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Many people believe music has a relaxing power and can promote good sleep. But do you think sleeping while using AirPods for music is safe?
Some people love to listen to audiobooks and music before bed. Most music lovers prefer AirPods for listening to music because of their sleek and lightweight design.
Various gadgets available in the market today help you in your day-to-day life. And AirPods are one of the favorite gadgets of our generation when it comes to listening to music. As they are convenient, wireless, and have many other benefits.
Listening to music while sleeping is not bad; studies have proven that relaxing music is an effective alternative treatment for PTSD and insomnia patients.
9 Potential Dangers of Sleeping With AirPods?
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Ear Wax Buildup
If you use AirPods for sleeping daily, it could increase the chances of building up the earwax. This minor issue might become severe if you already have a lot of earwax. It would help if you skipped using AirPods for a week to notice the production of ear wax, and then you can decide whether it is safe to sleep with AirPods.
Wearing AirPods that stay deeper in your ear to provide better music could cause ear wax build-up. Long-term use of Airpods could prevent the natural leaking out of ear wax. Also, sleeping with Airpods for more than 6 to 7 hours can cause ear canal and other problems such as ear pain, hearing loss, and ear infection. To avoid these problems, you can clean your ear every night to remove the excess wax.
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Otitis Externa
When you use AirPods for a more extended period, it could build ear wax which might increase the chances of infections such as otitis Externa.
Otitis Externa is primarily known as a bacterial infection of the ear canal. Some of the symptoms of this infection include earache, hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness in the ear.
In the worst-case scenario, this bacterial infection allows fluid to enter your ear, which will also cause pain in the outer area of the ear. As the ear canal plays an essential role in connecting the outer ear to your eardrum, thus it’s pretty crucial to take off the ear canal.
However, this infection primarily affects swimmers. People who wear headphones and Airpods for a longer time also face this kind of illness. Hence, it’s advisable to clean microorganisms and dirt from your Airpods by rubbing alcohol on them.
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Necrosis
Sometimes, when your AirPods don’t fit in your ear correctly, it could put extra pressure on your ear canal, which is the skin inside the ear. This may cause necrosis, and your skin begins to deteriorate. That is why choosing Airpods that fit in your ear correctly is essential.
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Hearing loss
One of the most common reasons for hearing loss is high-volume sound. However, built-in limiters in AirPods cap their sound level at roughly 85 dB, which may only cause an issue once you raise the volume to the max level for a more extended period.
When you use AirPods, or other headphones devices close to your ear canal, above 105 to 110 decibels could lead to hearing loss, and it takes less than 5 minutes to affect your ear.
If you listen to music too loudly, it can harm your auditory canal. It is why you should consider balancing the headphones sound using equalizer. Overexposure to sound could cause hearing problems and sometimes severe ear infections.
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Disturbed Sleep
If you listen to music while sleeping, it could disrupt your sleep as there is a constant sound that affects your ear canal and other areas.
Though relaxing music can provide better sleep, the constant sound could disrupt sleep quality. For deep sleep, you need to have your body relaxed, which is impossible with AirPods. It may cause weariness and drowsiness in the morning.
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Compromised Safety
Sometimes, when you use AirPods with high volume, there are chances of blocking essential sounds. It may prevent you from hearing a phone call, a knock on your door, or a fire alarm. Hence, It is advisable to sleep with just one AirPods to be alert during emergencies.
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AirPods Falling Out
Most of the time, people who use AirPods have noticed that sleeping with your AirPods daily may lead to falling out at some point.
Some people with ears in particular shapes, like cauliflower ears, might have difficulty keeping AirPods in their ears for a longer time. Other reasons can be wearing tiny/invisible earbuds. This results in mild annoyance and sometimes leads to losing the earbuds.
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Physical Damage to Your Ear
When you sleep with AirPods, there are chances of ear damage, which may happen if you roll on the AirPods while sleeping. It may result in placing your AirPods at an awkward angle.
In severe cases, it might cause necrosis which means the death of your skin cells. This happens because of concentrated or sustained pressure on the ears. Hence, you should ensure you are not angling your earbuds in an effort that causes pressure on your ear.
