# Do you sleep with your phone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2018, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306 "2018-12-18T02:16:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/21 "2018-12-18T05:35:52Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > …I have a radio alarm clock to wake me in the morning, plus a landline phone on the nightstand. I don’t need the smart phone too. Ditto. I keep my iPhone and iPad charging downstairs next to my car keys. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/22 "2018-12-18T05:43:08Z")
I have trouble sleeping sometimes so I drift off with a podcast. I tuck my phone under my pillow so as not to disturb my wife. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/23 "2018-12-18T05:50:51Z")
Nope. Most of the time it’s lost or somewhere else that I know of. I just don’t care enough to go get it. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/24 "2018-12-18T06:12:51Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > With my eyesight, it’s impossible for me to use my phone without putting my glasses on. As that would require me to first remove my CPAP mask, my phone is off limits after I decide to go to bed. Same and same. I do keep my phone on my nightstand though so it’s not in the bed with me but I know if someone texts or calls me. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/25 "2018-12-18T06:39:32Z")
my phone spends most of it’s nights in my room, somewhere out of arms reach from my bed. That way I have to actually stand up to turn off the alarm. The exception is when I know I can sleep in the next day, then I leave it _within_ arms reach, so I can turn off the alarm without getting up. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/26 "2018-12-18T07:18:54Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > …If I wake up at night, I tend to take a quick scan of the phone for any text messages and breaking news… This I truly don’t understand (for context, I am 69 years old). You seem to have friends or family who might text you at any hour and expect a response, as well as a driving need to find out, before you get out of bed, what happened during the night. To repeat myself, I truly do not understand this mindset. I am not criticizing nor saying my way is better. Perhaps this is a generational thing. But I like my sleep and if the world is coming to an end I would rather go in my sleep. Anything less than that can wait. So, as I said in the alarm clock thread, my phone is being charged in the other room. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/27 "2018-12-18T09:02:12Z")
And run down the battery? No way, Jose. My phone sits plugged in on a desk on the opposite side of my room from the bed. That way, when the alarm goes off, I have no choice but to get up and walk over to it to turn it off, and once I’ve committed to that, I know I won’t just go back to sleep and miss work or whatever else I have to do that day. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/28 "2018-12-18T09:25:48Z")
It’s usually in my bed or on the bed frame. It’s plugged into a 10ft charginging cord. I try to remember to put it on the bed frame so the alarm doesn’t get muffled by blankets. Messages and phone calls are reviewed 24/7 as I’m always on call. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/29 "2018-12-18T09:32:25Z")
On its charging stand next to the bed - it’s also my clock. Love wireless charging. It’s (usually) set to Do Not Disturb; there’s a few people that can break through, but not many. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/30 "2018-12-18T10:06:02Z")
It’s on charge beside my bed. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/31 "2018-12-18T10:14:49Z")
To those of you who have it within reach… Why? I understand this in an unusual situation like a teenager out late somewhere, or adult kid driving across country to a new job etc., but on a normal night, what is the purpose? What problem in your life can the phone solve at 2am? Old guy here, mine is wherever I last used it, probably downstairs in the kitchen or like this morning, forgotten and left in my car. If it discharges sometimes, big whoop. It recharges when I remember to plug it in later. On edit: I see some use it for an alarm. Never thought of that. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/32 "2018-12-18T10:50:09Z")
I voted, “No! Are you crazy?!” because it’s not IN my bed. It’s on my nightstand, two inches FROM my bed. 😃 ETA: Okay, it’s now in my hand playing SimCity Buildit. Thanks for the reminder. I need more watermelons and backpacks, stat! ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/33 "2018-12-18T12:10:06Z")
My phone is kept next to my pillow as my alarm, but I rarely look at it in bed unless I’m trying to wake up or realize I forgot to send an urgent email right when I’m snuggling up. This **has** bit me a couple times where my phone worked its way under enough pillow to muffle the alarm, but 99% of the time works fine for me. Unfortunately, due to the layout of my floor/room in the house I live in, I don’t have room for a nightstand to keep it on. I used to keep it on the small jewelry cabinet next to my bed but it doesn’t fit here. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/34 "2018-12-18T12:14:13Z")
I’m not phone-obsessed, I don’t have a data plan on it. But it is my clock and alarm and I want it nearby in case a call comes through. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/35 "2018-12-18T13:21:02Z")
Charging, on my night stand. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/36 "2018-12-18T13:30:21Z")
My phone spends the night on my dresser, across the room from me. That’s where the charger is. Should I get an emergency call, it would be right there - with my mom and my inlaws in their 80s, it’s a very real possibility. Plus it’s at hand when I’m getting dressed in the morning - ready to go in my pocket. I do keep my tablet on my nightstand, only because I play mindless games to help me get drowsy. But apart from the electric blanket, there’s no technology in the bed. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/37 "2018-12-18T13:53:36Z")
My wife and I both generally keep electronics out of the bedroom. I do have an old iPhone that I use for streaming a podcast I use to help me sleep. It no longer has a number, and isn’t really good for browsing the internet. I put it in the bedside drawer when I sleep so the earbud I sleep with doesn’t pull it off the nightstand. We keep the active phones downstairs, there’s no reason for us to be getting texts, emails or browsing stuff in the middle of the night. Night is for sleeping, not that other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/38 "2018-12-18T13:57:44Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > To those of you who have it within reach… Why? I understand this in an unusual situation like a teenager out late somewhere, or adult kid driving across country to a new job etc., but on a normal night, what is the purpose? What problem in your life can the phone solve at 2am? > > Old guy here, mine is wherever I last used it, probably downstairs in the kitchen or like this morning, forgotten and left in my car. If it discharges sometimes, big whoop. It recharges when I remember to plug it in later. > > On edit: I see some use it for an alarm. Never thought of that. I use it as an alarm. I use it as a clock. I use it to listen to sleep meditations. I use it to read, check facebook, play games etc. when (not if) I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep. This is actually a bad thing to do, and I’m trying to stop. I live alone, and I carry my phone from room to room with me, generally. My nightmare is to have an emergency and not be able to call for help. So at night it charges right next to me. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/39 "2018-12-18T14:25:50Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > To those of you who have it within reach… Why? I understand this in an unusual situation like a teenager out late somewhere, or adult kid driving across country to a new job etc., but on a normal night, what is the purpose? What problem in your life can the phone solve at 2am? > > Old guy here, mine is wherever I last used it, probably downstairs in the kitchen or like this morning, forgotten and left in my car. If it discharges sometimes, big whoop. It recharges when I remember to plug it in later. > > On edit: I see some use it for an alarm. Never thought of that. Medical condition. I keep my phone and epipens in reach at all times. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306/40 "2018-12-18T14:36:03Z")
The only times my phone is not in my purse is when I’m using it. or charging it I definitely do not sleep with it, and I do think you are crazy for asking the question. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-phone/826306.md?page=3)