Reddit reviews Uvex Ultra-Spec 2000 Blue Light Blocking Computer Glasses with SCT-Orange Lens (S0360X)

For $8 you can have f.lux on all of your devices with a pair of orange safety glasses. Blue light really keeps me awake in the evenings. From my computer, phone, fluorescent lighting, tv, whatever. These are basically f.lux for real life and work very well.

Everyone here has said meditation so far, which is great, but I'm going to offer up some different approaches.

I used to have a similar problem, information addiction is a real thing. I believe that the brain gets used to having such a high load of information going in, that it uses this information as a distraction, usually from either boredom or something bad that's going in on your own life. Also there's something to be said for the tiny little endorphin hits you get for every e-mail you receive or every page you open. That's the most likely cause of information addiction - addiction to this tiny chemical.

Sleep

The way I got around it was several things. I didn't try meditation because normally my mind is pretty quiet, however I did notice that my sleep was messed up from being on my laptop so much, so the first thing I did was I got a pair of these glasses that block out the blue light from your computer screen which disrupts melatonin secretion which in turn disrupts your sleep pattern. Since wearing them for an hour or two before bed, I'm able to get to sleep a lot easier. Even when I'm not on my computer, I still wear them and I feel the onset of sleepiness hit me really hard around 10pm, whereas before I could only feel sleepy around 2am, which is awful. since I've been doing this, I've gone to bed around 11ish and been up at 7 bright and early the next day, even without an alarm. If you couple this with doing some book reading and shutting off that computer, you'll sleep like a baby. Although this isn't related to information addiction per se, it's still the best $8 you can spend if you have to use a computer late into the night and still want to be able to sleep well afterwards.

Will power - mindfulness

Secondly, I just used my will power to not go on my laptop as much. Any time I thought "yeah I'll just go on Google news and see what's happening with that cruise ship that sank in Korea" I'll go for a walk outside, or read a book, or listen to music, or go do that one chore I've been putting off for forever. Although in the beginning these things may seem boring, the more you force yourself out of the information overload, the more you'll begin to pay attention to the subtleties around you, which I suppose is a form of meditation - mindfullness - except I'm not advocating sitting somewhere and controlling your breathing, I think active meditation while doing things is incredibly useful. Sometimes, there just isn't time to sit somewhere and meditate. I know the maxim "if you don't have an hour to meditate, you need two," but tell that to the parent of 2 kids who has a full time job too. In non-meditation terms though, this is what i mean: I'll do things like really pay attention to how I prepare each stage of my breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I'll put in an extra minute of effort to present my food nicely so it looks nicer to eat, but during those extra few minutes, my mind is totally concentrated on this one thing. If I find my mind wandering, I'll bring it back to what I'm doing. I'll give the same sort of attention to music - picking out individual parts of the song and discerning between instruments. By the end of the song you'll have kind of zoned out (which let's be honest, while not an aim of meditation, is nice to do sometimes) and be totally quiet.

No more internet news

Thirdly, I no longer go to the internet for my news. 99% of the things that happen on earth have no effect on my life whatsoever, and realizing this is not "being ignorant to the world around you" - you're avoiding falling victim to the media that says you have to be afraid of everything all the time, and if you're not you're falling behind the times and sticking your head in the stand.

Hear me now: that is bullshit. Having a healthy mind allows you to function and live your life as you want it, and gives you a sense of knowing when something is actually dangerous, as opposed to everything being dangerous.

If I need to know something, I'll know about it.

So, what I do is I turn on the radio, usually to NPR, in the mornings for about 15 minutes, get a rough overview of what's going on today just so I know what other people are talking about, then I'll sit there listening to music and I'll think about what I heard and critically analyze what's going on, form some opinions, and then go about my day. If I need some in depth comentary, I'll pick up a newspaper, because that still forces me to sit there and read words on a page, and not flip between things, which I used to do on the internet - it's incredible that I can click between 15 news sources and read them interchangeably second by second, but it's by no means healthy training the brain to do that I don't think. Being able to sit there and read one thing with your full attention, I believe is the best way forward.

