Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I use f.lux on my macs to change the blueish screen glow to something warmer, which supposedly screws less with your circadian rhythms. I'd love it if there were something similar one could do for occasional television watching. Does anyone know of any televisions that would allow you to do something similar? (An automatic "warm light" setting would be ideal...)

I suppose one might just go in and screw with the color settings? If so, are there any benchmarks or guideposts to aim for, or do you just try to tint the screen as orange as you can stand it?

flag	asked Jun 25 at 3:15 Arrowsican 854●1●11

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What Nemesis said + turning off the TV a few hours before bedtime. That has the useful effect of also screening out the mass media propaganda and ads. Very paleo. Read, stare at the fire, chat with the tribe mates, do a little grooming, have a little sex. – Karen Jun 25 at 11:05

jjtitus · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-25 12:06:10Z UTC

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I recently picked up a pair of these stylish glasses. You might get a few weird looks, but they work well and don't cost a fortune (ie anything from lowbluelights.com). Plus, you can watch TV, check your cell phone and use normal lights and still limit the effect on your circadian rhythm...

answered Jun 25 at 12:06

jjtitus
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Do they filter out blue light? That's the problematic light that keeps you awake. Blue light is similar to morning sunlight. – primallykosher Jun 25 at 16:02

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As far as I know, they do... From the first comment, "The SCT Orange lens tint blocks virtually all ultraviolet, violet, and blue light while allowing most of the longer visible wavelengths to pass through. This gives it an orange/deep orange coloration. Unlike most sunglasses, this is one of the few true 'blue-blocking' lens tints." They work for me so far as well. – jjtitus Jun 25 at 17:15

Nemesis · Answer 2 · 2012-06-25 03:22:28Z UTC

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Aside from adjusting the color settings, you might find a pair of lightly-tinted orange glasses you could wear while you're watching tv. That way, any guests you have won't have to see everything in orange as well ;)

answered Jun 25 at 3:22

Nemesis
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Happy Now · Answer 3 · 2012-06-25 18:52:22Z UTC

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If you want to keep the blue light off of your skin as well as out of your eyes, go to a theatre supply store and get some amber or orange light gel sheets to put over the screen.

answered Jun 25 at 18:52

Happy Now
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I wasn't aware that blue light on your skin from a TV had an effect on circadian rhythm...? Could you elaborate on that a little more Happy Now. – jjtitus Jun 25 at 19:23

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The photoreceptors in the eyes are the most sensitive, but there are also photoreceptors on the skin, and waking can be triggered by skin exposure to sunlight even if something like a sleep mask is worn. – Happy Now Jun 25 at 20:36

Do you have links to any research? I would agree that Sunlight (full spectrum, including IR and UV) could have effects on your skin... but artificial light from a TV is a relatively narrow band of EM radiation, and therefore I would imagine we can't use results from sunlight exposure when making conclusions about artificial light sources. – jjtitus Jun 25 at 21:18

I'm not looking for it now, but there was something where a blue pinpoint light was shone on a leg or something when the rest of the body was covered and they measured a response. I'll let you know if I stumble across a link. – PrimalDanny Jun 25 at 22:02

That was the same one I was thinking of, but haven't been able to find it yet. I did find one study about blind people and bright light exposure to augment circadian rhythm, but I'm not sure how many lux and what spectrum light was used in that study. Working on my own n=1, the times I've pulled down my sleep mask, but failed to turn the TV off I've felt like dooky in the morning (although it could be related to that little high pitched squeal from the TV as much as the light.) – Happy Now Jun 25 at 23:50

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TheOriginalKaz · Answer 4 · 2012-06-26 01:02:01Z UTC

A first step would be to change the settings on your television to produce the warmest color temperature. Samsung LED TVs, as one example, often offer four different color temperature settings - pick the warmest (lowest K number). Doing this will reduce the amount of blue light emitted.

Anything like f.lux for television?

4 Answers