How to Eliminate Blue Light with Night Light Feature

What’s the problem with blue light?

The reason blue light hurts is purely biological. Sleep is a part of the circadian rhythm, which is the cycle of biological processes that are determined in part by the levels of light and dark exposed to our bodies.

In the most natural setting, which is one where we’re only exposed to sunlight, our retinas sense when the sun descends and the environment grows darker. That induces our hypothalamus to start the process of producing melatonin and other sleep hormones and reducing our body temperature.

When we use artificial lighting to extend our day, however, our bodies get confused, and the various sleep signals are disrupted. Even worse is the blue light emitted by fluorescent and LED lights — like those on our various device displays — which cause us to be more alert and produce even less melatonin.

That’s why using a blue light filter is so important.

How to turn on Blue Light

Microsoft added a blue light-limiting feature to Windows 10 in the Creators Update released in April 2017. Called Night Light, this feature shifts the Windows 10 display to show warmer colors that reduce the amount of emitted blue light. Turning the feature on is a simple process.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start button and select Settings on the Power User menu. Alternatively, you can press the Windows + X keys and then click Settings.

Step 2: Choose System in the pop-up window.

Step 3: The Display category opens by default. Scroll down on the right and toggle on the Night Light setting.

To configure the Night Light feature, click the Night Light Settings link located under the toggle. Here, you’ll find options for turning Night Light on immediately, adjusting the strength, and scheduling when it turns on and off.

To set the schedule, toggle the Schedule Night Light option to on. Then, you can either choose to let Night Light turn itself on at sunset and off at sunrise — automatically determined by your location — or you can set the time manually by clicking Set Hours and choosing when the feature should turn on and off.When you first turn the feature on, you’ll notice the color shift immediately. After a while, your eyes will adjust to the change, and it should be less obvious. By reducing the amount of blue light, however, the Night Light feature will then limit the impact of using your Windows 10 PC late at night — you could find it easier to get to sleep, and your sleep might be deeper and more restful.