Facepalm: Wearing headphones or earphones to bed might help you drift off to sleep. But wearing wireless earphones, like Apple’s AirPods, is a risky move. Just ask one Massachusetts man, who accidentally swallowed an AirPod in his sleep.
Bradford Gauthier of Worcester, MA, found out the hard way that wearing AirPods while sleeping comes with its risks. After shovelling snow for a couple of hours on Monday night, Gauthier put on his AirPods, chose his favorite playlist, and headed to bed for a well-earned sleep. However, when he woke the next morning, one of his AirPods was missing.
On top of that, Gauthier was experiencing some discomfort in the middle of his chest, although to begin with, he thought nothing of it. Gauthier told WWLP News 22 that he went out to shovel more snow, but the discomfort remained. “When I came in, I tried to drink a glass of water again and couldn’t.”
A trip to the ER and a quick X-ray led to the discovery of Gauthier‘s missing AirPod—it was firmly lodged in his esophagus.
Fortunately, the small device was easily recovered following an endoscopy and Gauthier was able to return home, feeling “really quite lucky” that the surprise obstruction hadn’t been more serious. Whether the AirPod is still in good working order remains to be seen.