Sleep mode in protective case = overheat?

Question

I like to shut the lid to my macbook and then resume instantly later, this leaves the little light pulsating like a heart which means its still on.
The thing is I read in the instruction booklet that adequate space must be given at the vents so that overheating may not occur. But I often put my Macbook in its protective casing (EZ Folder case) to prevent it getting scratched.
So can I leave my Macbook in the case when its on sleep or not? I have not had any problems thus far but I might further down the line..

Answer 1

Of concern is that the computer could be turned on while the lid is closed or the lid could become open while the computer is in a bag. Were this to happen and there wasn't sufficient ventilation the computer could overheat. It would be much better to shut the computer off when you store it like that to avoid the possibility of a problem. Alternatively, you can change the sleep mode to hibernate mode which turns the computer off but saves the computer's state when the lid is closed. The wake-up time takes a little longer than normal sleep but is still shorter than a cold restart.
To change to hibernate mode open the Terminal application and enter the following:
sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 1
Press RETURN
To return to normal sleep mode:
sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 3
Press RETURN
To see which mode is implemented enter:
pmset -g | grep hibernatemode
Press RETURN