Severe ear pain caused when I lay down at night.

Did the vitamin D help at all??

Is it possible you are allergic to the fabric? I discarded my memory foam pillow for a polyester one. It didn't improve, so I changed my cotton pillowcase for a polyester one. I haven't woken up in the night with it since. I believe that I have an underlying mold allergy that accounts for this. Cotton as a natural fabric is susceptible to mold spores. I also find that I have to avoid foods that have black mold (aspergillis niger) in them, any corn derivative such as maltodextrin, dextrose and citric acid (not citrict extract though, as that is from the fruit so is OK)

My ear pain while sleeping on my pillows , comes & goes.
I used to have a firm pillow for my neck, but now I stack a few soft pillows ,& punch in an area where my ear will be. Takes the pressure off my ear.
Another thing that works...using a squishy travel pillow to support my neck & lift my ear off the pillow.
Every night something different works.
For the past month , though, no pain at night sleeping on my pillows.
I am trying to to take a few anti-inflammatory herbal pills to see if they will help out, Turmeric, Frankincense, Ginger herbal caps.

This is so me ! What the heck is going on its the most throbbing pain you can feel like your ear has a heartbeat. Ive been dealing for about 3-4 yrs Doctor say they can't see anything abnormal I can go to an ENT but I have no sinus issues .Oh my hearing is a little lower in that same right ear.Smh!!

Hi, I have exactly the same problem. I now use a super soft pillow on top of my regular one which helps alleviate some of the pressure.

I've had pain in my ear "cartilage" on both sides for approximately the last six years. The parts of my ear that stick out furthest hurt the most. Pressure is definitely involved. I do what a lot of you do - use a soft down pillow and make hollows in it for my ears. However, the pain often gets so bad that not even that helps. Then, sometimes, the pain will get better for a while by itself. After six years of searching, I received a diagnosis yesterday that makes sense. I was diagnosed with neuralgia of the nerves in my head / face. Several of these nerves affect the ear and can cause ear pain. I was told that I have "trigeminal neuralgia" and maybe "glossopharyngeal neuralgia." By now, I have other symptoms too, besides the ear pain, and much of my pain has become constant. This problem can get worse. It can make your life very difficult, with tremor, twitching, tinnitus, and muscle spasms that won't let go, all caused by nerve problems (as far as I understand it). The pain can be treated with medications like carbamazepine. I think it's important to find out the cause of the neuralgia. I was told that my pain is not being caused by a TMJ disorder, clenching, or Eagle syndrome. I don't know what is causing my neuralgia and I don't have any treatment yet. I was diagnosed by a highly-educated dentist who specializes in facial pain. If you can find a good neurologist, he / she may be able to help you too. This isn't easy an easy journey. Don't give up. Keep trying.

My night-time ear cartilage pain has actually been much better for a while. It isn't gone, but I've only been noticing it if I put a great deal of pressure on the side of my head, for example when lying on my stomach with my head turned to one side. I don't normally do that. Well, I just woke up with this ear pain again! As I woke up, I could tell that I was clenching my teeth together. When I woke up, the muscles at the sides of my neck seemed to have shortened/stiffened. I think I've read that this can happen as a result of clenching. I use a night guard, but it doesn't prevent clenching. Now I'm wondering whether the dentist I recently visited may have been mistaken. He said that my clenching is the result of pain from my neuralgia, but in no way is clenching the cause of my pain. I had quite a lot of tea today, which is something I rarely do anymore. I got a lot of work done. It seems like exactly the kind of day that invites clenching. Caffeine increases muscle tension. You may want to try avoiding caffeine completely and see if it helps. I use Plackers Grind No More Dental Night Protectors. They're reusable for weeks at a time and therefore quite inexpensive. When the one you're using gets too floppy or otherwise worn out, you throw the old one out and use a new one from the package. They're small and fairly comfortable. While you may still clench, at least the surface you clench on is a bit softer. A previous dentist told me that it's good that a night guard makes you sleep with your mouth open a tiny bit because it "decompresses" the area around the TM joint, which contains nerves. Clenching is a known cause of neuralgia. He said that many people clench without having any idea that they're doing it. A sleep lab can apparently check whether you're clenching. There's a lot of good material online about this problem. I feel a little disappointed in this most recent dentist. He was extremely expensive. I feel that he didn't look into my problem thoroughly enough. For instance, he didn't ask how my problems began or what symptoms I may already have had for decades. I've gone through many stages of shifted bite, swelling under my jaws, etc., during the past two years, which are no longer evident now but are part of what I have going on. I have been told many times that I don't have TMJ disorder, even by one dentist who told me, "Clenching is the cause of all your problems." In my geographic area, clenching (and its consequences) is apparently not considered a form of TMJ disorder. Online, clenching / bruxism is often considered a type of TMJ disorder, at least as far as I remember from previous reading. Now I'm very confused. Is my problem just from clenching or do I have some kind of nerve illness? The inside of my mouth hurts so badly that I've been almost unable to speak for the past year and a half. How do I stop clenching? I've been using a night guard for over a year and have done everything I can to not clench, but my symptoms continue.

