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Backlit e-readers 'damage sleep and health'

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Backlit e-readers 'damage sleep and health'

#31

Post by SwellJoe »

hollerith wrote: post #10
paulannesley wrote: post #5

Probably the only useful line in the article: > The light emitted by most e-readers is shining directly into the eyes of the reader, whereas from a printed book or the original Kindle, the reader is only exposed to reflected light from the pages of the book. So it's talking entirely about brightly backlit tablets, not e-readers with e-ink.

Since 2012, Amazon's high-end Kindles (the 2012 Paperwhite, the 2013 Paperwhite and the 2014 Voyage) shine light directly into the eyes. It looks just like a backlit display although technically the light and the diffusion panel are in front of an opaque (e-ink) display, not in back of a translucent (LC) display. On my Paperwhite, it is impossible to turn this light off -- only to dim it. Also, I dispute the OP's con…

I have a Paper White, as well. I can't imagine the light, when at its dimmest setting would be more trouble for sleep than any LCD thing. And, in fact, soon after I got a Nexus 7 and starting reading with it more often than my Kindle (using Twilight to redden and dim the screen dramatically and using the Kindle app in black background mode), my sleep schedule has kinda gone to hell. It's 3AM here, and I'm probably two hours from sleeping. There are confounding variables (winter always screws me up as I get Seasonal Affective Disorder something fierce), but still, now that I'm thinking about it, I think I'm gonna go back to reading on the Kindle before bed and see if it improves my sleep situation. The Nexus certainly hasn't helped.

For reference for those who don't have a Paper White; when at its dimmest setting, it is probably less than the ambient light in the room from neighbors porch lights and street lights. It is almost completely dark, and looks like an older non-lit Kindle in any room with lights on. I do wish it could turn off completely, however.

Re: Backlit e-readers 'damage sleep and health'

#33

Post by thomasfl »

I've been looking for a laptop with a kindle like screen and a cool ARM processor for ages. My brain gets burned by the backlit screen and my lap gets burned from the steamy hot intel processor. I would be happy to switch to Ubuntu even if I prefer OSX if this became available.

Re: Backlit e-readers 'damage sleep and health'

#34

Post by DrStalker »

ce4 wrote: post #30
Ironballs wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Paperwhite isn't a backlit display. The LEDs in the Paperwhite Kindles do not shine light directly in the eyes: the leds shine from below the screen towards the top end of the screen. As it exits the LEDs, light is reflected inside a light guide from which it exits towards the display from specific holes, much like a leaky fiberoptic cable[1]. The directionality and position of the LEDs, and the existence of the…

That's the same with smartphones and tablets. For the sake of simplicity and to keep it as thin as possible, they use edge-LED lighting with a diffusor layer to spread the light evenly.

Are there any smartphones/tablets that have the light hit the display surface from the front and then bounce off like the kindle does? I thought they all either used a backlight shining through the display from behind or were an array of tiny little light sources (depending on the screen technology used) - either way the light is being broadcast direct from the source to your eyes; not hitting a surface and emitting diffuse light out.

Re: Backlit e-readers 'damage sleep and health'

#35

Post by [deleted] »

magicalist wrote: post #25
hollerith wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since 2012, Amazon's high-end Kindles (the 2012 Paperwhite, the 2013 Paperwhite and the 2014 Voyage) shine light directly into the eyes. It looks just like a backlit display although technically the light and the diffusion panel are in front of an opaque (e-ink) display, not in back of a translucent (LC) display. On my Paperwhite, it is impossible to turn this light off -- only to dim it. Also, I dispute the OP's con…

> an iPad probably has less of a deleterious effect on sleep than a Kindle Paperwhite does uh, how so? You didn't give an argument for this point. At the very least Kindles go far dimmer than iPads do.

[deleted]

Re: Backlit e-readers 'damage sleep and health'

#36

Post by eloisant »

HackinOut wrote: post #9

The well accepted definition of an e-reader is "a mobile electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading" (from wikipedia) and most (all?) of those devices are reflective as opposed to LCDs which are backlit. "They spent five days reading from a paperback and five days from an iPad." . If only iPads were used, I don't believe the word e-reader is appropriate. If you use an e-ink display withou…

There are a lot of e-book reader with a built-in backlight that can be turned on and off, like the Kindle Paperwhite.

But I agree that using iPads then calling that "a backlit e-reader" is pretty stupid. That's a tablet.

Re: Backlit e-readers 'damage sleep and health'

#37

Post by davedx »

eloisant wrote: post #36
HackinOut wrote: post #9

The well accepted definition of an e-reader is "a mobile electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading" (from wikipedia) and most (all?) of those devices are reflective as opposed to LCDs which are backlit. "They spent five days reading from a paperback and five days from an iPad." . If only iPads were used, I don't believe the word e-reader is appropriate. If you use an e-ink display withou…

There are a lot of e-book reader with a built-in backlight that can be turned on and off, like the Kindle Paperwhite. But I agree that using iPads then calling that "a backlit e-reader" is pretty stupid. That's a tablet.

> There are a lot of e-book reader with a built-in backlight that can be turned on and off, like the Kindle Paperwhite.

"Paperwhite guides light toward the surface of the display with its built-in front light—unlike back-lit tablets that shine in your eyes" [1]

I have a Kindle Paperwhite, and was surprised to read this article, because I have no trouble sleeping. Apparently the way the light works is the reason for this :)

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Paperwhite-Ereader/dp/B00AWH595...

Re: Backlit e-readers 'damage sleep and health'

#39

Post by audunw »

I put a red filter over our nightlight, which seems to work quite well for reading paper books (or non-lit e-readers). Now I've also ordered some amber LED bulbs, without any blue light at all, which should be a more of a permanent solution.

I also ordered an amber filter for my phone, although I think perhaps a better solution would be to not use phones/tablets in bed.. but I'm not sure it's realistic to always avoid the temptation.

The final part of the solution is to have a wake-up light. I had one before, and it's really quite essential up here in the north. But I think it would be beneficial everywhere. Studies showed that people have different times it's natural for them to wake up ("A" and "B" people), and if you wake up earlier than what's natural for you, it affects your performance. Solution? Block out all external light from the bedroom, and use a wake-up light as an artificial sunrise. (Or allow people to come to work/school at different times, but that's not always an option).

Re: Backlit e-readers 'damage sleep and health'

#40

Post by veb »

shire wrote: post #23

is the same case with having my macbook pro on my bed every night before I sleep?

Yup. Gives out nasty 'blue light' as spoken about in the article. Try Flux[1], it'll change your life. If you doubt me, install it and have it run at night and then after an hour of browsing HN, disable it...

[1] https://justgetflux.com

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