diff --git a/Documentation/power/userland-swsusp.txt b/Documentation/power/userland-swsusp.txt
index b967cd9137d6..81680f9f5909 100644
--- a/Documentation/power/userland-swsusp.txt
+++ b/Documentation/power/userland-swsusp.txt
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ assumed to be in the resume mode.  The device cannot be open for simultaneous
 reading and writing.  It is also impossible to have the device open more than
 once at a time.
 
+Even opening the device has side effects. Data structures are
+allocated, and PM_HIBERNATION_PREPARE / PM_RESTORE_PREPARE chains are
+called.
+
 The ioctl() commands recognized by the device are:
 
 SNAPSHOT_FREEZE - freeze user space processes (the current process is