Many nights I awake in severe pain on my ear, it appears to be my outer ear maybe the cartilage, it is not that I am sleeping funny on my ear I have tried changing pillows the only help so far has been sleeping with only the very top of my head on the pillow and having my ear below my pillow. Sleeping with no pillow also causes the pain - I can't help but wonder why is this and why haven't I ever heard of anyone else having this happen.
Thanks for any advice Ka

Mine doesn't get painful, but the ear I lie on does block up a bit at night.

Ka, do you have any health problems at all? Anything? Are you on any meds?

Ka, do you have any health problems at all? Anything? Are you on any meds?

I have no health issues I am aware of and I am on no medications
I have had this problem for about a decade
Not only does it cause me to loose sleep it hurts even though the hurt
Only lasts a minute or 2. thanks

I was just saying that I also experience the same kind of problem, and they may be related. Thanks for disagreeing though.

Where on the ear does it hurt? Top of the ear, earlobe, etc? Also, what is your age?

It mostly hurts on the outside- side
I am 40yrs old and this has been happening for many years
Thanks again for trying to help

I have had the same problem with only my right ear for probably 20 years now. I've had the orthodontist confirm it's not TMJ, I tried a night guard for a while, and the ear,nose throat doctor finds nothing wrong. I have recently started using a "memory foam" pillow, and that seems to provide a lot of relief. Takes a little getting used to, but so far it's working. Good luck!

I have had the same problem with only my right ear for probably 20 years now. I've had the orthodontist confirm it's not TMJ, I tried a night guard for a while, and the ear,nose throat doctor finds nothing wrong. I have recently started using a "memory foam" pillow, and that seems to provide a lot of relief. Takes a little getting used to, but so far it's working. Good luck!


Thanks for the advice I have been sleeping with only the top of my head on the pillow making sure my ear actually is below the pillow (not that comfortable but it keeps the pain away) - I think I will go get one of those memory pillows I have nothing to lose.
Thanks again:) :)

Hey kcarmata,
I have the same problem. It happened to me last night. It is SO PAINFUL, the aching, the tenderness. OUCH! I thought for a moment I was the only one. I don't think it health related, medication related, ear folding or an indication of sleeping problems. To me, it feels like my cartilage is being crushed and when I wake the aching pain is almost unbearable. I think it has to do with the type of pillow we are using. I slept on my husbands tempur-pedic pillow and I didn't have any pain. Although I only slept on it for 2 hours in the morning after he left for work, the pain I usually feel comes from sleeping on the same pillow all night. Try a tempur-pedic pillow and see if the pain continues. I am going to ask for one for Christmas. They are expensive but if they relieve our pain, they are worth it.
Alli

EAR PAIN AT NIGHT: I have had this problem for years – since I was a child. The pain is caused by the outer ear being compressed and becoming ischemic (deprived of circulation). The pain can radiate all the way down my neck to my upper chest and can be severe. It can happen in either ear, whichever I am sleeping on, and it doesn’t seem to matter what kind of pillow I use. It wakes me at night and pain can last for a half hour or more. Lightly massaging it helps to speed relief by increasing circulation, but is also very painful. Using a foam ear plug seems to help a little bit, as it adds a little support to the cartilage around the meatus (ear hole). But nothing I have tried prevents it entirely. I would love to find a way to prevent this painful condition as it keeps me from getting restful sleep.

I had this problem sometimes, and it was caused by certain styles of pierced earings pressing against the pillow.



Best wishes,

I experienced ear pain at night ,I turned out to be teeth clenching making the muscle around the ear to inflame,the dentist made me a tooth guard and the problem was solved

Many nights I awake in severe pain on my ear, it appears to be my outer ear maybe the cartilage, it is not that I am sleeping funny on my ear I have tried changing pillows the only help so far has been sleeping with only the very top of my head on the pillow and having my ear below my pillow. Sleeping with no pillow also causes the pain - I can't help but wonder why is this and why havent I ever heard of anyone else having this happen.
thanks for any advice Ka





I have the same issues. Have you read about how cell phones could possibly be a cause of cancer? I'm starting to believe that, that might be what it is.
You can email me [email protected]

I started to have ear cartillage pains after wearing glasses. The pains, in both ears, are quite strong, especially when the frame is of thin wires. IT STARTS WHERE THE FRAME TOUCHES THE UPPER PARTS OF MY OUTER EARS AND SPREADS DOWN, I HAVE TO TAKE MY GLASSES OFF AND TO KEEP THEM BY HAND BEFORE EYES.

It started couple of months ago (I am 83) and I will see my family doctor next week for the first time about this problem.

Almost nothing on the WEB about this and I will share all I know and would much appreciate any information about this strange condition. Who knows maybe it is a first sign of something serious.

Hi, I've had this problem for over 20 years, I'll describe what happens: I wake up with pain in the ear I am lying on, as soon as I move it gets worse, it feels hot and swollen around the cartilage, but then it seems to subside quite quickly, in a few minutes and then I can go back to sleep. It happens whichever side/ear I lie on. I saw a specialist many years ago who said he doesn't come across it very often, but he has seen it and it's just some people have very sensitive cartilage. He offered me steroid treatment which would require hospitalisation, but would cure it, however I was pregnant at that time. Meanwhile, trying everything I could possibly think of to stop it, I found the pliable wax earplugs completely stop it happening. They must cushion the cartilage. So I never went back for the steroids, as I prefer a natural solution to drugs. Apart from the odd time an earplug works loose, I now sleep soundly! I hope my story will help someone else :)

I started to have ear cartillage pains after wearing glasses. The pains, in both ears, are quite strong, especially when the frame is of thin wires. IT STARTS WHERE THE FRAME TOUCHES THE UPPER PARTS OF MY OUTER EARS AND SPREADS DOWN, i HAVE TO TAKE MY GLASSES OFF AND TO KEEP THEM BY HAND BEFORE EYES.

