This is the second blog post in the sleep series.

Who might this blog post be useful for?: Anyone who struggles with sleep throughout the academic year, students with mental health problems or anyone who experiences stress which impacts on their sleep.

What study skills challenges can this app help you overcome?: Difficulty sleeping, relaxing or de-stressing.

What is the tool or study skills strategy?: Relaxation apps, boring podcasts and advice on sleep hygiene.

Something mentioned in the University Counselling Service video on sleep is putting down your smartphone or electronic devices before bed- this is something that is so important but so difficult to do! Multiple studies and articles have shown that the blue light given off by electronic devices disturbs our circadian rhythm, our internal body clock that controls when we sleep. The blue light from these devices tricks your brains into thinking it is daytime while you scroll through social media in the wee hours of the morning, which disturbs your sleep. As such, if you can’t quite put your phone down yet, screen tinting software for PC, iPhone and iPad, or Android can help with this by counteracting the blue light to help minimise this disruption. As the opposite of blue on the colour wheel is orange, to counteract blue light it is best to choose orange tints or at least warmer colours such as pink or red if you aren’t using f.lux or iOS nightshift which choose the shade for you.

F.Lux

Another popular app for PC and Mac is F.Lux, which automatically adjusts your screen colour and brightness when it becomes night time in your time zone. This takes a lot less effort than manually changing your tint every evening.

Night Shift for iOS

The IOS Night Shift function from IOS 9.3 onwards is another useful feature that helps eradicate blue light and help you get better sleep because it’s warmest setting “approximates the color of the setting sun.”, The Independant has a helpful article with advice on how to use night shift. The image above from Apple Insider is a good demonstration of how it works.

The NHS choices website has lots of other guidance, information and tips on sleep hygiene, bedtime rituals and sleep problems if you want to know more. If your struggles with sleep becomes chronic (over four weeks) or is impacting on or relating to a current health condition then you should seek advice from your GP.

Thanks for reading,

Rachel