Struggling to fall asleep? Are your kids overly energetic after using tablets before bedtime? If you frequently use your smartphone or tablet in the evening, or if you're sensitive to light during migraines, Twilight could be the answer you're looking for!
Recent scientific studies indicate that exposure to blue light before sleep can disrupt your natural circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep. This is due to a photoreceptor in your eyes known as Melanopsin, which is sensitive to blue light in the 460-480nm range. This sensitivity can suppress Melatonin production, a key hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycles. Research has shown that reading on a tablet or smartphone for a few hours before bed can delay sleep by about an hour.
The Twilight app adjusts your device's screen to the time of day, filtering out blue light after sunset and applying a soothing red filter to protect your eyes. The intensity of the filter adjusts smoothly according to your local sunrise and sunset times, ensuring a comfortable viewing experience.
Twilight is also compatible with Wear OS devices, allowing you to sync your smartwatch's screen with your phone's filter settings. You can easily control filtering through a "Wear OS Tile".
Benefits of Using Twilight
1. **Bed Reading**: Twilight enhances your night reading experience by applying a more pleasant filter on the eyes. It can dim the screen far beyond the standard backlight controls, making it ideal for bedtime reading.
2. **AMOLED Screens**: Extensive testing on AMOLED screens over five years shows no signs of depletion or over-burning. Properly configured, Twilight reduces light emission and distributes light more evenly across the screen, potentially extending the life of your AMOLED screen.
Understanding Circadian Rhythms and Melatonin
To learn more about circadian rhythms and the role of melatonin, visit:
Permissions and Accessibility
Twilight requires the following permissions:
- Location - to determine your local sunset and sunrise times.
- Running Apps - to pause Twilight in specific applications.
- Write Settings - to adjust the screen's backlight.
- Network - to connect with smart lighting systems like Philips HUE to filter blue light from your household.
To enhance filtering on notifications and the lock screen, Twilight may request the use of the Twilight Accessibility Service. This service is solely used to improve screen filtering and does not collect any personal data. For more information, please visit Twilight's Privacy Statement.
Automation and Scientific Research
For automation with tools like Tasker, visit Twilight's Automation Guide.
Twilight's effectiveness is backed by scientific research:
- "Amplitude Reduction and Phase Shifts of Melatonin, Cortisol and Other Circadian Rhythms after a Gradual Advance of Sleep and Light Exposure in Humans" by Derk-Jan Dijk & Co (2012)
- "Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans" by Joshua J. Gooley & Co (2011)
- "Effect of Light on Human Circadian Physiology" by Jeanne F. Duffy & Charles A. Czeisler (2009)
- "Efficacy of a single sequence of intermittent bright light pulses for delaying circadian phase in humans" by Claude Gronfier & Co (2009)
- "Intrinsic period and light intensity determine the phase relationship between melatonin and sleep in humans" by Kenneth P. Wright & Co (2009)
- "The Impact of Sleep Timing and Bright Light Exposure on Attentional Impairment during Night Work" by Nayantara Santhi & Co (2008)
- "Short-Wavelength Light Sensitivity of Circadian, Pupillary, and Visual Awareness in Humans Lacking an Outer Retina" by Farhan H. Zaidi & Co (2007)