It started couple of months ago (I am 83) and I will see my family doctor next week for the first time about this problem.

Almost nothing on the WEB about this and I will share all I know and would much appreciate any information about this strange condition. Who knows maybe it is a first sign of something serious.

Barsuk, I do hope your doctor was able to help, that sounds awful. Guess we have sensitive ears.

I have had this problem for about 5 years now... AND I THINK I FIGURED OUT THE ISSUE!! (At least my issue). I would love to help others because I have been sleep deprived for this long now!
It is my hair, my hair is compressing my ear down, therefore it is not gettng enough circulation. Now that I FINALLY figured it out, when I wake up with the pain, I put my hand up by the top part of my ear and I can feel the strands of hair pulled very tight across my ear! I sure hope this helps, I am sleeping better now. I have also tried bobby pins and pony tails now that I know the problem, but sometime they do not hold my hair back like I would like. Again good luck, I hope this is your solution too!!
Tammy

I have had this problem for about 5 years now... AND I THINK I FIGURED OUT THE ISSUE!! (At least my issue). I would love to help others because I have been sleep deprived for this long now!
It is my hair, my hair is compressing my ear down, therefore it is not gettng enough circulation. Now that I FINALLY figured it out, when I wake up with the pain, I put my hand up by the top part of my ear and I can feel the strands of hair pulled very tight across my ear! I sure hope this helps, I am sleeping better now. I have also tried bobby pins and pony tails now that I know the problem, but sometime they do not hold my hair back like I would like. Again good luck, I hope this is your solution too!!
Tammy

I have had this problem for about 5 years now... AND I THINK I FIGURED OUT THE ISSUE!! (At least my issue). I would love to help others because I have been sleep deprived for this long now!
It is my hair, my hair is compressing my ear down, therefore it is not gettng enough circulation. Now that I FINALLY figured it out, when I wake up with the pain, I put my hand up by the top part of my ear and I can feel the strands of hair pulled very tight across my ear! I sure hope this helps, I am sleeping better now. I have also tried bobby pins and pony tails now that I know the problem, but sometime they do not hold my hair back like I would like. Again good luck, I hope this is your solution too!!
Tammy

I have Ear cartilage pain only in my right ear because I sleep on my right side because of a medical issue.
It wakes me up with major pain, I find occasionally I have a wrinkle in my pillow slip or I'm laying with more pressure on that part of my ear. I have very pronounced inner ear cartilage ( No my ears don't stick out!ha!ha!)
My husband told me it's the beginning of Cauliflower ears, when the cartliage starts to break down (causing pain) and your ear will flatten out! I'm not sure how to solve it, but if I do, I'll let everyone know!
Until then, sleep well everyone!

I have had this problem for over a year now. It is very painful. The only thing that have helped me is that I bought a neck pillow . One of them ones shaped like a horse shoe and I put it on my pillow with my ear inside the middle so that there is no presser on the ear. This has helped me allot. Some times I loose it it my sleep and wake up in pain but I fine it real fast. I don't know if it means anything but I also have ringing in the same ear and its driving me crazy.

Hi Breezy1999, I actually found a name for this affliction, it's called " Chondro-dermatitis Nodularis", it's said with out the hyphen just thought it would be easier to pronounc.
The ridge of my ear has been flaking,then forming a scab,then coming off, but it just seems to be getting worse! Oh! The Pain! The Pain! ( joke, if you've ever watched 'Fantasy Island!). Seriously now, I'm going to my Doctors on the 20th of this month and I'm going to explain it all, so hopefully I'll be able to come back and fill you all in. The one article I've read that gave me the name said you'll probably have to go see a Specialist " Nose, Ear, & Throat Doctor". More damn Doctors! Yuck!
I had my husband make me a cotton ball/band-aide patch that he taped to my ear/head, he made like a ear pillow, it worked really well except... the tape pulled a lot of my hair out! And when I tried it the next night I couldn't get it to stay, and I ran out of band-aides!
As far as the ringing in the ear, I always thought it might be from medication's or air pressure in the ear canal, but I'm not a doctor... go see about that. I think I will try a different pillow, like the one you suggest, sounds better than pulling out my hair with tape! And I'm at the age I don't need anymore hair loss!!
Good Luck, and I'll post back with what my doc says! Have a Pain free night!

Chondrodermatitis Nodularis is not the same ailment. We are talking about pain without any visible cause (no nodule or ulcer) which only seems to occur when outside of ear has been compressed in some way, and quickly resolves when the compression is released. And, Chondrodermatitis Nodularis is generally found in those age 60+. In my case, I have had this ear pain intermittently for years (I am 54), but my 17 year old son also has it. For us, it is just an occasional annoyance, but I did want to know that there is nothing seriously wrong, so I googled "ear pain while sleeping" and found this board. I feel pretty confident now that it is just irritation of the cartilage. I have also, as others mentioned, had a similar (although not as strong) pain from wearing my glasses all day and also from the posts of pierced earrings pressing behind my ears. It sounds as if the solution is just to be gentle with our ears, sleeping and otherwise. Thanks for some good tips!

Yes, still getting ear pain, only it is more frequent now, sometimes occurring more than once a night. I agree I think it is just compressed cartilage but I do wish there was something that could be done about it. I can't imagine living with this every night for the rest of my life. I have tried new pillows, even the crazy expensive pillows, but still ear pain night after night.