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Have you slept on top of your phone or put it under your pillow?

  • Yes

    Votes: 48 64.0%
  • No

    Votes: 27 36.0%

  • Total voters
    75

voraciousvegan

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 27, 2015
48
52
I have an iPhone 13, this crossed my mind recently. I have a habit of falling asleep with the phone in my hands, while I'm watching something or grab it to turn the alarm off, and invariably I wake up with it under me (usually on my side). Although I'm light, I wonder if the pressure of the weight can be an issue? In the past I used to put my iPhones under my pillow as I slept, so the alarm would be louder for me. I never seemed to have issues. How many of you also have a habit of doing this?
 

JahBoolean

Suspended
Jul 14, 2021
552
425
So long as you maintain a healthy BMI.

Considering as they are "supposed" to hold the pressure under your posterior when sitting. I'd expect a much better distributed load to fare just as well.
 

Silencio

macrumors 68040
Jul 18, 2002
3,533
1,665
NYC
I keep my iPhone on a Qi charger on my nightstand. Sometimes when I hit the snooze button, I stick the phone under my pillow so I don't have to reach so far to turn off the alarm the next time it goes off.

Generally, it should be fine to keep your phone under your pillow, as long as it's not connected to power. I've read too many horror stories of people charging their phones under their pillows, only for the phone to overheat and ignite. Not good.
 

nburwell

macrumors 603
May 6, 2008
5,566
2,465
DE
My iPhone immediately goes on the wireless charger when I go to bed. My wife, however, has fallen asleep with her iPad several times (she likes to read before bed). She has rolled on top of it when she does fall asleep with it in bed, but no damage.
 

Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2016
1,798
2,343
You won’t damage your iPhone by sleeping on top of it. You may cause some damage though if the lightning cable is attached and you snap the connector.
 

Reno Raines

macrumors 65816
Jul 19, 2015
1,473
777
I use an old SE first gen to watch tv sometimes at night. Usually it ends up next to me but it has ended up under my pillow etc. Did not cause any issues or anything other than it being warm.
 

ZebraDude

macrumors 65816
Sep 7, 2014
1,431
864
Naperville, IL
I am a old RF nerd.

iPhones are foremost a radio. While your body is between the iPhone and the Cell tower your body will absorbs the RF radiation from the tower/handset and the tower ramp up the RF as the signal degrades to the handset. The phone might be unable to cool down under blankets/Pillows as it passively cools using the metal shell.

You could end up with a REAL warm bed. :)
 
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InnSuu

macrumors member
Mar 17, 2022
53
35
All my phones have gone between pillows at night (all of my owned phones at the time of owning, not all at once). Do not disturb, all data off, airplane mode, and a speech only podcast or mynoise to drift off too. All phones arrive safely in the morning.
 
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InnSuu

macrumors member
Mar 17, 2022
53
35
Why would the screen come on in the night and bother you? Did you know you can set the phone to not light up at all or make any noise or vibration?
 

Devyn89

macrumors 6502a
Jul 21, 2012
964
1,801
I have depression so I no longer take my phone to bed with me. I used to but I’d often spend hours on it instead of sleeping and then spend hours on it in the morning instead of getting up for the day. I’d even be late for work because of it. When I did that I’d sometimes wake up with my phone beside my head having it fall out of my hand in my sleep. Now I charge my phone in my den overnight and only sleep in my bed. It’s honestly changed my life because it forces me out of bed when I want to use my phone.
 

InnSuu

macrumors member
Mar 17, 2022
53
35
...Now I charge my phone in my den overnight and only sleep in my bed. It’s honestly changed my life because it forces me out of bed when I want to use my phone.
Brilliantly simple and effective. It is heartwarming to read you found that this method helped you. I was similar, nearly 20 years ago now, and a friend 'confiscated' my phone. I remember the strangest (good) liberating feeling going to the food store without my phone. It's somewhat of an ongoing battle (battle is too strong but you get my drift) to remove my attention from 'devices', but I take regular, deliberate breaks and I've never been beholden to devices ever since.
 

adrianlondon

macrumors 603
Nov 28, 2013
5,547
8,369
Switzerland
I plug my phone into a USB charger (no fancy wasteful wireless charging for me!), turn the phone off, then go to bed.

Yes yes, the age-old argument of "what happens if there's an emergency in the middle of the night when you're asleep?". Well, luckily (touches cheap Ikea furniture) that's not happened. And if it did, well, I'm asleep. They can leave a voicemail and get someone else to help :)
 

RayB4

macrumors member
Brilliantly simple and effective. It is heartwarming to read you found that this method helped you. I was similar, nearly 20 years ago now, and a friend 'confiscated' my phone. I remember the strangest (good) liberating feeling going to the food store without my phone. It's somewhat of an ongoing battle (battle is too strong but you get my drift) to remove my attention from 'devices', but I take regular, deliberate breaks and I've never been beholden to devices ever since.
IIRC the University of Queensland in Australia did a study of the use of mobile phones some time ago and came to the conclusion that their use for texting, social media etc was as addictive as nicotine. I don’t think it’s a great idea to be addicted to anything so for the sake of sanity it makes sense to separate yourself from your phone during the night at least.
 
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Euroamerican

macrumors 6502
May 27, 2010
469
347
Boise
I'd be worried about the cellphone radiation cooking my head. Turn off transmitters before going to sleep. I never leave my cellphone near me while sleeping except when I put the phone on airplane mode.
 
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voraciousvegan

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 27, 2015
48
52
I have depression so I no longer take my phone to bed with me. I used to but I’d often spend hours on it instead of sleeping and then spend hours on it in the morning instead of getting up for the day. I’d even be late for work because of it. When I did that I’d sometimes wake up with my phone beside my head having it fall out of my hand in my sleep. Now I charge my phone in my den overnight and only sleep in my bed. It’s honestly changed my life because it forces me out of bed when I want to use my phone.
I think I need to start doing this too and destroy this habit. Last night, I again fell asleep with the phone in my hand like a narcoleptic. I have visions of coming in and out of sleep with the phone still on in my hand. And then this morning, I woke up and knocked it 2 ft off my bed to the ground. I've been making more of an effort to just put the phone AWAY before getting in bed.
 
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