Extra info:
My iPhone is using dark mode and I have the blue light filter on roughly half.
My kindle is an old model e-ink with no light.
I think it depends on if you feel it’s keeping you up or causing eye strain. I find a backlit Kindle has a decent amount of brightness and is easy on the eyes.
Using an iPhone I’d be more worried about distractions than anything else
I’ve been reading on an iPad mini for years, dark mode, and I have no complaints, never had any sleeping issues. For me the e-ink reader really shines at the beach, irreplaceable there.
I read every single night on my phone with a black screen and white letters. It helps me to fall asleep every single night. I usually only get about halfway through a chapter before I pass out with my phone in my hand. Really It’s just up to how it affects you.
I listen to audiobooks while falling asleep. Best of both worlds. You’re not “wasting time” waiting to fall asleep, and you’re reading. And if you fall asleep while reading, all the better! Just jump back to what you last remember tomorrow.
I’ll say that this works best with books I’ve already read.
Sometimes I deliberately put on a book I didn’t enjoy if the book I’m reading is keeping me up from being too engaging.
I prefer text-to-speech to narration, though. I find human speech too hard to understand at high playback speeds with various vocal inconsistencies, like different character voices. And low playback speeds don’t keep my ADHD attention, so my mind wanders and I get frustrated when I tune back in and have no idea what’s happening.
What’s your preferred app for the text-to-speech function?
I like Moon+ Reader Pro the best, just using the default old Google voice.
FBReader is also pretty good, and the free version allows plugins, which allows you to add the free TTS plugin. (Integrated TTS is in the paid version of FBReader.)
I also use Android’s TalkBack mode with Kindle. It works well, since it auto turns pages for you. It needs to read whole pages at a time, so it’s a bit of a pain re-reading things if you get interrupted. (Reduce the number of words per page to mitigate this.) It also puts a beep in each time the page turns (so don’t reduce the words per page too low.) And it only keeps taking while you’re screen is on, so it uses a lot more battery and will mess up your playback if the screen is touched. (Increase your screen on time in display settings so it reads for up to half an hour without touching the screen, or use Google Maps navigation overlay or some other method to force the screen to stay on indefinitely, if desired.)
I prefer a more monotone/robotic sounding voice for maximum consistency and to allow me to interpret tone, but there are lots of other TTS Engine options that can easily be added to Android if you prefer more natural sounding voices. That said, most have a much reduced maximum speed compared to Google’s TTS option, so you might find other engines limiting once you get used to TTS if are looking to speed things up.
If anyone knows of a TTS with a faster maximum speed than Google’s TTS, I would love to hear about it. I haven’t found any faster ones in my searching, but there shouldn’t be any technical reason why faster isn’t possible.
Another vote for a backlit e-reader. Much easier on my eyes in a dark room than the dark mode on my phone.
The truth is that using a backlit screen before bed will affect everyone differently. Try both and see which works better for you.
Since your Kindle doesn’t have a backlight (and especially the warm light), any difference really depends on the other lighting you are using. A dim, warm house lamp is probably better for sleep hygiene than the phone even with it changing its color temperature. If you have no problem falling asleep with either one then I don’t think it matters much.
I have been reading on my phone before falling asleep for many years now. I use an app with amoled black background and yellowish peach font colour. I haven’t felt any eye strain or difficulty with sleep.
Yeah, I’m with you on this. My phone has been my primary reading device for years now. It’s the major driver when I make decisions on what phone to buy. I love reading on it and I’ve never had any problems falling asleep.
For me, yes. I notice that whenever I’m reading on my phone (night mode, blue light filter, lowest light setting), I will stay awake longer, my eyes strain, it takes me longer to fall asleep. When using my kobo (not backlit, but still lit - it has those leds all around the screen that light it up from above!!), it’s like I was reading a paper book, except I can read in a dark room without any strain to my eyes whatsoever, and I can take on any position without having to adjust the light source!!! An absolute game-changer in terms of comfort. In fact, I think my eye strain is even lower with the e-ink reader compared to regular paper indoors, because I have a better light source no matter where I sit in my room.
Thank you, I’ll look into the kobo. 😁