Back from holiday and feeling meh? Here’s why
So you’ve returned from holiday, still finding sand in unusual places, still wondering whether you could give it all up to make hand-pressed Olive Oil in Greece.
Rob Archer
4 September 2025
I’d like to say here that Alans, in my experience, are generally wonderful people.
Kind and supportive, they’re as happy talking about carburettors and motherboards as they are sipping a pint of real ale in some chunky knitwear.
But ALAN is a different story.
ALAN – artificial light at night – is everywhere.
From screens at night, light pollution and irregular working hours, it’s estimated that 80% of us are affected by 𝚑̶𝚒̶𝚖̶ it.
And this isn’t trivial.
ALAN has negative effects on the circadian system, which in turn increases the risk of weight gain, heart disease and mental illness.
We need to break up with ALAN, and that’s where a Digital Sunset comes in.
Here are 3 simple steps to reduce the impact of ALAN:
🛑 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 – you don’t need to scroll in bed. Get an alarm clock and read a nice book instead.
💡 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 / 𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲, use your dimmer switches at home (if you have them) and replace your bathroom light with a red light.
🌞 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻, as there is evidence that this significantly offsets the impact of ALAN.
At a minimum I try to get outside as much as I can in the day, and I definitely limit screens at night…how do you minimise the impact of ALAN?