apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Do Your Gadgets Keep You From Sleep in Total Darkness?

050109_tf_gadgetlight.jpgAre you afraid of the dark? Didn't you love that show? Ok, so we digress. The real point of discussion here is whether or not you're the kind of sleeper that hits the pillow with nothing less than complete darkness surrounding you. If you are a dark sleeper, do the vampire power-sucking standby lights from any in-bedroom gadgets keep you up at night? Here's my experience...

 
 

I am not afraid to admit that I like to have a little light on in the bedroom when I sleep. If I don't fall asleep with the TV's sleep timer on (a common occurance), then I'll make sure the door is open to my dimly lit living room or that I leave the blinds down and let the lights from the street outside trickle in.

But there's one light I cannot stand when it comes to laying down to get some shut eye. My practically ancient Mac PowerBook G4 has that really annoying pulsing sleep indicator light on the side. Even though the thing is tiny, it will somehow always manage to alternatively fill the room with light, then fade it into complete darkness from its permanent perch on my desk. I always have to rest my silicone-skinned Blackberry thisclose to the light to keep it from looking like aliens are landing in my room.

What about you, Unplggd? Do you have any in-bedroom gadgets with annoying standby lights that keep you total-darkness sleepers up at night?

(Image: Flickr member DeclanTM licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Tags

Blogging..., sleep, gadgets, MacBook, darkness, sleep light, standby light

Related Links

Share

Comments (16)

The flashing green lights on my router and Vonage boxes are a bit annoying, but I've managed to obfuscate them well enough that they don't keep my awake anymore.

posted by Monica on May 1st 2009 at 11:08am
view Monica's profile

well, i'm not afraid of the dark but i do like to have some kind of mood lighting. fortunately my samsung monitor, razer mouse, and wd MyBook, all have blue lights. so when the monitor goes on idle, the blue lights is blinking. its not that bright of a blue

posted by Mr. Programmer on May 1st 2009 at 11:47am
view Mr. Programmer's profile

addition to my previous comment. i also can't sleep without watching tv and having it on sleep timer for 120mins enough for me to sleep before it goes off. however, i dont keep it on becoz of its light but becoz i can't sleep without tv.

posted by Mr. Programmer on May 1st 2009 at 12:05pm
view Mr. Programmer's profile

can't. sleep. with. light.
not even a smidge, and my macbook has the same pulsing sleep light. I do not bring it into the bedroom, I did once and despite shoving it in shelving under the bed, it really bothered me.

I always wondered who used those sleep timers.

posted by Laurie on May 1st 2009 at 1:58pm
view Laurie's profile

No technology in the bedroom for me! I hate the idea of computers, tvs, anything in the bedroom. Except my cell phone, which does have blue blinking lights if someone texts me...and that does keep me awake.

posted by Sox on May 1st 2009 at 3:27pm
view Sox's profile

HATE the Macbook light. Why? Why do they do this? I usually cover it with dirty socks. I figure its kind of like an insult to the screwballs who thought of this pulsing abomination.

posted by maximumHOTbottom on May 1st 2009 at 3:57pm
view maximumHOTbottom's profile

Yes! The MacBook Pro sleep light keeps me up, as does any tiny glowing light, particularly electronics lights (alarm clocks, internet routers, charging cell phones etc.) Oddly, a lamp won't keep me awake, and I can take a nap in full sunlight. Something about a tiny light against the darkness that gets to me.

posted by eneriyma on May 1st 2009 at 4:34pm
view eneriyma's profile

oh my gosh. I HATE light when I sleep. I keep an old shoebox lid perched on my airport express, a small pillow in front of my alarm clock, and if I happen to have my laptop sleeping, instead of shutting it down for the night, that light is definately covered. I just can't take it. That tiny light seems as though it could easily light an entire auditorium.

posted by mf1192 on May 1st 2009 at 5:15pm
view mf1192's profile

The first time I stayed over at my boyfriend's house, I couldn't quite put a finger on what drove me crazy about sleeping in his bedroom. Then, one night, I looked around and counted 7 different sources of glowing light - flashing green lights on the router, freakishly bright blue lights on his PC speakers, red standby lights on the TV & DVD player, etc., etc. Eek!

Now, at our new place, the bedroom is blissfully technology-free. No TV. No computer. Just our cell phones to wake us up in the morning. Bliss.

posted by Teresa on May 1st 2009 at 6:47pm
view Teresa's profile

The lights in my bedroom - on my router, on the DSL modem, on my computer's power supply, on the UPS, on the USB router and on the monitor - drive me nuts. One of these days I'm gonna wire them all to big kill switch and trip it every night before I go to bed. Ugh.

Not to mention my overly-bright clock radio, which I swear they can see from the ISS at night.

posted by sunspot42 on May 1st 2009 at 7:45pm
view sunspot42's profile

I enjoy a pitch-black room at night. But we've not been able to accomplish this. Too many things that have little-bitty lights. I have the same Mac Powerbook G4 - and I know exactly what you are talking regarding the pulsating light. I normally don't even notice it when I go to bed but for some reason just as I am falling asleep it's when I begin to notice the light filtering in and out. UGH! Now I have to remember to shut it down before closing it and putting it away for the night. Or I move it to another room.

Writing this makes me even more frustrated because I should DO something about it. Maybe I will tape over every light I see...

posted by gnomette on May 2nd 2009 at 5:25pm
view gnomette's profile

LED lights especially disturb my sleep. I can sleep in the sunlight and that's fine, but all electronic lights have been banished from my bedroom. I don't even have an LED alarm clock anymore - I use the alarm on my Blackberry, and even power it down at night so it doesn't blink. Anything that creates light (chargers, etc.) are only used during the day.

posted by lemonader on May 2nd 2009 at 11:42pm
view lemonader's profile

Though I do like to have some light on it has to be constant, that blinking crap drives me insane! This is the reason computers are banned from our bedroom!

posted by JessJezzz on May 3rd 2009 at 12:48pm
view JessJezzz's profile

Bright LED's are annoying, particularly when they pulsate like on the MacBooks. A little black electrical tape takes care of it, though.

posted by paulg on May 14th 2009 at 3:32pm
view paulg's profile

I have covered up the lights on my macbook pro's sleep light and battery indicator on the cable, and my tv's standby light with black tape that I typically use for flapping my graphics work. It works wonderfully and I can now sleep in almost darkness.

posted by idesign245 on June 25th 2009 at 12:25pm
view idesign245's profile

I was staying over someone's house the other day and got up in the middle of the night to get some water. Their powerbook was sitting in the corner of the room, pulsing. I had no idea what it was, and it was a bit freaky! Like maybe it was an alien egg, or soemthing...

posted by Kaviare on June 28th 2009 at 6:38pm
view Kaviare's profile