Is Sleeping With Bluetooth Headphones Dangerous? I have spent many hours of research to give you the best answer in this article.
The quick answer is yes.
Wearing Bluetooth Headphones on while you sleep will put pressure on your ears, which will cause ear pain and headaches. You will also expose yourself to EMF radiation for long periods of time.
With massive strides in the growth of technology, more and more everyday items are going wireless.
It started with cellphones, which was understandably met with a lot of fanfare, but now slowly everything is moving away from wired configuration including things like gaming consoles, TVs and even headphones.
This innovative technology is a boon and a bane at the same time.
Whilst it enables seamless communication between multiple interfaces without the hassle of plugging in wires, it can also cause tremendous EMF pollution in your home atmosphere which can inversely affect your health and wellbeing.
The latest fad among the youth is now wireless headphones. In this article, we will take a look at these mystery devices, how they operate and the health risks they put you in.
Understanding Headphone EMF Dangers.
EMF radiation is caused when electricity passes through an electrical component (such as a transistor, resistor, capacitor etc.).
This is because of the electromagnetic properties of conductors. The laws of physics state that when electricity passes through any conductor, a magnetic flux is created because of it.
Now, in a device like TV which houses thousands of small electrical components, the total magnetic flux produced would be the sum of all these individual fluxes. Therefore it is understandably quite significant.
Electromagnetic radiation cannot be seen with eyes and are small enough to penetrate physical obstructions.
If we are exposed to it for long, it can lead to serious health complications that can be short term to more long term chronic conditions. Short term effects include headache, loss of appetite and loss of focus while more chronic conditions can include heart disease, diabetes or even cancer.
Electromagnetic radiation from the circuit, however, is not the only source of radiation you’re exposed to.
A lot of these devices choose to use invisible radiation frequencies to communicate with each other, the prime example of which is Bluetooth.
Bluetooth is used to connect two devices in order to transfer data. It is very popular since it allows users to create a private network that can facilitate data transfer from one device to the other. Bluetooth uses RF, or radiofrequency to establish the connection.
How Bluetooth headphone works.
Let us assume we have two cellphones that are to be connected via Bluetooth.
The first step would be to enable Bluetooth on both devices. When you enable the Bluetooth setting, the phone gets prepared to receive and transmit Bluetooth signals.
The next step would be to ‘pair’ the two devices. Pairing is basically forming a new private network with these two phones. Pairing is usually done by requesting a pair and then confirming a code. Once the cellphones are paired, data transfer can take place.
When you’re transferring data over Bluetooth, the phone sending the data first breaks down the data into small ‘packets’ that it then sends to the receiving phone in a pre-determined order. Once all packets are sent, the receiving phone reconstructs the packets into a complete data set thus completing the transfer.
Once the transfer is over, the phones keep being connected and are ready for new transfers.
To ensure the connection is up and running, the cellphones are programmed to do a ‘handshake’ or send a test signal every second.
The connection ends when users manually either disconnect the network or switch off the Bluetooth.
Health risks with Bluetooth headphones.
Bluetooth operates on the RF range. Radiofrequency waveforms are invisible and in a higher excitable state.
They vibrate with a lot of energy because of their higher frequency and are so compact that they can literally penetrate through physical obstructions like doors and walls.
It is therefore no wonder that it can also easily penetrate our skin and bones, interacting directly with our cells and DNA.
The waveforms are highly excited and this translates into thermal activity on the cell. This hampers the regular functioning of the cell and puts a lot of pressure on the body.
The cells need to quickly multiply but because of the added stress, often the copying mechanism is flawed, thus creating imperfect cells. These imperfect cells are even more ill-suited to stand up to the pressure and thus create even more ill-suited cells.
This cycle continues until your body produces a cell that is so bad that it turns cancerous.
This is of course an extreme case scenario but it is quite possible, especially if you keep exposing yourself regularly to these deadly radiations.
Even short term exposure can have effects on people. People who spend 5 hours a day on average on their phones will often complain about irritation, loss of appetite and loss of focus. This is caused due to exposure and it is your body’s way of letting you know that it is overwhelmed and you need to rest so that it can heal itself.
Bluetooth radiation exposure carries significant health risks if you’re not careful. It’s fine for 5-10 minutes but constant exposure can be very dangerous to our health.
The rise of wireless headphones.
Headphones have been popular ever since they came out. They provided a great service – privacy while listening to music. Over the years, headphones have improved upon their designs manifold, from better ergonomics to noise cancellation. And the latest innovation it seems is the ability to stream music wirelessly.
This was the first usher into the mainstream by cellphone manufacturing giant Apple with their introduction of Airpods. They were the first generation earphones enabled to stream music to your ears wirelessly.
They achieved that by connecting to your phone’s Bluetooth and transferring data through that connection.
