While natural light streaming into your home offers a whole host of benefits, including boosting your mood or helping you be more productive, at times, too much light can be disruptive or distracting.

For instance, light sneaking in around the sides of blinds or shades first thing in the morning can keep you from catching a few extra winks, while the glare on your TV screen from evening rays can dampen that movie theater feeling.

The spaces that let in this extra light are called light gaps. They’re common to all blinds or shades that are mounted on the inside of window frames, and are needed in order for the blinds or shades to operate smoothly. If the blinds or shades were mounted tightly against the frame, their edges would rub on it when raised or lowered, damaging them.

You don’t need to live with light gaps, though. Consider these solutions for keeping unwanted light at bay.