How to Stop Blue Light for Better Sleep: iPhone, iPad & More

Are you experiencing eye strain from the blue light on your iPhone? Most devices have built-in features to help reduce eye strain, such as Night Shift and Dark Mode. These can easily be enabled in your settings. Here's how to turn off blue light on your iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, and Windows computer, plus tips on how to reduce blue light to improve your sleep.

Filtering Blue Light on an iPhone

If you want to turn off blue light on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can use the Night Shift feature. Open the Settings app and tap Display & Brightness. Tap Night Shift and select a timeframe to enable the feature.

Section 1 of 8:

Using Night Shift (iPhone and iPad)

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1
Open the Settings app. This is the grey cog.
- Night Shift automatically adjusts your display to warmer colors to reduce eye strain from your iPhone.^{[1]
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You can find this underneath General and Control Center.

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You can find this underneath the Brightness slider.
4
Toggle on
"Scheduled". This will allow you to set a timeframe for when you want Night Shift enabled.
- If you'd rather use Night Shift without a schedule, toggle on Manually Enable Until Tomorrow instead.
You can set an automatic option, such as Sunset to Sunrise, or select Custom Schedule to specify your own start and end time.

Section 2 of 8:

Using Night Shift (Mac)

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On older devices, this will look like System Preferences.
You can find this in the left panel.
This is in the lower-right corner. A new window will open.
4
Set a schedule. Click the Schedule drop-down menu to select a timeframe for when the feature activates.
- If you want to use it temporarily, toggle on Turn on until tomorrow instead.
Use the slider to change the warmness of the color. Warmer settings may affect the appearance of some onscreen motion.
Your Night Shift settings will be saved.

Section 3 of 8:

Enabling Dark Mode (iPhone and iPad)

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1
Open the Settings app. This is the grey cog.
- Dark Mode switches your iPhone's navigation to a darker color scheme. This can help reduce eye strain, especially at night.
You can find this underneath General and Control Center.
3
Tap Dark. This is on the right side of Light. Your settings will be saved.
- If desired, you can toggle on Automatic to change to Dark Mode on a schedule.

Section 4 of 8:

Enabling Dark Mode (Mac)

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On older devices, this will look like System Preferences.^{[2]
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Research source}
You can find this in the left panel.
Your settings will be changed.

Section 5 of 8:

Using Night Light (Android)

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1
Open the Settings app. This is the cog icon.
- If you have an Android, you can use Night Light to reduce the blue light on your screen.
You can find this under the Battery option.
This is the second option.
4
Set a schedule. To pick a start and end time, tap Schedule. If you want to enable Night Light at a certain time, tap Turns on at custom time to enter it.
- Alternatively, tap Turns on from sunset to sunrise.
5
Use dark mode (optional). If you want to darken the look of your device's background and apps, you can enable dark mode. Do the following:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Display.
- Tap Dark theme.

Section 6 of 8:

Using Night Light (Windows)

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Click the Start menu, and then click the cog icon. A new window will open.
You can find this near the top.
3
Toggle on "Night light". On Windows 11, click Turn on now. Night light will be enabled.
- If you don't see this setting, make sure you're on the Display tab.
- For customization options, click Night light settings underneath the toggle. You can adjust the strength and set active hours.

Section 7 of 8:

Why is Blue Light bad?

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Blue light can impact your sleep and health. While blue light during daytime hours can promote attention, it can have the opposite effect at night. If you find yourself using devices that emit blue light at night time, such as your phone, you can disrupt your circadian rhythm.^{[3]
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Harvard Medical School
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Go to source} Additionally, constant exposure to any kind of light can damage your eyes and cause problems with your vision.

Section 8 of 8:

Ways to Reduce Blue Light for Sleep

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1
Use dim or dark-colored lighting. This can help reduce eye strain from the blue light. Avoid using your phone about three hours before bed.
2
Take constant eye breaks from your screen. It's recommended to step away from the screen for at least 5 minutes every hour. However, if you're short on time, use this quick tip: every 20 minutes, look at an object at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds or longer. This can help reset your eyes and reduce strain over time.
3
Use apps to limit your phone usage. If you find yourself scrolling through your phone too late into the night, you can use built-in features such as Screen Time on iPhone and iPad or Digital Wellbeing on Android.^{[4]
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- These features can help limit your overall phone usage and give your eyes some rest.
4
Use blue light glasses. If you have access to blue light glasses, you can give them a try to see if they help your eye strain. However, keep in mind that there's no evidence proving that these glasses provide significant relief, and it should not replace screen breaks.