The Risks of Sleeping With Headphones While Charging

Nothing beats going to bed with a pair of headphones on and listening to your favorite playlist while charging your phone. The soothing music helps you drift off to sleep, and you wake up the next day with a fully charged device. But are you putting yourself in danger by doing this?

It is not a good idea to sleep with headphones on while charging. Aside from the headphones, which may cause hearing loss, there is a slim chance that the phone will explode, electrocute you, or, at the very least, the battery will overheat or be damaged if left charging overnight.

Phone manufacturers recommend that we do not charge our devices overnight. Many of us ignore this warning and leave our devices plugged in while sleeping. However, if we were aware of the dangers involved, we might take it more seriously. Aside from the dangers of using our mobile devices, sleeping with headphones on can have negative consequences. Let's take a closer look at the dangers of wearing headphones while charging our phones.

Wax Buildup

Earwax can be caused by anything that comes into contact with our ears. Wax production is our ears' way of protecting themselves from infection or irritation, and it usually occurs when their airway is blocked. Headphones, which act as a seal that prevents air from entering your ear canals, can cause a buildup of wax in minutes. This accumulation can impair your hearing, increase your chances of getting an ear infection, and make your ears itchy and damp.

Death of Tissue Cells

Headphones, particularly earbuds, can pressure the skin around your ear canals, causing some of the skin to tear away. In extreme cases, it can cause necrosis, which is the death of tissue cells. So, if you don’t want to deal with severe medical implications, it’s best to avoid wearing headphones for long periods.

Strangulation

If you use corded headphones and tend to twist and turn while sleeping, there’s a potential risk of the wires getting caught around your neck. The chances of strangulation are pretty slim, but there’s still a possibility of it happening, especially when the cord is connected to a heavy device like a laptop on the side of your bed.

Hearing Loss

Sleeping with your headphones on would probably mean setting the volume at a moderate level. However, there is a possibility of inadvertently increasing the volume while asleep. Excessive or prolonged exposure to loud sounds can cause hearing loss.

Battery Damage

Most mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops are smart enough to stop charging once their batteries reach 100%. However, trickle-charging can still occur, a continuous cycle where the device takes in more energy from the charger each time the battery level decreases. Trickle charging, as well as the additional heat it creates, can lower your device’s battery life. Your device is also more prone to overheating if it has a thick protective casing or if you leave it under your pillow while charging it overnight.

Neurological Effects

Mobile devices emit radio frequency signals that our bodily tissues can absorb. According to a study in the National Library of Medicine, radio frequency-modulated electromagnetic fields (RM-EMF) exposure from using cellular phones affects brain activity. According to dw.com, another study showed that phone radiation has subtle effects on memory retention, particularly when placing the phone near the right side of the head. Even if the effects are minimal, there’s enough evidence to support that excessive use of mobile phones does have a neurological impact.

Electrocution

Using wired headphones on a charging mobile device can create a path that conducts electricity. The likelihood of being electrocuted is low, especially if your phone, headphones, adapter, and charging cables are in good working order. However, electrocution is still possible, particularly if one of the cords has a tear in its insulation, exposing the wires.

Electrocution can also occur when a faulty adapter fails to stabilize power during a power surge, resulting in a short circuit. Replacement adapters can also be hazardous if they do not meet the power requirements of your device. Phone electrocution is extremely uncommon, but it does occur.

Fire or Explosion

Overheated lithium-ion batteries are one of the most common causes of mobile device fires or explosions. Thermal runaway occurs when the battery generates more heat than it can expel. The increase in temperature causes the battery current to rise, creating even more heat.

Thermal runaway can result in a fire or explosion. Mobile device fires are uncommon, but charging a device overnight increases the risk of a fire due to overheating, especially if the phone is placed in an area with little ventilation.