Managing Bright Indicator Lights for Better Sleep: Tips and Solutions

TFD – Learn how to effectively manage bright indicator lights that disrupt sleep and create a peaceful bedroom ambiance.

For thousands of years, people were naturally alerted to bedtime by the night’s constant darkness. Our brains are hardwired with this evolutionary concept, which is evident to people who find it difficult to sleep soundly at night due to the obtrusive indicator lights found in many home devices.

Many goods and gadgets, such as surge protectors, televisions, laptops, and headphones, frequently feature bright lights that turn on when plugged in and remain on until the product is disconnected. It’s an annoying bedroom annoyance.

In author Paul Bogard’s 2013 book, “The End of Night,” which examines the effects of artificial light on society and health, neuroscientist Steven Lockley of Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine states, “Exposure to light at night is a completely unnatural and alien experience.

Not only are those lights more prevalent now than they were previously, but many of them are also brighter. Certain manufacturers claim that there are instances where indicator lights are useful. However, one thing is certain: people trying to fall asleep at night simply detest those hard-to-ignore points of light that rob them of the cozy darkness they require to fall asleep.

The answers we develop

In the studio apartment he once shared with his boyfriend, 27-year-old Seattle-based public relations specialist Kyle Moschen said it nearly looked like a starry night sky. However, unlike the iconic picture by Vincent van Gogh, it was irksome.

Moschen found it challenging to fall asleep at night due to the overwhelming amount of bright lights coming from the air purifier, the oven, an automatic fan, a fire alarm, and a wireless phone charger.

His answer was to tape those bad boys up immediately.

“As I was looking around, I noticed more and more, and I couldn’t figure out why there were so many lights?” Moschen informed CNN. “I was acting like a crazy person, taping these black electrical tape strips on all the lights.”

Blackout, or light-dimming, stickers and sheets come in a variety of sizes and forms, available for purchase on Amazon and other shops.

For New York-based finance expert Jonathan King, the answer was a little different.

“I plug in my Logitech headphones and there’s a little blue light, but I really can’t sleep with any light on, so I usually end up wearing a face mask or covering the headphones with a shirt so I can’t see them,” King wrote in an email.

The functions of indicator lights, both functional and decorative

In a nutshell, an indicator light merely shows a device’s state, which differs depending on the product. An indication light, for instance, might indicate whether a gadget is correctly plugged in, charging, or operating. When associating a Bluetooth item with a phone, they are required.

LED lights are commonly used in those strong indicators. An energy-efficient alternative for producing indicator lights is LED lighting. Both the light’s extended lifespan and its lack of excess heat generation are crucial characteristics for a daily usage technology.

The physicists Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura were awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing blue LED light, an indication hue that is common yet highly disruptive to sleep.

In the 1990s, blue LED was first made available for commercial use. Blue LED provided a fresh, cutting-edge color that gave consumer devices a modern look in the burgeoning IT sector.

Those lights are on there sometimes just for aesthetic appeal, contributing to the gadget’s design, appeal, and user experience,” Electronic Components Industry Association President and CEO David Loftus said in an interview with CNN.

However, a lot of manufacturers manage without them. Many times, it isn’t there since the manufacturer decided not to invest a few pennies to include an LED status light in this incredibly cheap item. Alternatively, Loftus stated, “the devices are just very basic and don’t require it.”

The indicator lights on Legrand’s devices are crucial for reasons of functionality, aesthetics, and safety, according to Manny Linhares Jr., senior director of product management at the French electrical equipment company.

“As a manufacturer, adding an LED light does cost something, so to add one just to add one seems quite wasteful. Thus, in our instance, it’s employed on purpose to improve the user experience,” he explained.

According to Linhares Jr., the lights can also be useful as night lights.

In areas where the occupant is unfamiliar with the location, such as hotels, “we aim for the subtle lights to help a customer know where these devices are when the lights are off,” he explained.

This narrative was written in part by John Towfighi.