Well, here I am again. I'm thinking that my ear cartilage pain may not be neuralgia or the result of clenching! My ears are so painful, right now, that I can't even lie on my back. Parts of my ears would still touch the sheet or pillow. I haven't been able to hold a phone to my head in years. This feels like the hot, searing pain of inflammation. After trying to use the phone yesterday, I rubbed my ears a bit. Now they're on fire! The pain hasn't stopped. I don't even have to touch my ears. I found a useful article which may help: ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** posting of web addresses is not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use. I may try not washing my ears for a while and see whether it helps. I should also stop using ear buds. I only use them in bed and lay them lightly on top of my ears. Maybe this is still too much? And I may have to stop phoning altogether... The way this problem comes and goes (for me) leads me to think that washing, phoning, and ear buds are not the problem at all. My problem can go away for months. Then, suddenly, it's back! I have a few medical appointments coming up and will ask about this.

My apologies. I had forgotten that we're not allowed to post web addresses. If you look up "auricular chondritis," you'll find some interesting information.

Having this issue and refuse to believe I need A new pillow. Do you live in NY. Trying to find the right doctor.

I bumped into this thread since I have had this trouble since 3 months back. I did fillings to my wisdom teeth and the problem started. I have taken my wisdom teeth out now but the problem is still there. I seem to have tmj trouble since I hear clicking in my right jaw but its my left ear that hurts.

In cold weather, I get slight ear pain. My wisdom teeth were taken 1 month ago and another 5 days ago.

Seems like the pain got worse when I took my right wisdom tooth out 5 days ago. I guess I am pressing my teeth hard since I do see marka of my teeth on my tounge

Is this really tmj related?

Hi! It's Susan here. I'm still trying to figure this problem out. My outer ear pain is now there day and night, with one ear worse than the other. During the day, the burning, stinging pain suddenly "flares up" at various times. I'm trying to figure out why. Is it from chewing, swallowing, bending forward, or having air come up my throat? It feels very much like nerve pain. The trigeminal nerve and other nerves go to the ears. You can find diagrams online. Both sides of the head can be affected even if a TMJ problem is on one side. The other side can get pain and various other symptoms just from trying to adjust to the injured side. Clenching, of course, can affect both sides. The marks on the teeth can have various causes, including TMJ, tongue swelling, and mouth breathing. Cold used to give me ear pain even many decades ago. I was told it was being caused by a nerve. Wearing hats more often fixed that, though I was sometimes ridiculed because people didn't think it was cold enough for a hat. I had no choice, since the ear pain was very bad. However, thinking about you, other things besides nerves could also hurt in the cold, like teeth and jaw joints. What I'm thinking is that our ear pain may be related to a problem we already have. In my case, the ear pain could be from migraines, heartburn, clenching, or mouth breathing.

Oh, excuse me! I meant "marks on the tongue."

I should add that I also have a moderately large maxillary sinus cyst on the side where my outer ear pain is worst. Perhaps it's the cause of my many years of ear, tongue, and gum pain. The type of cyst I have is usually harmless. I'm having a hard time getting any ENT to pay attention to the possibility that it could matter. They refuse to even glance at the scans showing the cyst. My friends, ask for a scan. Even a dental panoramic x-ray may show the type of sinus cyst that I have. Perhaps sinusitis or chronic allergies affecting the head could cause referred nerve pain to the ears. There's a medical article online that says that sinusitis can cause trigeminal neuralgia. - Susan

I have this combination too. I occasionally get relief during the day by using a little arnica cream on the affected area.