The night mode feature, which we all use on smartphones and believe to protect our eyes, may not be as effective as we thought. Known as “Night Shift” on Apple and “Night Mode” on Android devices, this feature filters blue light and adjusts screen colors to warmer tones (yellow). However, new research has debunked the claims that it helps improve sleep. Here are the details…

Night Shift on smartphones doesn’t really work

According to a study by Brigham Young University (BYU) published in the journal “Sleep Health,” the effectiveness of this feature was examined. Participants were divided into three groups: those with Night Shift on, those with Night Shift off, and those not using a phone at all. They followed these conditions for seven nights.

The result? Unexpectedly, there was no significant difference in sleep quality among the three groups. This indicates that features like Night Shift and night mode do not actually contribute to better sleep.

Professor Chad Jensen, who led the study, acknowledged that while there is evidence that blue light disrupts sleep, the stimulating effect of phone use is not limited to light alone. The phones themselves can be mentally and psychologically stimulating. Therefore, turning off phones entirely is necessary for a truly good sleep.

If you want to improve your sleep pattern, simply turning on Night Shift might not be enough. It’s more effective to turn off all devices and stay away from screens an hour before sleep. Do you agree with these research findings? What do you do to sleep better? Don’t forget to share your comments with us…