Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash
To all iPhone users, are you ready to conquer the dark side?
At Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple just announced its plan to include Dark Mode for iOS 13. This alternative theme was first launched on Mac OS Mojave last 2018 and was only available on Macbooks. Soon, iPhone and iPad users will be able to access Dark Mode, too. Such news is absolutely a “yay!”.
Dark mode, from the name itself, is an interchanged format of the usual black text on the white background of your computer and phone screens, with a colored or white text on it. All native Apple apps, as well as widgets and notifications, will support Dark Mode for it is present throughout the system. Great news! The feature will be made open or accessible for third-party developers who want to include it on their apps. Aside from Apple, major apps such as Android, Microsoft, Google have also taken the ride on this new color scheme.
It is popular, not only for the aesthetic quality it offers, which is definitely better than the default design but also due to its underlying benefits. One of them is that Dark Mode can help your sleep in unexpected ways. For those who are up at night, reading or scrolling through their devices, switch on Dark Mode to sleep better.
Bright screen interrupts natural sleep cycles
Artificial light lowers sleep-inducing neurons, activates those that keep you awake and suppresses melatonin, a hormone for sleep. The body’s natural clock which controls the sleep-wake cycle gets pushed back.
According to Charles Czeisler, director of sleep medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston in the US, staring at brightly lit screens in a dark environment disrupts the body’s natural rhythms and increases the risk of health problems connected to poor sleep such as heart disease, obesity, and depression.
To avoid losing sleep, Dark Mode is believed to be effective in providing less interruption to circadian rhythms.
Less blue light
Photo by Daniel Korpai on Unsplash
Have you ever observed that the light from your phone screens is somewhat blinding when you’re scrolling through your Instagram feed at night? To lessen it, we tend to lower our phone’s brightness but that isn’t enough. There must be equal intensity between the environment and the object being watched for the eyes to be relaxed. That is why the high level of brightness on your device is fine during the day, but at night, it becomes a burden and gives you visual fatigue or eyestrain.
The white background emits harsh blue light which causes headaches, neck pain, itchy, and watery eyes. The only defense is dark mode. Its dark display reduces blue light exposure and makes it more comfortable on the eyes. However, when used in daytime, dark mode isn’t ideal just like how white screen is at night.
Turn Dark Mode On!
Aside from providing better sleep to users, Dark Mode offers other benefits such as battery-life saving ability and a sleek look. Once Dark Mode becomes available on iPhone and iPad, maximize its benefits by switching it on at night. Protect your eyes with Dark Mode and have a good night’s sleep!