I leave mine on at night as a night light, I also enjoy waking up to the smell :-) Why would you consider this stupid? If it's electric there's not a lot of difference from your electric microwave, toaster, coffee pot, or LAMP. If the wiring is faulty it can happen anytime with or without warning. Doesn't matter if your asleep, awake, or not at home, the risk is always the same. All of mine use a light bulb for the heat source, no more than 25 watt, how is this different from a small night light lamp? If you don't feel comfortable doing it, then don't.