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Battery Malfunction
Most users have complained that AirPods might affect them, which causes battery malfunction. AirPods use lithium-ion batteries, which may harm your phone.
A damaged battery may cause a fire by spilling its contents, especially when they are charged and discharged too many times. Hence, it’s recommended to watch the battery levels of your AirPods.
4 Benefits Of Sleeping With Airpods
There are many risks associated with using Airpods at night but you could have some benefits if you use Airpods with all safety. For example, You can use it to cancel out the noise in the environment to calm your mind. Have a look at the other benefits you may experience while using Airpods.
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Blocks out surrounding noises
If you are in a noisy place and want to avoid disturbance, then using AirPods and listening to Spotify music might be a great idea. Even if you are not listening to anything, it will still help block external voices. Putting both earbuds in your ear and playing loud music will avoid obstructive noise such as cars or construction.
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Wireless
Wired earplugs are an uncomfortable option as they get in the way when you sleep. On the other hand, AirPods are wireless, providing you with convenience. You don’t need to worry about rolling onto the wire or accidentally pulling it out while sleeping.
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Relaxing
One of the most common benefits of music is that it relaxes your mind. As you get into your bed, you start thinking about different things. At that time, listening to music could help you relax. It might give you positivity and reduce stress too.
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Easier to Sleep
Another advantage of relaxing music while sleeping is that it could help stimulate your mind and keep it off from all distractions. This results in more restful sleep, and you may be more alert in the morning. Even if you had a bad day, listening to music could help to promote the production of “Feel good” (Serotonin) chemicals in your brain.
4 Precautions To Use AirPods While Sleeping
There are some precautions you should follow if you want to sleep with AirPods on. These are some best practices that could help you to sleep with AirPods without having any side effects on your ears.
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Choose the Perfect Size
When you buy AirPods, make sure to choose the right size or ear tip. There are hundreds of earbuds in the market offering different sizes of ear tips. It’s necessary to select the correct size carefully as too big AirPods may cause ear infections, and too small earbuds may fall out easily. Hence, use the right size of Earpods to experience excellent noise cancellation, rich sound quality, and, most importantly, the best comfort levels.
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Take Regular Breaks
Another great idea to avoid the side effects of AirPods while sleeping is to take breaks in intervals. Taking regular breaks while listening to music could reduce the chances of ear damage. So it’s recommended to have short breaks every 30 minutes while listening to music.
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Keep AirPods in a Case
It would help if you kept your AirPods in their case to avoid infections. Keeping your AirPods in a ventilated case will help avoid bacterial buildup and moisture; hence, you could prevent infections.
Also, when you keep your AirPods In a case, you can easily find them. Sometimes when you keep your Airplugs without a case at night, you might lose them in the morning.
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Keeping the volume level low
Listening to music with too much volume might hurt your ear canal and sometimes might cause hearing loss. Hence, it’s better to lower the music volume when you sleep.
Use a softer pillow: if you sleep on your right-hand side or left-hand side, you should get a soft pillow. Because if you sleep on your side, the hard pillow can push AirPods against your ear. Hence soft pillows are a better option for side sleepers.
Wash your ears: after using the AirPods at night, cleaning your ears in the morning is essential to keep them clean and healthy. Also, you can visit specialists for disinfection and deeper cleaning once in a while.
Final Thoughts
There is no harm in using Airpods; however, you must be careful while using them while sleeping. Nevertheless, you can follow some precautions to avoid risks and use AirPods to improve sleep quality. As we know, sleeping is essential to relax your body, so it’s necessary to have a quality sleep.
Overall, it’s up to you to decide whether it is safe to sleep with AirPods. However, it would help if you remembered that every electronic gadget has pros and cons depending on how you use it. If you are unsure whether it is safe, then you should contact an expert like an audiologist.
Last but not least, you should ensure that you keep your AirPods safe while you sleep on a bus or train. In that case, you might misplace the AirPods, or they may get stolen. Not to miss, finding AirPods is not easy when they are stolen or lost in a public space.