I think this a lot healthier than being spoonfed the fear and anxiety news stations give you so that you'll keep listening to their station, or going on their website.

Knowledge as power

The idea that "Knowledge is power," is a half-truth, the real truth here is relevant knowledge is power. You won't find the Donald Trumps, or the Tim Cooks, or the Jeff Bezos of the world sitting there soaking up all the information they can in the world. They don't give a shit about what's going on in the Sudan unless it effects their company or their lives. If they do know about it, they don't agonize about it. They don't have time to have a scattered brain - they pin point exactly what they need to know, acquire it, use it, then move on. The power is being able to let go of the need to know about everything, because you'll find after a while that you actually know very little that can directly benefit your life, and the lives of those around you.

I got these, which is tested by Consumer Reports to have best blue light blocking abilities. It works over my glasses too and is made by Honeywell.

The only thing is since it blocks out so much it makes everything really orange too and takes some getting used too. Most others don't block as well and thus you see more color.

To tack on your flux and reading (no screens) suggestions:

Put these sexy thing on before bed too.

Also, listening to audiobooks seems to put me to sleep like a baby.

There are actually plenty of pairs that fit over glasses. :)

(I own the last safety glasses style pair linked there and they fit perfectly fine over my reading glasses.)

These orange glasses are another good option if you have many screens. They also prevent blue light from light fixtures, although that isn't as important as screens.

I just found these which seem to be the fit-over your own version of the ones Hermy (and everyone else on the internet!) use. I even found the spectral analysis to confirm they block 98% of blue light. I can't wait for them to arrive! If they work well, I'll look into RX options.

Set a time limit for yourself and then go to bed without any devices. I had to start leaving my phone downstairs because otherwise I'd browse the net and wreck my sleep. If you can't set a time limit, then don't start and just go to the bedroom and read.

If you must watch, do so with orange glasses, so you can block blue light from reaching your eyes. Your brain will interpret the blue light as sunlight and suppress melatonin secretion. https://smile.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M

You'll also look like a dope while wearing those, which may help you indulge for a shorter period of time. :-)

Almonds specifically cause me acne. I know a lot of others that cant have nuts in general because it breaks them out. I would suggest eliminating nuts for a month and see if that helps. If not it could be eggs or night shades like /u/orangetiem suggested.

Have you ever heard of orange tinted glasses at night to block the blue light? Blue light can keep your body from producing meletonin. I used to have restless sleep but I heard about these glasses from some paleo blogger (cant remember who) and i've never gone back. I wear them 2 hours before bed and I look like a dork but I sleep through the night. They're pretty cheap and they're worth a shot.

Uh... this kind - link is pretty big, I have it, and it fits decently over my glasses. Mine are a bit thicker (not lenses, just general construction) and the orange does well.

I would recommend the "Darkroom mode" in f.lux if that works for you, but it may take away too much color or contrast to work well.

I've actually wanted an "LED" monitor, but replace the small LED bulbs with really bright (but yellow / white, warm white) string lights or something! One day...

these help me: https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501432814&sr=8-3&keywords=uvex+glasses

fyi: https://www.reddit.com/r/cfs/comments/69mt70/you_can_have_amazon_donate_to_ron_daviss_cfs/

If you want to try true blue blocking on the cheap, get a pair of these: https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1487816267&sr=8-8&keywords=uvex+safety+goggles

You can tell how much of the blue light is blocked by comparing these two spectra: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0748/0281/files/NoBlueSpectrum_grande.png?13543670373916600953

If the spectra look identical, then all blue light has been removed (this is what you see with the UVEX).

Basic workflow: Find something to read, save it to Diigo or Zotero, autosync with Google Drive, mark it up in Xodo on tablet PC or smartphone (with another autosync), write about it using Sublime or Atom. If nighttime approaches, use blue-blocker glasses + F.lux.

