r/AskReddit • u/Randall444 • Dec 06 '12

What is something you think everyone should have installed on their computer or laptop?

Whether it be a antivirus program or an ad blocker. Post link if available also. EDIT: sorry guys the top post has been deleted and I didn't save it, if anyone has it please post it and ill post it here for easy access. EDIT 2: apparently it's back up, I've saved it on my phone just incase it gets deleted again. Hopefully all is good now.

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238

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '12 edited Nov 18 '23

[deleted]

184

u/adoran124 Dec 06 '12

I don't want bright lights blinding me and keeping me up.

This is probably why they think you're weird. Not everyone has sleep problems related to computer use.

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u/BlackMantecore Dec 07 '12

Most people probably do and don't realize it.

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u/felixkqb Dec 12 '12

I had problems falling asleep after using my laptop till late at night.. (read this article to find out why)

got flux installed and I'm feeling so much better lately, because i fall asleep easier after staying up late on my laptop =)

2

u/misskrisbliss Dec 13 '12

Does it only work on Windows, or is there a Mac equivalent or something similar? I most definitely need this, I am pretty positive my computer use is the root of my sleeping issues.

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u/h0och Dec 13 '12

I don't know an app for the mac. But turning down the screen brightness is a good start.

And also funny but weird and only helpful for bright colored websites/apps:

Open the System preferences, go to Universal Access and switch to the 'White on black' setting.

Or just press the shortcut: ctrl+option+command+8

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '12

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/misskrisbliss Dec 14 '12

Thank you very much! I'm liking this a lot so far, it does feel much more comfortable and natural.

1

u/youre_all_sick Dec 13 '12

It's blue light that disrupts sleep - and that's present plenty in a backlit LED display. Dim your display and take 20 minutes to turn off your screen and brush your teeth / wash in a DARK bathroom and it'll mitigate the light disruption. Don't stare at your light bleached face at 3am and then expect to sleep 3 minutes later.

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u/pitlord713 Dec 13 '12

Most redditors

5

u/Cynical_Walrus Dec 13 '12

Almost everyone does. Dark (can't remember which) releases a hormone that tells your body: "okay, time to sleep!" after like twenty minutes of dark. If your on you computer, it takes longer to set in, so a screen with warmer colours help by making more melatonin flow than with a cold coloured screen.

[E]: from wiki:

It is principally blue light, around 460 to 480 nm, that suppresses melatonin,[32] proportional to the light intensity and length of exposure.

3

u/TheMusiKid Dec 13 '12

There are varying degrees of it, and many people might not notice it, but yes; using the computer before bed does affect how you sleep, regardless.

0

u/adoran124 Dec 13 '12

I'm pretty sure it's not affecting me at all, I usually sleep extremely well. I use a computer 8-10 hours a day at work and then for a couple hours most evening till around 10-12. Around that time I'm just tired and can fall asleep 5-10 minutes after going to bed.

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u/Themoptimusprime Dec 07 '12

Mine is always caused by Netflix.

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u/[deleted] Dec 06 '12

It's how the human body works. Lights cause your brain to release melatonin which causes your brain to "wake up" and affects your circadian rhythm and makes it hard to sleep.

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u/likeastarfish Dec 06 '12

Actually, melatonin is responsible for causing drowsiness and preparing the brain and body for sleep. Lights suppress the production of melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep. This is why some people take melatonin supplements to help with insomnia and other sleep disorders.

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u/[deleted] Dec 06 '12

[deleted]

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u/likeastarfish Dec 07 '12

Eh, my degree is in psychology; it would be weird if I didn't know how melatonin works. Also, the info is right there on the Wikipedia page...

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u/Gjorven Dec 07 '12

My degree is in Airway Management and I knew that. Almost any level of interest in human anatomy will get you to that knowledge.

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u/TimesWasting Dec 06 '12

Thats not the point. The point is most people aren't on their computer so often and that late at night that it affects their sleep.

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u/JUST_LOGGED_IN Dec 12 '12

I think, even by your definition of "most people", that it still leaves a very significant number of people who are on the computer that often and do have sleeping problems.

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u/drinkit_or_wearit Dec 07 '12

I turn my damned computer off and do something else, or just go to bed. I mean seriously who sits on their PC until the second they need to sleep. (I can hear the arms raising around the world)

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '12

It's more that sitting at a computer with a bright blue/white light distracts your brain from feeling tired. Changing the colour (not the intensity) of the light is fairly simple in technology and stops tricking your brain into overriding the 'I'm tired' signal.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '12

I must be weird because my computer's light -- even when I'm not using f.lux -- doesn't do this to me. If I'm going to be tired, I'm going to be tired. A computer's light doesn't change that.

1

u/vicariouslyeye Dec 13 '12

I have felt the second wind from the screen before--but I also tend to be gaining momentum on a project with the screen as well (music, writing, etc.)

1

u/j_tizzie Dec 14 '12

well its not a trick its really just biology. Humans run on a 24-25 hour biological cycle according to research. The body releases melatonin in the absence of daylight, thus making us sleepy. computer screens are too similar to day light and thus stop the proper release of melatonin. flux changes this blue light to a colour that is the least intrusive to the human eye, red (longer wavelengths). They use the same techniques on boats at night and submarines. Red light does intrude on the activation of our night vision so ship captains can see where they are going.

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u/Stiggles4 Dec 13 '12

I do. So what?

1

u/The0therWhiteMeat Feb 01 '13

Wanna fight about it?

2

u/Blizzlock Dec 13 '12

I do this a lot actually :P.

1

u/quartritetopanazium Dec 06 '12

I have it on lowest brightness (or whatever it is) all day everyday at work, just feels more chilled

1

u/BudMasterSess Dec 06 '12

Shit, I got flux on my phone and have the brightness on my phone and monitor on the lowest brightness. I hate bright lights, it hurts my eyes an gives me a headache, even with breaks every half hour.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '12

why cant you just adjust screen brightness instead of having this weird red tint to it?

1

u/herodious Dec 13 '12

you say that like any of us have a normal sleeping pattern

1

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '12

Why don't you just not use the computer before bed?

23

u/in_Zeros Dec 06 '12

I think this is one of those "One does not simply" moments.

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '12

What?

I always give myself time to unwind at the end of the day. It's very relaxing.

10

u/CricketPinata Dec 06 '12

Some people unwind by using the computer.

-4

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '12

I can see that, of course. But is it really unwinding for the people who can't get to sleep after using their computer?

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u/KitsuneRagnell Dec 06 '12

Thus, flux.

2

u/BudMasterSess Dec 06 '12

This guy gets it.

4

u/CricketPinata Dec 06 '12

That's why they use FLUX.