Hello everyone.
I want to get back into healthy habits. This includes reading books before bed and no screen before bed.
The thing is that (for now) my partner and our child all sleep in the same bedroom. I tend to get to bed after they are already asleep and don’t want to disturb them.
What’s the best option to read in the dark that doesn’t involve blue light screen (smartphone) or high luminosity?
Are there e-readers with very very dim light that still allow comfortable reading?
Thanks for your input.
Music listening and audiobooks involve screen time, to set up and control. Namely bright screens made of blue light emitting LEDs. An e-ink reader doesn’t involve any of this, it’s kind of the whole point of an e-reader.
I thought blue light wasn’t considered such an issue any more. Certainly a few seconds to operate an audio player isn’t much. And maybe the player app (if you use an app) can be themed to not give off blue light.
Depends. Blue light does affect sleep and eye strain. Avoiding it is not the cure for all eye and sleep issues as has been marketed by many products. But it is advisable to avoid it during night time as a habit for long term well being. Whether there’s a strong physiologically effect or if it’s merely a psychological relief is still being debated. But either way it does make people feel and sleep better when they have a habit of avoiding it during night time. So why not try it.
At the same time, reading on e-ink is a million times preferable to even the best amoled night mode screens. And no amount of nostalgia will make me return to paper books. They’re cool and mystic but they are a technological compromise in terms of ergonomics. Any ereader is a massive improvement in the experience of reading.
Then there’s the distraction factor. Avoiding screens is also about avoiding over stimulation of the brain when seeking sleep. And phones, where most people have music now, are the center of modern life distraction. A dedicated ereader does one thing and one thing only, with no internet browser connection it’s easier to avoid the distraction and dopamine traps of internet social media.
People tend to stick to the old rumor even though blue light as a problem is mostly a myth peddled by companies who only care about selling a product.