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Specifics:

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Tablet/PC:

I love the Surface Pro series for academic work. Use it as a laptop when producing, then lean back and use it as a tablet with a great pen when reading. The tools I use below also integrate with my phone automatically, so I have a three-part solution in two devices.

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File mgmt:

I used to use Mendeley, but recently switched to Zotero for a few reasons:

- Open-source and highly portable (both the program and your bibliography/PDF library)

- Zotfile (makes it easy to save annotations, also makes file management with your favorite cloud provider a breeze)

- SciHub integration with plugin (shhhhhhhh.... but srsly it's amazing)

- However, Zotero does not have a good phone solution. If you use Google Drive (or w/e) and open your files in Xodo on your phone, linked to G Drive, the lack of Zotero phone app doesn't get in the way.

Diigo is also nice for web-first content (e.g. NYT articles, blog posts, etc.), and is available on phone/tablet/desktop. The free account does plenty.

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PDF reading/annotating/highlighting:

Xodo is my favorite software for reading and marking up PDFs, with the Surface Pen or on my phone. It's fast, free, and full-featured, and works across devices. (SumatraPDF, my old favorite, does not support annotation but is still great when speed is the primary concern, e.g. when ctrl-F-ing through huge PDF textbooks)

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Other:

OneNote has its perks and many adherents, might be worth a try, but the Zotero/Xodo combo linked through G Drive keeps my stuff in one place.

For blue-blocking, these glasses are dorky but dirt cheap and get the job done. This plus F.lux makes late-night reading sessions much easier on the little bit of subsequent sleep you might get.

Also, consider writing in an application like SublimeText or Atom, which are designed for programmers but are very easy to use, and offer much better color schemes than Word (e.g. dark backgrounds, text in whatever colors you fancy). Sublime is crazy fast, and Atom is prettier with more plugins but slow, so I find myself using Sublime for quick notes and Atom for longer sessions or touching up. I save everything in markdown files, so transferring from one app to the other, or to the web (or a publication) is easy.

F.lux doesn’t work 100%, you need the glasses. There is a pair on amazon that look like hardcore safety glasses and block 100% blue light as tested in a lab, I’ll make an edit and post the link below. They’re large, so you may be able to fit them over glasses.

Another idea is PS - Phosphatidylserene, it works like a charm for regulating cortisol. 200mg at night worked better than rx sleeping pills for me when nightly awakenings were regular and bad.

Edit: Uvex S0360X Ultra-spec 2000 Safety Eyewear, Orange Frame, SCT-Orange UV Extreme Anti-Fog Lens https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B003OBZ64M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yZYYBb4DN3PQ1

You want blue-blocking glasses, which are believed to help trigger melatonin production. I own the linked pair and put them on about an hour before bed, and I do think they help.

Orange (or blue light blocking) glasses.

Sleep deprivation can improve mood but if it becomes hypomania you get some of the cognitive issues anyone would get. People often become more functional and focused but it can be hard to direct that focus. It might be working extra hard at work or school but is (more?) likely to be skipping work to re-plumb your kitchen or spending way too much money shopping. Pulled away from that special hypomanic project it looks more typical. You are likely to become more distractable, impulsive and irritable which is pretty typical of not sleeping enough.

I wear these over my glasses:

http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

These are the ones I use.

http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1462818502&sr=8-2&keywords=uvex+blue+light

/u/gravityalwayswins put the basics out there clearly so I won't repeat it, but I thought I would add a couple of things.

Light from devices and light bulbs can be a problem so either don't use them at night, replace them with things that don't use blue light, OR the simplest and what I do - use blue blocking glasses like these.

And the thing that has turned the tide for me? Magnesium. It has to be the right one though. I have been taking magnesium citrate for over a year and it didn't help much. I recently started taking magnesium threonate before bed and it has made a marked difference.

The blue point is critical, and I would take it even further. Put on blue light blocking goggles 3+ hours before bed unless you fall asleep with the sun (which is practicaly no one). Also use F.lux or IRIS, which I find to be superior.

