The Inquisitive Inkpot
Exploring Tales and the Art of Telling
The Spectacular Hack that Recently Revolutionized my Writing
You can’t buy talent, but you can buy migraine-free writing.
In case you missed my post bemoaning the woes of the contemporary writer, I can bring you up to speed in one sentence: screens hurt my eyes.
Not just my eyes, but plenty of people’s eyes. And not just our eyes, but our ability to do our work and creative writing without a pounding headache and compromised sleep.
The cure?
When I say it’s spectacular, I mean it quite literally: it’s in the form of a pair of spectacles.
Blue light glasses, they call them.
Now, either I live under a rock (which is not an impossibility, but then again we all do during a quarantine) or the concept of blue light glasses needs more trumpeting. This post has been written on the premise of the latter.
Many of us already have to stare at screens during the work day, and if you’re a writer, chances are you spend even more time at the computer afterwards. Perhaps late into the night.
How many of you writers out there find the Muse visits you after 9 pm? Sometimes she doesn’t come for me until 10 pm, and then overstays her welcome—not only keeping me from hitting the pillow until 1 am, but keeping my brain turned on long after my laptop has powered down.
Well, my fellow night owls, there is hope!
While most screen-related eye conditions are not caused by blue light, it has been confirmed that blue light can mess with your sleep. And if you are like me, in that your late-night creativity jolts are your goldmines, then the ability to seize those moments without suffering for it is priceless. (You’ll still be tired the next day, but if you’re a night owl, that’s nothing new. 🙂 )
Screen fixation is never a good thing, but if you rely on a computer for your writing, blue light glasses really might be a worthwhile investment.
I have personally noticed my headaches disappear since I ordered my pair—which, if you get severe headaches from the visual glare, you know what I’m talking about. It’s pretty miserable. But over the past several weeks, I have not cut my screen time for work or for writing, and still I have experienced no pain, no pounding, and no more trouble sleeping.
As you know, I do not generally promote products on The Inquisitive Inkpot, but this one has made such a difference for my own writing life that I felt I had to share it with all of you. You can easily order blue light glasses online for any range of prices, depending on how gourmet you want to go.
But to kiss headaches and restless nights goodbye? It was worth every penny of the $17.97 I spent.
What new writing hacks have you discovered lately?
Also, if you are a morning writer, do you find that concentrated screen time early in the day messes with your body’s “wake-up” process? I’m actually quite curious about this one, because while I’ve begun mornings with a pen and paper, I’ve never dived into creative writing on a keyboard until I’ve at least had my morning coffee. 🙂
Since I wear prescription glasses, I’ve known about the “computer filter” for years. I notice the difference when I wear a pair from before that time vs. after I opted to get that perk added to my glasses.
My partner used to have terrible headaches due to their work (in front of a computer) until their boss suggested they get blue filter glasses. It blew their mind.
This makes me think that the filter was available for a while, but people just didn’t think it was something for people who didn’t need glasses.
Wow, I definitely didn’t know that filter was an option! As someone who wears contacts more than glasses, I often get dry eyes later in the day, which makes me want to wear my prescription glasses instead when writing at night… often this leads to double-stacking the prescription and blue light glasses. You have enlightened me and may have just solved this fashion absurdity of mine!
Definitely check that out!
There are also settings in windows (assuming you use a PC) to adjust the colors the monitor displays. Some monitors also have functions to help with blue light