I get an off and on feeling of numbness and tingling in my temple and above my left ear. It gets worse if I sleep on my side at night or put a phone up to the side of my head or when I exercise doing stomach crunches. I have had an mri and it showed no abnormalities. Any ideas what could be causing this?

I have the same symptoms as you. At this very moment I have the usual tingling in my left temple. I have had this symptom for over a year now. I couldn't sleep on my left side without waking up with it, and wearing a hairband or sunglasses also set it off.

Can I ask you do you suffer from cold sores? I was concerned that the two are linked together. I have suffered with coldsores on the left side of my face for over 10 years and I think that there is possibly some permanent nerve damage from this.

I hope this is helpful, let me know your thoughts.

I also have had recurring cold sores every 3-4 months for about 10 years and I have these exact symptoms, except on my right side. There were a few weeks when the tingling was so bad that I started unconsciously pulling out my hair. Eventually the right side of the head was bloody from pulling it out.

But the tingling that you feel is exactly what I feel.

If there's pressure behind your eyes, you should immediately talk to a doctor and get scanned (you may have a tumor. The sooner you get rid of it, the better.)

I just did extensive research, and it seems like these sensations could be the symptom of a host of problems. Here's what I'm going to try:
1. Food allergies--I think that I may be allergic to casein. I don't consume many dairy products, but I just realized that I had an exceptional amount of cheese last night and this morning. I am going to go one month without eating dairy, wheat, or caffeine products and see if that improves symptoms.
2. Stress -- I'm taking a heavy course load right now and also working a job, so I'm going to try meditation and getting adequate sleep.
3. Dietary deficiency -- I'm going to eat a well-balanced diet.
4. Migraine -- fluctuating hormones can cause migraines. The tingling sensation may be the result of high pressure in the brain from migraines (the high pressure could also be from a tumor). This seems like a good reason to stay away from caffeine/stress/etc.
5. Sinuses -- Perhaps the sinuses are a cause of both the cold sores and the tingling? Do you have bad sinus problems? I have had bad sinuses for practically my whole life.

I'm going to try this for a month, and see if the sensation goes away. Best of luck!