Seeing red usually means you’re about to blow a fuse — but when it comes to sleep, it might be just what your brain needs.
Dave Asprey, the self-proclaimed “Father of Biohacking,” swears by a clever iPhone trick that uses red light to keep your screen from sabotaging your sleep — and it’s not just switching to “night shift” mode.
“This is what biohackers do so that their phones don’t wake them up at night,” Asprey told The Post.
Why blue light is the real sleep demon
It all comes down to your circadian rhythm — the internal clock that signals when it’s time to wake up and when it’s time to wind down.
As the sun sets, your brain kicks into nighttime mode by releasing melatonin, a hormone that makes us feel tired. But the blue light from your phone and other screens interferes with that process by suppressing melatonin production, making it harder to fall — and stay — asleep.
Worse yet, research suggests that blue light doesn’t just delay sleep; it also impacts its quality. Studies show that nighttime exposure can reduce the time we spend in deep sleep and rapid eye movement sleep, which are both crucial for consolidating memories, regulating mood and supporting overall cognitive function.
This poses a significant problem, especially since nearly 90% of Americans report using a screen in bed before falling asleep most nights, according to a Sleepopolis survey.
Red light to the rescue
The Sleep Foundation recommends powering down your electronic devices, like cellphones, at least 30 minutes before bed. But in today’s plugged-in world, that’s easier said than done — including in the middle of the night.
“You should be able to wake up, check your alarm and go back to sleep, but if your iPhone is on this standard blinding mode, it doesn’t work,” Asprey said.
His simple fix? Turn your iPhone screen red.
Unlike blue light, red light has longer wavelengths, which our eyes perceive as darker. Some research suggests that it may also stimulate melatonin production, rather than suppress it.
One study found that female athletes who used red light therapy for 30 minutes a night over two weeks slept better, had higher melatonin levels and even performed better in endurance exercises compared to a placebo group.
There’s also evidence that red light may help preserve night vision and reduce grogginess after waking up.
How to activate red mode on your iPhone
Make your screen sleep-friendly in seconds with these simple steps:
- Open Settings
- Tap Accessibility
- Go to Display & Text Size
- Select Color Filters
- Toggle Color Filters on, then pick “Color Tint” as your filter
- Scroll down and slide Intensity and Hue all the way to the right.
“If you do that, when you wake up in the middle of the night or read your phone before going to sleep, it’s so dim that it doesn’t trigger your brain to wake up and be active,” Asprey said.
To streamline the process, set up a shortcut:
- Open Settings
- Select Accessibility
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Accessibility Shortcut
- Choose color filters
Now, you’ll be able to instantly switch between normal mode and red mode by simply triple clicking your iPhone’s right-side lock button.
“The difference in your quality of sleep will be profound,” Asprey said.
