Less daylight during the winter
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I wonder why F.LUX is having less daylight time during the winter. I do understand that it's based on the timezones but I still work on the same schedule as I do during the summer and I don't need to fall asleep earlier. What's the meaning of this and is it possible for me to put a "summer clock" on it? Or better saying a "forever summer" mode.
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There's a bit of evidence that says seasons may still be important. But either way, the Mac version has some better customized timing, it'll be on Windows soon.
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I'm using the Windows version, and I'm in the UK, which is actually much further North than you would expect- at the moment sunset is 4pm here, which is really too early to be dimming the display IMHO.
I can only imagine how useless this tool would become when used within the Artic circle! sunrise in... 3 months! 8-)
The fix that I'm using at the moment is to change my location nearer the equator as far as this tool is concerned.
I think there's a big difference between adjusting circadian rhythms and faithfully following the local sunlight cycle; people living in the North of the planet are not really different to those living nearer the equator.
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I agree we should be more flexible with winter scheduling especially--lots more coming soon. And it differs a lot by person, so we are going to have even more customization.
But just to your point about not needing more darkness at night in the winter, it's pretty tricky.
One idea about how the circadian clock responds to light is it tries to align your schedule so that "morning light" is about the same as "evening light".
So in the winter you almost certainly see LESS natural light in the morning (e.g., you wakeup in the dark or when the sun is still on its way up). And then, if you see the same amount of light at night as you do in the summer.....your internal clock will get later, and you'll have more trouble falling asleep on time. In the UK I recall people sleep a half hour less in the winter than the summer, but in natural conditions they would actually sleep more.
This doesn't mean at all that we should turn off the lights at 4pm, but there should be some seasonality in our lighting, because the sun is the primary source of light, and it's already decided what to do in the winter.
I think there's a good balance to make in our lighting after dark--there can be "productive, but not quite daylight" for the first half of the night, and then "wind down for bed" (closer to darkness) in the latter half.
The most important thing is to bring back a sunset that is on a schedule (doesn't have to be timed with the sun), because "lights that are on and never go out" creates a lot of problems, in the winter especially.
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Thanks the the replies guys! I'll be waiting for a new version. So far I'll have to turn it off.
That would be a great thing to have a "winter mode". I think the software is amazing during the summer when it's adjusting itself, but during the winter I'd prefer to have a certain limit from where the software stops working. -
You can achieve a certain level of 'Customization' in the Windows version by inputting a completely different location. You can input latitude, longitude anywhere on Earth, including the Southern Hemisphere, where it is currently Summer. Currently, I've got my location as somewhere in the middle of the South Pacific. Doesn't need to be on land. ;)
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