F.lux why not hack your optimal location
Excessive blue light exposure is widely being covered by news media and blogs. We know that electronic/screen light are pretty terrible for our sleep and health in general. So the obvious link is to check out two free apps to screen lighting:
Twighlight for Android
F.lux for Windows
(not sure about other platforms)
But what I haven’t seen covered is hacking your location beyond just mimicking your local sunrise/sunset (the default settings in these apps). In southern or northern latitudes unless you’re a total paleo seasonal hippy you probably want to have some more consistency year-round rather than follow the shortest/longest cycles. And what if you tend to wake up too early or have trouble falling asleep? Shouldn’t you adjust to see if that helps? Light therapy/timing has been studied a fair bit as a tool for aligning your sleep cycle.
So try putting some thought into what sunrise/sunset lighting conditions you would like to mimic. Check out SunCalc to figure out the sunrise/sunset timing you’re looking for and circle back to the settings of these screen apps. If you’re a real boss and have timing options for other indoor lighting good on you.
FYI I really like Paul Jaminet’s thoughts on circadian rhythm maintenance.
