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iPhone, iPad Too Bright at Night? Dim the Display, Not the Brightness.

Bright Screens at Night Are Bad For Your Health

From time to time, I’m sure we all stare into our phones and tablets before going to sleep. The problem is that the bright glow of the screen is bad for your health. Harvard did a study, and concluded that exposure to blue light at night, emitted by electronics and energy-efficient light bulbs, is harmful to your health.

Why are these screens bad for you at night? It’s because the light disrupts your circadian rhythym—the biological clock in your body. It can trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime—not a good thing.

What Can You Do About It?

Luckily, there is a solution for Mac computers users (besides simply not using the computer at night). I wrote a post a while back, talking about the must-have app, f.lux. F.lux will automatically dim your computer screen, and also change the color emitted. This is much better for your eyes, and body. Get it. Now.

Solution For iPhone, iPad Users

For iOS, the procedure is quite simple. Here’s how:

1. Go into iOS Settings > General > Accessibility.
iphone-general-settings

2. Select Zoom.

iphone-accessibility

3. Turn on Zoom. Don’t worry—we’re just changing the brightness.

iphone-zoom

4. Double-tap three fingers on the screen. That will bring up the following menu.

iphone-screen-filter

5. Select “Low Light,” and check out the results!

iphone-dim-screen-before-after

That’s all there is to it. Once Zoom is activated, all you have to do is double-tap three fingers at any time to change the brightness.

Give it a try. It’ll help your eyes, sleep, and overall health.