Fall Asleep Faster with This iPhone Trick

As much as I want to kick the habit, I can’t stop using my phone in bed at night. I’ve been better though. I no longer check my emails or surf through social media, but I love playing this crossword puzzles app. I could use my time before bed to read, and I do sometimes, but I TYPICALLY like being an 90 year old lady and playing my crosswords. Sue me. 

Anyway, because I’m tethered to my phone at night and I’m sure some of you are too, I’ve been finding it more and more difficult to fall asleep. It makes complete sense, but why? 

Without getting all science-y here, as it gets darker outside, our bodies produce melatonin which helps us sleep. Blue light does the opposite. It suppresses melatonin and interferes with our ability to fall and stay asleep. So if you’re awake at night scrolling through Instagram for an hour, your body is taking in so much of that blue light, making it even harder to get some ZZZs.

I might be late to the game on this one, but Apple has a solution to this problem. It’s called Night Shift.

I was messing around on my phone one night and stumbled on the setting. I told Bryan all about it, and he told me that it’s been available for months now. How have I not seen this sooner?! So since I’m completely new to this, I figured that at least some of you might not know about it either. 

Night Shift is a setting that moves the color spectrum of your phone display from cooler {blue} towards warmer {yellow}. You can do this manually, or have your phone automatically turn on Night Shift at a certain time. I have mine set to turn on at 10PM and turn off at 6AM. 

Turn on Night Shift by going to your Display and Brightness settings {instructions below}, or by accessing the Control Center by swiping up from your home screen. It’s legit so easy and such a great tip.

I’ve noticed that since I started using this setting, my eyes don’t hurt as much at night, and it’s much easier for me to wind down and get ready for bed. Of course, Night Shift alone is not going to help you fall asleep faster, but it helps! Personally, I’ve been getting into bed at least an hour before I want to be sleeping. That way, I have time to play my Crosswords and occasionally watch Snapchat stories. 

Have you tried Night Shift yet? 

// Alright, I’m heading down to the city today for a work meeting. I hope you guys have a great Tuesday! xo, Nicole