Here's a link to the blue blockers I use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OBZ64M/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Anecdotal story here, but I've had sleeping trouble all my life. Literally being unable to fall asleep and having sleeping schedules that were delayed by about 15 minutes every night no matter what I did. Stopping the blue light fixed my problem.

If you want a serious effect, these block all blue light: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003OBZ64M/ref=pd_aw_fbt_469_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DFEAH1QFHQ43YHQNTWS0

No lie, I wear these after 8:30-9pm most nights:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OBZ64M/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687442&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00741II8E&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0V783CSM4JBRYQDXETTJ

I tend not to follow Dave Asprey, but I assume he suggests them to minimize screens' disruption of melatonin release?

Anyway, that's why I wear them, and I do think they've had a positive impact on sleep inducement. I tend to read on my iPad til a few minutes before sleep and I have no trouble winding down with these.

No the glasses are orange. Make sure they state what part of the light spectrum they block. I got these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003OBZ64M/ref=pd_aw_fbt_469_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=G0BYQQ5Z5198F4W4Q462 because they fit over my glasses. If you don't have glasses the brand has a pair that are probably more comfortable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000USRG90/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8 Seems to be one of the more trustworthy brands.

These are the ones Jim Phelps talks about. I'm wearing a pair right now. The appear identical to the one on low bluelights.come but are $9 instead of $70. UVEX makes several similar pairs with what they call an Orange SCT material. They all should work as they have the same transmission spectrum. A chart of their transmission spectrum is available on the UVEX website. The are designed to protect people who work around bright UV light and lasers which explains their ability to block large amounts of blue light.

As long as your computer screen is the only source of light. If not, you may need a pair of these bad boys.

You'll need special glasses for lasers, but for other UV sla [these] (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B003OBZ64M) should be good

You can help to reset your circadian rhythm by getting bright sunlight first thing in the morning (or using a light box of 8000+ lux) and avoiding all blue light after sunset (these inexpensive orange safety glasses will do the trick).

http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M

I wear these 1-2 hours before bed. Dunno if it's placebo or not but my sleep has become incredibly better ever since. Also, not really sure if it has any effect on eye strain or not.

To add to this, blue blocking glasses or goggles are also a cheap way of taking the f.lux effect outside of your laptop. One I've seen recommended is http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M/ref=pd_sim_hi_3

Writing is the part about writing I like the most, so I get much less satisfaction out of it if I'm not doing it manually. Anything "serious" I will always write first in a notebook and type up afterwards. Like jacmoe said, pen and paper bind you emotionally to your writing, and it's also great for editing - especially if you let the handwritten version rest for a day, then improvements just jump out at you while you're typing.

That said, obviously people are still churning out great literature working on computers. I haven't consulted any statistics, but I doubt even 1% of writers still work primarily (or first) with ink and paper. So I suppose it's not so much how your writing tools affect your finished works, but more how they affect you. I used to do a lot of writing on the computer, but now I find it jazzes me up too much. Writing on paper can be as slow as I need, to allow thought processes ample gestation time so I can express things I didn't know I wanted or needed to say.

For typing my stuff out, I use my moribund Packard Bell... EasyNote I think it's called, with an external monitor (working directly on the laptop encourages back hunching and neck crunching) and a clacky USB keyboard (gotta love that "glorious noise" Redtail_Defense was talking about.)

Oh, one last thing - for anyone working on a computer a lot for any reason, and especially near bedtime, please get yourself a pair of Uvex!

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There are a few models, I like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M

https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1493236228&sr=8-2&keywords=safety+glasses+orange

I wear these at night when watching TV/playing video games. You can buy Blue Light filtering ones that look cooler and don't change the color as much but these are cheap.

