In your sleep, even AirPods can seem edible.
In what could be one of the strangest intersections of technology and sleep, a Reddit user, known as u/Fun_Huckleberry_6666, reported a bizarre incident in which he chewed on his left AirPod Pro while dreaming that it was chocolate.
The unusual incident, posted in the r/headphones subreddit, underscores the quirks of human behavior and the peculiar ways in which our digital lives can intertwine with our subconscious minds.
While sleeping with his AirPod Pro in his ear, he had a vivid dream about eating chocolate and accidentally biting into the AirPod. The realization of the mishap dawned on him later that day when the AirPod failed to function, revealing a distinct bite mark.
The original post has since garnered significant attention, highlighting the often-unnoticed phenomenon of REM sleep behavior disorder, a condition where individuals physically enact their dreams during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
REM sleep behavior disorder often involves vocal sounds and sudden, sometimes violent arm and leg movements, as people act out their dreams. During REM sleep, the body typically undergoes temporary paralysis to prevent such actions. However, in this disorder, these nerve pathways in the brain that control movement are inactive, leading to the physical enactment of dreams.
This disorder can be associated with other neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia and has been found to worsen over time.
Remarkably, this isn’t the first instance of someone mistakenly eating AirPods.
In another case, a TikTok user shared her experience of accidentally swallowing an AirPod, mistaking it for an Ibuprofen tablet.
The AirPod, still connected to her iPhone, recorded audio from inside her stomach, including gurgling sounds during a voice memo. These incidents underscore the sometimes unexpected consequences of our increasingly technology-integrated lives.
Here’s how Reddit responded:
While these incidents might be rare, they remind us of the danger of sleeping with tiny objects around us. If you happen to bite into one of your AirPods, we recommend reading this article on fixing your faulty AirPod.