Quick Links
In today’s age, prolonged screen time on a computer is almost inevitable. However, it also causes eye strain and fatigue. Fortunately, Windows offers a built-in feature that can help alleviate this issue.
What is Night Light?
Night Light is a feature in Windows 10 and 11 designed to reduce the blue light emitted by your screen. Blue light, while beneficial during the day, can cause eye strain and disrupt your sleep cycle when exposed to it in the evening.
OpenSettings, click onSystemin the left panel, and then clickDisplayin the right section. Under theBrightness & colorsection, toggleNight lighton or off. You can also click the panel to customize further options to tailor it to your preferences.
You can schedule Night Light by setting up specific times for Night Light to automatically turn on and off, such as sunset to sunrise. You can also control the intensity of the warm color, making it as subtle or as strong as you like. Warmer colors are more effective at reducing eye strain, but you should experiment to see what feels most comfortable.
By configuring Night Light, you can significantly reduce the blue light exposure from your screen, helping tominimize eye strainand improve your overall comfort during extended periods of screen use.
How Does Night Light Work?
Higher color temperatures emit more blue light and appear cooler, like daylight. Lower color temperatures emit less blue light and appear warmer, like candlelight. Night Light works by adjusting your screen’s color temperature to warmer tones, which are easier on the eyes and less likely to interfere with your sleep.
Night Light shifts the color temperature of your screen towards the lower end (red) of the color spectrum,reducing the amount of blue light emittedand creating a more calming and comfortable viewing experience. Windows, essentially, applies a color filter that effectively “blocks” some of the blue light.
The operating system does this by manipulating the RGB (red, green, blue) values of the pixels being displayed—decreasing the blue component while slightly increasing the red component to achieve the warmer color tone.
This feature is particularly beneficial when using your computer in the evening or at night. Warmer colors are easier on the eyes, especially in low-light conditions. Additionally, blue light can suppress melatonin production, a hormone that regulates sleep. Night Light helps minimize this disruption.
Night Light doesn’t completely eliminate blue light. It simply reduces its intensity to a level that is more comfortable for your eyes, especially during evening hours.
Night Light is a simple yet effective feature in Windows that can significantly reduce eye strain,enable better sleep, and improve your overall viewing experience. Give it a try and see the benefits for yourself!
