HOW IT WORKS
If you’re like most people, you’re probably on your phone, tablet or computer right before you go to bed. Many of us also have trouble falling asleep at night. Recent research suggests that there’s a link between these two phenomena.
The displays on smartphones, tablets, laptops and some TVs emit a specific wavelength of artificial light called blue light. Over the past couple of years, multiple studies have been conducted that suggest that blue light is suppressing the creation of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. The studies found that using our gadgets right before bed prolongs the time it takes to fall asleep, disrupts the natural rhythm of your sleep-wake patterns, reduces the amount of restorative REM sleep, and reduces alertness the following morning.
Our hats go off to those who have the willpower to resist using their iPhone or iPad in bed. Most of us, however, just can’t shake our addiction to our digi-toys at night. For those of us who just can't unplug, there’s Bedim, an essential for the always-connected insomniac. By making a small change to reduce the amount of blue light that you’re exposed to before bed, Bedim can improve your sleep and overall quality of life. Please see this blog post to learn more about the health benefits of using Bedim.
FEATURES
While there are countless apps on the App Store that are designed to improve your sleep, Bedim is the only app that prevents your device from tarnishing your sleep in the first place. The positive effects of an app that is designed to help you sleep may be canceled out by your device’s blue light emissions.
Bedim can be used in two ways. You can use the automatic setting and let the app do the work for you, or you can adjust your settings manually. In automatic mode, Bedim is designed to work unobtrusively in the background. The app uses your GPS location to determine where you are and calculates what time the sun will rise and set. You have the option of inputting what time you wake up and go to sleep. The app will then use this information to determine which hues to display so that it can harmonize your screen settings with the sun cycle and your sleep schedule. As dusk approaches, Bedim will automatically warm up the color of your screen, gradually reducing the display’s blue light emissions. It filters out the blue spectrum from your screen and replaces it with a soft and pleasant red filter. You can control the intensity of this red filter, and you can also choose between a slow or fast transition between the day and night settings. At dawn, it returns your phone screen to its normal colors and settings.
