f.lux

F.lux, a piece of software for your computer or phone that makes the color of your screen adapt to the time of day, was created by a designer and computer programmer named Michael Herf in 2008. The goal was to make computer screens more like books, which have pages made of paper and therefore don’t emit light at night. Using an incredibly simple interface, f.lux adjusts the warmth of your screen’s hue as night progresses to create the effect of sunlight becoming less harsh over time. It also increases the amount of blue in your screen, which is easier on the eyes at night.

F.lux is informed by science in sleep and circadian biology, and it’s a great way to help you wind down before bed (if you’re not looking at a screen too close to bedtime). There are many other products that do this, but f.lux has been around for a long time and is ad-free with no subscription fee—the only thing you might miss out on if you use another program is the fact that it’s completely customizable for different times of day and custom color settings

F.lux is a free software program that warms the color of your computer screen at night, reducing blue light and helping you fall asleep faster. It’s pretty cool: it was originally conceived by a programmer who wanted to create a more book-like experience with his screens, but after installing this software he noticed it also helped him sleep better at night. F.lux then started collecting data on how its users slept and would make recommendations based on this data.

A huge part of f.lux’s success is due to its regular updates, based on requests from its user community. After many nights of experimentation and gathering an ever-growing number of sleep data points, the team at f.lux improved the product’s ability to adapt automatically to circadian rhythms, sleep patterns, and other factors that affect how we look at screens before bedtime.