course you’re taking part in the annual zombie walk.
I may be exaggerating a bit. But nonetheless, I can’t emphasize enough how important quality sleep is to creating a quality population.
The bottom line is that the light emanating from your cellphone or computer can have an adverse effect on your sleeping pattern and therefore, we should try to take steps to prevent this.
F.lux is a free app that you can download in a few minutes and could potentially help you get a little more sleep each night. Download it at the f.lux website.
Stay healthy, my friends!
Contact the columnist at wshahid@asu.edu