The Airpods were sophisticated devices that housed not only state of the art music playback systems but also a tiny battery to power the whole thing, a mic, a Bluetooth module for connection and transfer of data and superior grade noise-canceling capabilities.
This meant the Airpods in themselves were generating a lot of EMF just by being turned on. Add to that the RF radiation from all the back and forth between your phone and the Airpods, your upper torso is getting exposed to significant radiation.
There is also concern that the Airpods are so close to our heads and the radiation may actually interfere with our brain functions. Radiation has been shown to cause swelling in brain tissues so it is not completely unfounded to worry about that.
That aside, there are severe drawbacks to these noise-canceling wireless headphones. The first problem is the snug fit. Ears are designed to hear a variety of sounds even from far away, so when you play sound directly into the ear canal, it can get a little too much for your body to handle.
Also, since the passage is closed because of the earphone, there is a buildup of earwax. Keeping your headphones on for extended periods can put a lot of stress on your ears which might also cause pain.
The second problem is the radiation that the earphones produce. There is a lot of RF radiation that you’re subjecting yourself to just because you don’t want to deal with a couple of wires and honestly, it is not worth the risk. Plus there is an added risk of exposure to your brain which can be fatal.
The third and perhaps the most important problem is the reduced level of awareness one has while wearing these earphones. The earphones are designed to be noise-canceling so that you get a purely musical experience.
They achieve that by cutting out all background and ambient noises, just playing the song in your ear. Sound is an important feedback mechanism for us and the absence of it can impact us in drastic ways.
There have been countless cases where pedestrians were walking on the street or crossing roads with earphones on and fell prey to an accident because they couldn’t hear the oncoming car.
They can be quite fatal in the home environment too, especially if you have kids and they want your help but you don’t hear them because of the earphones.
Sleeping with Bluetooth headphones on and the dangers.
A lot of people ask me if it is okay to sleep with their wireless headphones. The answer to that is a definite no.
It is a terrible idea on many levels. The first thing is obviously related to your physical health. Putting on headphones while you sleep is bound to put pressure on your ears which will cause ear pain and headaches.
That aside, you’ll be doing massive harm to your body if you expose yourself to that kind of EMF radiation. Sleeping is our body’s way of shutting down all operations to heal and grow from the inside.
It is a time when we are at our most vulnerable since all of our defenses are down. And then to blast your body with that kind of radiation without the body’s ability to fight back would mean inflicting irreversible harm that can end up being fatal to our health.
Also, since the ears are so close to our head, your brains would be directly exposed which is all kinds of bad news.
That aside, you will lose your sense of hearing if you’re sleeping while plugged in. That means in case of a break-in, you would not wake up and thus might end up being robbed or worse.
Sleeping with your Bluetooth headphones on is universally bad and you should never consider doing it.
If you have to play music before sleep, play it on the speaker. That way you still get to listen to your favorite track without risking your ear.
My personal favorite EMF detection and protection products.
- DefenderShield EMF Radiation Protection Blanket – Ultimate protection from wireless radiation. The only EMF radiation protection blanket with multiple layers of shielding to block up to 100% of wireless (RF) radiation from cell phones, tablets, laptops, WiFi routers, and other electronic devices, and ambient emissions in the environment. Available on Amazon here.
- DefenderPad Laptop EMF Radiation Protection & Heat Shield. The DefenderPad is the ONLY laptop pad that uses multiple layers of shielding to block up to 100% of laptop EMF radiation (RF & ELF) while also greatly reducing heat! Get the latest price on Amazon here.
- DefenderShield Universal EMF Radiation Protection Pouch for Smartphones – EMF shielding to block up to 100% of wireless (RF) radiation. Most pouches only block a percentage of radiation emitted from your cell phone. Shielding is within the backside of the pouch to block signals and EMF emissions going towards the body, yet does not interfere with phone connectivity. Available on Amazon here.
- Copper Fabric Blocking RFID/RF-Reduce EMF/EMI Protection Conductive Fabric for Smart Meters – Very easy to cut and sew. Usage for Bags, Curtains, Tents, etc. Effective Shielding for CellTowers, Microwave Signals, Phones, and Smart Meters. Find it on Amazon here.
- TriField EMF Meter Model TF2. is an AC gaussmeter, AC electric field meter, and radio power density meter in a single unit, that combines all the features needed for fast, accurate measurements of electromagnetic fields (EMF). Best price on Amazon here.
Related questions.
Should I buy a wireless headphone or a wired one?
My advice would always be to go with the wired one. They deliver sounds better, sound ergonomics is better, acoustic resonance is improved and they don’t have any radiation risk. Pricing wise too, you will get a better deal with wired headphones than you will with wireless. The only reason you would buy a Bluetooth headphone would be because of its wireless capabilities but if you analyze the pros and cons of both, wired headphones blow wireless out of the water.
