Is It Safe to Sleep With Earbuds In?

Do you enjoy falling asleep with music in the background? Lots of people are turning to podcasts and music playlists to help them sleep when the neighbors are loud or when there is too much noise coming in from the outside. Listening to relaxing sounds such as white noise has actually been proven to help some people all asleep faster than they would normally do. The question that remains is if it’s safe to sleep with earbuds in? Today we will show you the dangers of falling asleep with earbuds and how you can make sure nothing bad happens to you.

Is It Safe to Sleep With Earbuds In?

If you use the earbuds correctly and listen to music occasionally, you can fall asleep without worrying about a single thing. However, there are some things that you need to take into consideration. You need to make sure that the sound level is moderately low and that the earbuds do not exert any pressure inside your years. Otherwise, you will end up with serious health issues.

What Could Go Wrong by Sleeping with Earbuds In?

As previously noted, there are many things that can go wrong with sleeping with earbuds in. Even though nothing bad will happen to you from the first time you do it, it’s best to avoid the practice and not get used to falling asleep with the earbuds. In fact, let’s go ahead and check out the top three most dangerous side effects of sleeping with earbuds.

  • Otitis Externa

Otitis Externa is the worst thing that can happen to someone who falls asleep with earbuds and doesn’t make sure that they are placed correctly, and the volume is lowered. Otitis Externa is a medical condition that causes the skin around the ear canal area to slowly wear out and cause the fluid to get into the ear. This is really painful, and if you think that you might be experiencing Otitis Externa, you should visit a doctor ASAP.

  • Wax Accumulation

What most people fail to think about when wearing earbuds is that if they wear them a little more deeply than usual, they risk developing a build-up of ear wax. If you fall asleep with earbuds in your ears, you are likely going to keep moving around while sleeping. You might end up pushing the earbuds deep and allow the wax to build up.

How to Make Listen to Music While Sleeping Safely

Even though there are many disadvantages of falling asleep with music in the background, you can prevent all of them just by being careful. Check out the tips below:

  • Don’t play music at max volume. Doing this will damage your eardrum, but that’s not all. Your brain will also be more stimulated than usual, and this will make it challenging to fall asleep.
  • You should consider using a radio station or MP3 player without plugging in the earbuds. However, this alternative solution is only available if you are sleeping alone in the room and no one will be bothered by the music.
  • If you sleep on your sides, you should try using a single earbud. Doing this will prevent the ear that you are sleeping on from getting hurt.

We also want to mention that listening to music has been proven to release dopamine. This is a neurotransmitter that helps people feel good. Therefore, you could listen to your favorite tracks just before falling asleep to make sure that you are in a good mood. The happy brain chemicals will make you feel good, and by taking off the earbuds before sleeping, you won’t have to worry about hurting your ears.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if you fall asleep with headphones on?

If this happens only a couple of times, you don’t have anything to worry about. However, you might end up having to deal with serious health consequences if you fall asleep listening to music on your headphones every night.

Can earbuds explode?

Many people make the mistake of thinking that since earbuds are powered by lithium-ion batteries, then they can explode. This will never happen with a pair of earbuds, and the only thing that will happen if the batteries are not right, they will start expanding. Therefore, your earbuds or wireless headphones will not explode.

Is it bad to sleep next to your phone?

If you can avoid sleeping next to your phone, you should consider doing it. The reason behind this is not that the phone can cause any harm, but that you will have a harder time falling asleep with the phone around. We all know how time-consuming social media apps can be.