Drifting off to sleep with a calming podcast or music is a common habit for many. However, a top dermatologist is issuing a stern warning: sleeping with your earbuds in is one of the worst things you can do for the health of your skin and your ears.
The danger lies in prolonged, uninterrupted occlusion. A skin expert explains that sleeping with earbuds in creates an 8-hour-long period where your skin is completely sealed off. This is a far more intense and damaging environment than a few hours of use during the day. The buildup of moisture and heat is extreme, dramatically increasing the risk of severe acne mechanica and fungal infections.
The pressure is another major concern. The dermatologist notes that when you lie on your side, your pillow pushes the earbud deeper into your ear canal, creating intense and focused pressure points. This can lead to painful sores, cartilage inflammation, and even pressure necrosis (tissue death) in extreme cases.
Beyond the skin, there are other health risks. Ear specialists warn that blocking the ear canal for so long can also increase the risk of impacted earwax and otitis externa (swimmer’s ear), a painful infection of the outer ear canal. You are essentially creating a perfect, stagnant swamp for microbes to thrive in all night long.
The expert’s advice is unequivocal: find another way to fall asleep. Try a white noise machine, a pillow speaker, or simply setting a sleep timer on your phone so the audio turns off after 30 minutes. Your skin and your ears need to be able to breathe and recover overnight. Sacrificing their health for a bit of audio is a trade-off you shouldn’t make.