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It’s almost natural to charge your smartphone overnight after a whole day of use so it’s ready for action the next day.
However, that’s not the best solution
How else are you supposed to relax after a long day if not with a few pleasant minutes on your smartphone, where you can do practically anything? When the battery is low, just plug it in and you can watch a movie, read, browse other people’s life updates, or relax to music. But how often do you fall asleep with it and the phone remains on all night in your immediate vicinity?
Or do you intentionally leave it charging overnight?
Neither of these options is good, and the first one is dangerous to your health.
Why it damages the device
A phone’s battery is fairly limited, and the longer you have it, the faster it will start to degrade. Most people expect that, but few know that this lifespan can be significantly shortened by a very common bad habit. That means leaving the phone plugged in all night. Today’s mobile phones mostly use lithium‑ion batteries, which at least somewhat reduce damage if charging exceeds 100 %. In the past there was a high risk that the battery could simply “explode” when it went over 100 %.
That no longer happens, but even with this safety measure the battery is damaged each time it reaches full capacity and is not disconnected. In addition, phones discharge slightly even when not in use. So there’s an effect where the battery charges to 100 %, then charging cuts off at the source, it discharges a bit, and charging immediately resumes… And so on and on — this process hardly seems very environmentally friendly to anyone.
How you can be exposed to risk
This problem is much more serious than just loss of battery life. As mentioned above, many people fall asleep with the phone in their hand while it’s connected to the charger during nighttime activities. Those who have an official brand charger can breathe a sigh of relief. But if you have one of those “cheap” ones you bought for a few crowns from the corner shop, you’re in trouble. Such cables often do not meet safety standards, which exposes you to potential risk.
The case of a 19-year-old boy
For example, the Annals of Emergency Medicine described a case in which a 19-year-old patient suffered second-degree burns on his neck. The culprit was, of course, a phone charger that should not have been plugged in at all.
It was hanging from the wall adapter and the end that normally plugs into the phone was under the pillow. Overnight this live end came into contact with the necklace she was wearing, and disaster occurred. Leaving a charger in the socket overnight and staying close to it always carries a risk of electrical leakage resulting in injury. It’s not worth risking burns, breathing problems, or arrhythmias for that.
