HomeHealthIs It Dangerous to Sleep with AirPods?

Is It Dangerous to Sleep with AirPods?

Some people seek the help of cool soothing music to put their minds at ease and catch some sleep. With AirPods, the hustle of dealing with long wire or tangled mess isn’t their anymore. AirPods are super light and comfortable to wear. But are there any dangers if you sleep wearing AirPods? If you maintain the volume low and avoid inserting pressure on the ears then we can say they are safe. However, for those who love loud volumes, you might want to read this first. Loud or fast music keeps the brain active and alert and it might increase heart rate too. This will affect your quality of sleep and prolonged use of the AirPods can potentially cause hearing problems. All in all, below are the reasons why it might be dangerous to sleep with AirPods.

Can Cause Otitis Externa

Otitis externa is a bacterial infection that affects the ear canal and is commonly found in swimmers. However, this infection can affect people who wear headphones and AirPods. Symptoms include hearing loss, ear pain and a feeling of fullness in the ear. To avoid this, clean your AirPods regularly by gently removing the earwax out of the earbud. Soak a cotton pad in rubbing alcohol to wipe away any debris and bacteria.

Earwax Buildup

Prolonged use of AirPods may prevent earwax from coming out naturally. For those who sleep for seven to nine hours per night, the earbuds can cause ear canal blockages and further problems like hearing loss, infection, and pain. Take precautions if you sleep with AirPods every night and clean your ears to remove excess wax. However, be careful when doing this since the ears are very delicate.

Can Cause Necrosis

Necrosis is a condition where there is a lack of blood flow to cells and tissues in an organ, causing them to die off. This is common in cases where headphones or AirPods don’t fit well exerting extra pressure on the tissues within the ear canal.

Easy to Lose

It’s unavoidable to toss and turn during sleep which makes it easy for the AirPods to fall off and get lost under the sheets, onto the floor or somewhere hard to find them again. Even worse, some sleepers tend to brush their head or face while asleep. Since you’re asleep, an earbud can be easily knocked off. But in case this happens, you can use the “Find My iPhone” app to locate your AirPods on a map.

Not Waterproof

AirPods aren’t sweatproof or waterproof; however, it’s proven that they hold well in the rain. But sweating at night causes hardware problems and malfunctioning because the sweat gets inside the AirPods. Furthermore, sweat can make the earbud dislodge more easily if there is moisture.

Benefits of Sleeping with AirPods

Blocks Out Noise

AirPods do a great job of blocking out any noise that may disturb you while asleep. Using both earbuds acts like earplugs even if you’re not listening to anything. Playing cool and soft music or using a white noise app, loud and obstructive noises such as construction, cars or loud roommate can be blocked.

Easier to Sleep

Putting on soft music while you sleep helps keep your mind off distractions and stimulates the mind. You get a good night’s sleep and you wake up feeling more alert. Listening to things we love promotes serotonin production or the “feel good” chemicals in our brain. If you had a rough day listening to enjoyable music when sleeping livens up your spirit.

How Loud Should AirPods Be When Sleeping?

As mentioned above, noise can disrupt your sleep and therefore it should be kept low throughout the night. Put it at 60 dB or lower, which is comparable to the sound of air conditioning. Even if music helps you sleep, sleeping on high volume affects the quality of sleep and you may wake up feeling sluggish. Alternatively, you can set a sleep timer on your phone so that it shuts off once you sleep.

Conclusion

You can consider using external speakers and listen to things like white noise, audiobooks, podcasts or gentle music like classical or piano, this way you avoid prolonged used of AirPods. Place the speaker on a desk close to your bed. Additionally, you can use acousticsheep sleepphones which are built into a soft headband and are secure and comfortable while laying down. Also, they can be used while traveling. What’s more, you should avoid anything with a wire while you sleep. Since AirPods are wireless, you don’t have to worry about rolling onto the wire and damaging it or damaging your ear instead.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here