f.lux

Yes, the #1 sleep aid for screen junkies like us voice over talent rhymes with a naughty word used in the third person. And no, it is not the flux capacitor found in “Back to the Future.” How many gigawatts was that again, Doc?

Don’t be this sleepy tomorrow.

The psychological benefits of sleep are plenty

-> Focus – Sleep allows you to focus on your daily tasks and make good decisions for your business. Well, maybe you will be able to focus on making a decision. There’s no guarantee that it’ll be a good decision.

-> Memory – Sleep gives you a chance to remember what you need to take care of the next day. Remind your clients about why they need to use your professional VO talents, take a shower, or do… what was that again? Hmm…must have slipped my mind. You can actually use your nose to help with those pesky memory issues too, but that’s another story.

-> Mood – You might be okay for roles that need a grouchy, irritable character, but I don’t think your prospects and clients will appreciate an ornery voice over talent on the other end of that phone call or e-mail. Your nose can actually help your mood, too. But again… another story.

-> Stress Reduction – Life gets soo busy. It’s stressful enough as it is. Why add to that stress by not sleeping?

-> Increased Energy – Yea, maybe caffeine will help a little, but would you rather have the gas mileage of a Prius or a hummer? A hummer would be cool, but you’ll run out of gas and momentum by 9:30 in the morning. Plus, how would voice over blog writing machines like Paul Strikwerda get anything done without the energy of a Prius?

f.lux is the key

f.lux is a small computer program that “makes the color of your computer’s display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.” Plus, you can tell it what kind of light you have in your room and it will adjust to that.

Why is this important?

According to Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD, “Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night suppresses release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness and shifts circadian rhythms to a later hour—making it more difficult to fall asleep.”

f.lux helps with that issue. It adjusts to the time of day and the exact lighting. As a young male voice over talent, I look at a screen non-stop, whether it’s marketing my services at VoiceOverGenie.com, tweeting out some cool thoughts @JohnLano, editing my voice over audio, or even reading scripts off of my iPad. I seriously look at a screen too much. I have to say… It has affected my sleep. I started using f.lux about 2 weeks ago, and it has made quite a difference. Your screen becomes so soothing once the sun goes down. Then when you rest your little head (or big like mine) on the pillow, you’ll be out in an instant. And no, I am not sponsored or paid by f.lux. I just love it.

Visit http://stereopsis.com/flux/ to download f.lux for PC, Mac, iPhone and iPad or to read more about f.lux.

What keeps YOU up at night?

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