Modern technology can be a blessing and a curse. As useful as our electronic devices may be, many of them have screens that emit blue light, which interferes with the body’s production sleep hormones. Tech products can also offer brilliant solutions, though: C by GE smart LED light bulbs can be set to automatically adjust throughout the day to promote better sleep.
With Daylight Savings Time on the horizon, GE has unveiled the C by GE line, which is now available for purchase online. The bulbs come in a four-pack, each containing two C Sleep and two C Life bulbs. The different bulbs have distinct features, making them useful for different purposes.
C Sleep has three settings — one each for morning, midday, and evening light — that are meant to simulate and mimic the sun in order to allow the body to produce melatonin in preparation for sleep. Morning provides crisp light, day emits regular light, and evening gives off a warm amber light. While C Life is a single-color bulb, both it and C Sleep can be set to sync to a user’s personal circadian rhythms.
The light bulbs are controllable through the C by GE app, which is available for free in the App Store. As of now, the app is only available on iOS, but GE has plans to bring it to Android too. The bulbs work directly with the app, so there’s no need for a hub and additional hardware. It makes for an easy setup, to which I can personally attest.
Using the app, you can either control the bulbs individually or group them so that they can be controlled together. On top of that, you can create numerous custom lighting scenes so that you can get the ambiance you want with a single click. Preset scenes (i.e. “Wake up,” “Bedtime,” “Movie Time,” etc.) come on the app, but you get to customize them. (I decided to have a single, dimmed light on during “Movie Time,” for example.) There’s also the option to add additional scenes for your other activities, whatever they may be.
Although my bulbs and app have had moments where they have failed to talk to each other, being able to connect them without a hub is extremely convenient. Setup is simple, the scene and group options are useful, and there’s nothing better than being able to turn off the light before bed without having to get up.
The four-bulb C by GE starter pack, which retails for $70, is now available for purchase. GE is offering a $50 introductory price.
