Why does my ear hurt at night when I sleep on it?
If your ear hurts during the night or when you wake up, it is likely that you are either a habitual side-sleeper, have a rigid pillow, or there is an underlying ear problem such as CNH.
If you’re sure that you don’t have any ear issues and your ears are still sore during the night, then closer inspection is warranted.
There are many people with particularly delicate ears, and such people get ear pain even when very little pressure is applied. If you’re reading this then there is a good chance that this described you.
The three main reasons for experiencing night-time ear pain are:
- You ‘re a habitual side sleeper.
- You use a hard pillow that hurts your ears.
- You have an underlying ear condition such as auricular chondritis or Chondrodermatitis (CNH)
We will now examine each of these reasons for ear pain during the night.
Being a habitual side sleeper.
Habitual side sleepers, or people that remain lay on one side during the entire night, their entire lives, are at a much higher risk of getting ear pain. Those that toss and turn give their ears equal time on the pillow, whereas those that lay still put all the pressure on one ear only.
This is generally fine in younger people, although it can cause intermittent flare ups of pain if the ear is particularly pinched.
However, as we age, our skin becomes less resilient and less able to repair itself. This is especially true of the thin skin of our ears. Therefore, older, habitual side sleepers are more prone to ear pain. This is because the skin degrades because of the friction and pressure of the pillow acting against the ear, and the body is not able to keep up with the damage, as it would have been able to when the person was younger.
Hard Pillow
A hard pillow puts extra pressure on the ear. This can squash the cartilage and hurt the delicate muscles around the ear.
The remedy is to swap out your pillow for a soft pillow to determine if the ear pain goes away. If this works, fantastic. Problem solved. If not, consult your doctor or GP to see if the pain is the result of an underlying ear condition.
Try The Original Pillow with a Hole ™ for a few nights to relieve the pressure.
Why does my ear hurt at night when I sleep on it?
Underlying Ear Condition
If you have ticked off the previous two causes, you may very well have an underlying ear condition that is causing ear pain in the morning.
When you have an ear condition, a simple remedy like sleeping on the other side or using a soft pillow may not work.
If changing your pillow or not sleeping on one side for long is not helping, consult your doctor or GP to address the underlying ear condition. Common conditions include auricular chondritis and Chondrodermatitis (CNH)
