Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light, Colored Sunrise and Sunset Simulation, 5 Natural Sounds, FM Radio & Reading Lamp, Tap Snooze, HF3520/60

I used to be an owl for years. A regular 9-5 schedule seemed out of reach. This May I changed my environment by filtering out blue light after 8PM. I use the following:

1. Inexpensive Uvex amber googles from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti... Wear them at least an hour or two before bedtime.

2. I replaced most of the white compact fluorescent lights with amber compact fluorescent lights https://www.lowbluelights.com/index.asp

3. And I use a sunrise simulator alarm clock. http://www.amazon.com/Philips-HF3520-Wake-Up-Colored-Simulat...

No will power needed beyond the habit to wear the googles and change the lighting. Usually in bed by 10PM.

Result: no insomnia. Have been able to consistently maintain an early schedule. This would have been inconceivable earlier. I have become the person you've never met.

Gwern comes close to suggesting filtering blue light, but I will repeat a previous post. I've tried melatonin, but it is no substitute for for filtering blue light in my experience, and it tends to induce horrific, apocalyptic nightmares (granted, a night dreaming of EAS Emergency Action Notifications is better than no sleep at all).

I used to be an owl for years--decades. A regular 9-5 schedule seemed out of reach. All previous attempts quickly led to backsliding and accusations of moral failure. However, I found that an involuntary physiological response to artificial light in the range 460-484nm was involved.

This May I changed my environment by filtering out blue light after 8PM, turning off white lamps and turing on amber compact fluorescents. I'm asleep ~ 10PM and up usually ~ 5AM. This is now my regular schedule. It would have been inconceivable for me six months ago.

I use the following:

1. Inexpensive Uvex amber goggles from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti... Wear them at least an hour or two before bedtime. I also have the considerably more expensive glasses from lowbluelights.com. In my experience, the inexpensive goggles work just as well, although the more expensive glasses filter more blue light.

2. I replaced most of the white compact fluorescent lights in my apartment with amber compact fluorescent lights https://www.lowbluelights.com/index.asp

3. And I use a sunrise simulator alarm clock. http://www.amazon.com/Philips-HF3520-Wake-Up-Colored-Simulat... Sometimes I forget to set the clock--now I don't seem to need it.

Not to mention f.lux (pardon the paralipsis), though again, in my experience, filtering is necessary.

Concerning the scientific basis for the claim that blue light in the range 460-484nm suppresses melatonin production, here is one reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosensitive_ganglion_cell

Moral: Nagging and moralizing was both uninformative and ineffective. Science and engineering was both informative and effective.

Does anyone have experience with either Philips goLITE [1] or Wake-Up light [2]? I wonder which of these will be more effective (blue vs warm yellow).

Alternatively, has anyone managed to build such a device at home? AFAIK 470 nm wavelength LEDs are the way to go but getting 10k lux out of the grid..

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Philips-goLITE-BLU-Therapy-Device/dp/B...

[2] http://www.amazon.com/Philips-HF3520-Wake-Up-Colored-Simulat...

Dunno if this was the same as the other reply mentioned, but Phillips (and probably others) makes Wake up lights: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-HF3520-Wake-Up-Colored-Simulat... - no idea if they really work though.

If you have this problem in only winter, this gadget actually does a lot for me:

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-HF3520-Wake-Up-Colored-Simulat...

It simulates a sunrise and sunset with bright LEDs. I always wake up before the audio alarm starts. Before this I was very difficult morning riser. I may be more light sensitive than you, but it works for me, and has some medical research to back up the idea.

I suspect the same will be true about artificial light. Our sleep cycles changed dramatically with the introduction of electric light.

A few years back I built an automated lighting system [1] for my apartment that was basically a scaled-up version of a light-based alarm clock [2]. I got the expected benefit, getting up more easily in the morning. But it turned out the bigger benefit was going to sleep at a more regular hour thanks to lights that dimmed in the evening. It turned out that previously I just wasn't a responsible lightswitch user: if the lights were on and I was doing something interesting, I'd blow my sleep schedule out. Now, though, that almost never happens. I think it's had significant mood and health benefits.

For those interested, the history podcast BackStory had a great set of stories on how time and sleep have changed in the industrial era. [3] I expect we'll be undoing a lot of that over coming decades.

[1] https://github.com/wpietri/sunrise

[2] an older version of this: https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Simulation-Headspace-Subscrip...

[3] https://www.backstoryradio.org/shows/on-the-clock-4/

I agree. I bought one of the Philips light alarm clocks[0] years ago me and my wife both swear by them.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Simulation-Headspace-Subscrip...

I have one of the Phillips alarms [0]. Do not currently use it, but regularly did for a year or two.

I don't feel it's bright enough to mimic true sunlight, but it is much brighter than typical light sources. Especially at full brightness on a nightstand.

I've never had problems waking up, so can't speak to those who do. But I would absolutely say it made the experience of waking up smoother and more pleasant.

I'd describe it as a normal waking being jarring, even without alarm, where I have a brief moment of confusion as my brain snaps into consciousness.

Whereas with the light almost every morning was a smoother transition, where I rose to consciousness more gradually, while still sleeping, and then basically opened my eyes already awake.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Simulation-Headspace-Subscrip...