Our eyes are drawn to bright screens at night because of the high brightness of these screens, which stimulates the retina and disrupts the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
Our eyes are naturally drawn to bright surfaces due to the phenomenon of visual contrast. The brain almost instinctively detects the difference between a bright light source and a dark environment, especially at night. This ability results from a long evolution to quickly spot potential sources of interest or danger in the dark. Bright screens, with their intense brightness and contrasting images, directly exploit this natural sensitivity of our vision. Our attention then easily focuses on them, almost automatically, as if attracted by a visual magnet.
The human body follows a biological rhythm primarily regulated by daylight. When it’s dark, our brain releases a hormone called melatonin, the famous sleep hormone. However, bright screens, like those of phones or tablets, emit a strong blue light, close to natural daylight, which completely disrupts melatonin production. As a result, your brain still thinks it’s daytime even at midnight, the desire to sleep disappears, and you experience a notable shift in your circadian rhythm. This is also why, after an evening glued to your phone, you find it harder to fall asleep, or you can expect a restless night.
When you look at your screen late at night, your brain receives a stimulation much more intense than expected. Why? Mainly because digital content activates your brain's reward circuit, releasing dopamine, a natural chemical associated with pleasure and motivation. As a result, you feel an irresistible urge to scroll just a little longer, even though you should be sleeping. This dopamine rush is exactly what makes social media, video games, or simply watching videos so addictive, especially at night when your brain is more vulnerable to this type of stimulation. The more stimulating content you consume, the more your brain craves that little dopamine hit, creating a loop where it becomes complicated to put down your phone or turn off your screen before going to bed.
Our digital screens are designed to capture our mental and emotional attention. With their intuitive design, vibrant colors, and immediate interactions, they directly activate the brain's reward circuit. Every successful action — liking a post, finishing a game level, or simply replying to a message — triggers a small wave of pleasure linked to the release of dopamine. As a result, we want to come back again and again. Moreover, app designers leverage our natural need for exploration and control, which enhances our impression of choosing freely, while in reality, every click can reinforce our engagement a little more.
Our brain loves immediate rewards, and notifications provide just that. As soon as we receive a message or a "like," a small dose of dopamine, the pleasure hormone, is released. At night, we become even more sensitive to this phenomenon: a vibrating phone, a screen suddenly lighting up—we feel an irresistible urge to check. This need for social connection is deeply ingrained in us because we are social beings: not responding quickly makes us feel like we are missing out on something important, sometimes even feeling excluded or left out. That’s why it is so difficult to take our eyes off the screen, even when we promise ourselves to go to bed early.
Reducing the brightness of your digital screens two hours before bed can significantly improve your ability to fall asleep quickly and achieve deep, restorative sleep.
Activating night mode or using appropriate blue light filtering glasses can reduce the negative effects of bright screens on sleep quality by up to 50%.
According to a survey published by Harvard, exposure to bright screens before bedtime can delay your internal biological clock by up to three hours, leading to chronic sleep disturbances.
The frequent need to check one's phone at night is often amplified by the release of dopamine, a hormone associated with the feeling of reward, every time we receive a notification or social interaction.
Here’s a translation of your text: "Some simple habits include: limiting screen time one to two hours before sleeping, prioritizing relaxing activities such as reading printed books, using night or dim display modes, keeping the phone out of the bedroom or away from the bed to avoid excessive checking of notifications."
Yes, most devices today offer features that allow you to reduce brightness and filter blue light (night mode, blue light filter, dark mode). These settings not only limit nighttime eye strain but also reduce disruptions to our sleep rhythm.
The use of screens, especially related to stimulating activities like social media or video games, activates brain circuits associated with reward, releasing dopamine. This pleasure and reward hormone creates a cycle where the user instinctively seeks to prolong screen use, making it difficult to stop spontaneously.
Frequent exposure to bright screens in a dark environment can cause eye strain, dryness, and sleep disturbances. In the long term, it may even contribute to visual problems, particularly those related to the blue light emitted by these screens.
These glasses can indeed reduce some of the negative effects of blue light, particularly by limiting disruptions to sleep and eye fatigue. However, it is still advisable to combine their use with moderation in screen time for optimal results.
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