This happened to my friend when she moved away 3 months ago. She's a high anxiety sort of person (bipolar/BPD) and the stress of being a in a new place and trying to find work and poor sleep hygiene and being surrounded by unfamiliar things made it impossible for her to sleep at night for the first two months. I think having some difficulty sleeping makes sense in a new location so my best advice is to be kind to yourself. Maybe look around your room and try to make it more like your old room, is there more light in this room? Do you sleep on the opposite side of the room? Are there more noises? Take time to understand that this is a new place and you're still adjusting to a big change.

Additionally, some advice that helped me: Don't look at the clock at night, don't let yourself be aware that it's 5 am and you have to wake up in 3 hours because then you will definitely not sleep. Don't lie in bed for hours trying to sleep, if you can't sleep after being in bed for ~20 minutes then get up and do something boring or meditative in dim lighting: reading a nonfiction book, sudoku, yoga, meditation, listening to classical music, etc. You don't want to build an association between the bed and anxiety. If you think light may be keeping you up you can try buying blue light blocking glasses like [these](https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S0360X-Ultra-spec-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B003OBZ64M/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?gclid=CjwKCAjw04vpBRB3EiwA0IieapP5F3V4wdWb1vd4QE5vBLFOqDE1g0wf7vWxyYKm-2twyoF-yYRUBhoCjYMQAvD_BwE&hvadid=177805272916&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1015033&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5210474184459830146&hvtargid=kwd-1672726337&hydadcr=1387_9901969&keywords=uvex+skyper&qid=1562587290&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1) Listening to a guided meditation while in bed often helps me to relax [here's one I like](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69o0P7s8GHE&t=1822s). CBD for anxiety if you're really having a hard time calming down, I have a vape but the oil also works.

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Keep exercising, keep avoiding screens (or buy glasses if this is too difficult), but I have a note on melatonin: less is more. Lower doses (<3mg) timed 3 hours before desired sleep times are more effective at entraining sleep schedules. Exogenous melatonin (the stuff you bought from the store) is meant to act as a signal to your brain to naturally produce melatonin, if there's too much then your brain thinks it's covered and will slack off. Basically, if you take a little bit 3 hours before sleep then your brain will think "okay time to get sleepy" but if you take enough to have a sedative effect then your brain will think "welp looks like my job is done."

edit: fixed the links

edit2: or maybe not? are the words links or are the links just there doing nothing? I can see the links

There are a few things you can do to help you get to sleep earlier:

• Take some melatonin before your target sleep time.
  
• Turn down the lights and try to stay in the dark to trigger your natural melatonin production.
  
• Wear some orange safety goggles (blue light blockers) in the evening, maybe 1-2 hours before your target sleep time - this will allow you to do things like read or watch TV while tricking your body into thinking it is dark, causing your body to pump out melatonin.
  
• Have some hard, wild sex about an hour before your target sleep time. The stereotype of a man rolling over and falling asleep after sex is true, and it also happens with women in my experience. There's nothing better than falling asleep with a hot young woman curled up against you right after you've fucked her silly.
  
• If you don't have a hot and willing woman nearby, you can read something that is interesting but difficult (while wearing the safety glasses) before your target sleep time.
  
• Do combinations of the above (e.g. I like to take some melatonin and then have some hard sex in a dark room - puts me to sleep immediately).
  
  EDIT: And make sure your sleep area is dark and quiet. Move if you have to.

You might find this article about light, circadian rhythms, and mood problems interesting.

The short version: your eyes have special photo receptors that cue your brain to be awake. They are triggered by certain frequencies of blue and ultraviolet light. Using specially tinted glasses that blocks those frequencies can help "reset" your brain's version of day and night, reducing insomnia, cortisol, and mood disorder symptoms.

Combine the tinted glasses with a decent diet, some exercise, and sunlight during the day (or maybe a supplemental lamp if you live somewhere cloudy), and you have a cheap way of significantly reducing the worst symptoms of mood disorders.

Staring at the Sun may be painless, but the damage to your eyes is no less serious for that fact. Long-term staring at the Sun is sufficient to cause complete and permanent blindness. I urge you not to experiment with this again without proper eye protection.