We are obsessed with our earrings, and all jewellery for that matter, so we know the feeling of never wanting to take off your beautiful gems. But should you sleep in your earrings? That's the question we will be answering today.
Can you sleep with your earrings in?
The short answer is no, you should not sleep with earrings in. There are many risks associated with sleeping with earrings in which we have listed below. The only time you should be sleeping with an earring piercing is when you have a new piercing. You will need to sleep with the piercing for whatever length of time your piercer recommends. This is to ensure the piercing heals correctly and does not close up. Removing fresh piercing too early can actually be more likely to lead to infection, so always follow the advice of your licensed piercer.
Safest Earrings To Wear in Bed
While we don't recommend wearing any earrings to bed, the safest types to wear are generally the smallest ones. Studs are usually chosen for new piercings as they will be least likely to cause pain or irritation when laying on them. Huggie earrings are also another option because they are so small. They are going to move less and are less likely to cause issues. But once again, we'd like to state that we do not advise you wear any earrings after your initial piercing has fully healed.
Dangers of sleeping with your earrings in
These are the main reasons you should not wear earrings to bed and they are more common than you may think.
Torn Ear
The most dangerous and traumatic thing that could happen is that you tear your earring out damaging your ear. You may catch it on clothing, bedding or you or a partner may rest on it while moving in your sleep. On the least impactful end, a small tear can cause discomfort and pain, but a large tear could result in infection or your whole ear lobe being torn. You may not be able to wear earrings again.
Headaches
Even a stud pressing into the side of your head can cause great discomfort. If you are frequently wearing earrings to bed you may experience headaches as a result. The pressure on your skin and head, especially if laying on your side, can be quite significant, even if you don't feel pain at the site. This can be made even worse by wearing bulkier earrings too.
Infection
If you are wearing your earrings to bed it probably means you've not taken them off all day. If you haven't taken them off you also probably haven't cleaned the earring or your piercing hole. This increases the risk of infection because you bacteria that can be sitting on your piercing and ear is in constant contact with your skin. While this is more prevalent in new piercings, even the oldest piercing can become infected. Wearing earrings for an extended period of time may cause more rubbing which can break the skin and once again lead to infection.
Allergic Reaction
Many people suffer allergic reactions to different metals, including the metals found in many earrings such as nickel. For some people, this means they can't wear that type of metal but for others, their allergic reaction may be mild at first and even unnoticeable. As such if you wear earrings in bed, or just for a long time, the allergic reaction can become more severe. If you have red or itchy skin around the earring or even develop eczema in the area, it could be a sign of an allergy.
Damaged Hair & Bedding
While less serious than the above, wearing earrings to bed increases the chance of the earring getting tangled in your hair. Especially for anyone without short hair. You can pull your hair out and cause split ends, both of which can contribute to frizz. Something we all want to likely to avoid. You may also damage your bedding if the piercing snags or rubs against your pillow. Not great for your bed and not great for you if that snag also pulls at your skin.
Protecting Ears and Earrings
We hope you can see that there are many dangers to wearing your earrings to bed and we want to ensure that our customers are safe and healthy after buying our earrings. Here are some extra tips on maintaining your piercings and protecting both your ears and earrings.
- Choose a qualified, experienced and licensed piercer to do any piercing. Don't ever do them yourself.
- Clean any new piercing twice a day and make sure you wash your earlobes as part of your skincare and shower routine.
- Clean your earrings frequently to avoid build-up of dirt and bacteria, and ensure they are thoroughly dry before putting back in.
- If you do suspect you have an infection or a simply experiencing some irritation, take the piercing out. Clean the area with warm, salty water or an alcohol wipe and thoroughly dry the area.
- If your ear remains red or itchy for several days after and you are experiencing pain, don't hesitate to speak to your GP or call NHS 111.
