

Power adapters plugged into power outlets, even if they are not connected to a computer, continue to draw power. A sleeping machine still consumes power.Computers left on all the time may have a shorter life. The heat produced by a sleeping machine exposes all components to higher heat more of the time.Power surges or power drops occurring when a machine is powered by its power adapter are more harmful to a sleeping computer than to one completely shut down.Normal shutdowns and startups allow the machine to perform self-tests, clear out the RAM, and alert you to software updates or minor errors.Sleep shuts down the display and parks the disk drive to prevent damage.

The more applications running, the longer it takes for your device to go to sleep.

