Best Pillows for Ear Pain: Bring You A Good Sleep!

Have you ever woke up with such a horrible earache in the morning? If yes, it’s time to buy the right pillow for your painful ear. The pillow is particularly designed to alleviate your ear pain and provide you with cervical support and spinal alignment during the night time.

If you are bombarded with different kinds of pillows available out there, then a list of best pillows for ear pain will definitely come in handy.

Ear Pain Get Worse at Night. Why?

During the daytime, your head stays upright and you perform some muscle actions like swallowing, talking or yawning. This allows the Eustachian tube to open widely enough for air to go through, which prevents pressure and pain in the ears.

However, during night time, your ear often gets worse because when you leaning back on the bed, the Eustachian tubes become blocked, causing an accumulation of fluid to drain. Plus, your habit of sleeping on your side can also place pressure on your ear and hurt it as well.

Our Pick of The Best Pillows for Ear Pain 2020

#1. Duro-Med DMI Side Sleeper Body Pillow  

Key Features:

• U-shaped design for full body support.
• Ergonomic pocket offers a comfortably night sleep without friction on your ears.
• The soft yet firm polyester filling gives you a comfortable night’s sleep.
• Hypoallergenic, firm, polyester filling.
• Ideal for traveling.
• Machine washable and dust mint resistant cover.

If you are seeking for a pillow for a painful ear, then Duro-Med DMI Side Sleeper Body Pillow can be something you should opt for because of its excellent features.

The U-shaped pillow is specifically tailored for predominant side sleepers as it molds to your body contours and keeps its shape. This unique design helps in cradling your neck and head, thus reducing friction and pressure between your head and pillow and giving a more restful night’s sleep.

Thanks to its Ergonomic Ear Pocket Design, air can pass through the top pillow, allowing you to comfortably sleep on your own side through the night without creating much pressure or friction on your ears.

Besides, this side sleeper pillow features a firm and hypoallergenic polyester fiber, enhancing your nightly comfort while keeping allergens at bay.

If you are a travel enthusiast but worried about your painful ear on the trip, don’t you worry! Duro-Med DMI will help to solve your problem as it is lightweight and small enough for easy use on the go.

Last but not least, the cover is washable, so you can remove it from a pillow and give it a brand new look without any hassle.

The only downside of this pillow is that because of its small size, it won’t be used to support your lower back or knees.

Important:

To get the best results, you should open the pillow from the packaging right after you buy it and then give it 24 hrs to fully recover and fluff if necessary.

Pros:

• Soft and Hypoallergenic
• Machine washable for easier cleaning
• Provide optimal cervical support

Cons:

• Small size

#2. Nature’s Guest Adjustable Cervical Pillow

Key Features:

• Contoured design helps ease neck pain and maintain the proper head, neck and spinal alignment while sleeping.
• The dual zipper allows you to fully control the amount of filling and the level of firmness.
• The cover is made from cotton fabric and is hypoallergenic as well.
• If you are not satisfied with the pillow, you can return it in thirty days.

Nature’s Guest Cervical Pillow is one of the most comfortable pillows for back and side sleepers. It features a contour at the center that offers excellent cervical support and ear pain relief, thus improving your sleep quality. Plus, its design enables you to shift from this position to another effortlessly without causing pain to your ears.

The most noticeable edge of this particular item is that it allows you to easily adjust the level support of firmness and density to meet your preferences while giving spinal alignment. Its cover is made out of Ultra-luxurious 233 thread cotton and hypoallergenic materials, which not only offers comfortable support, alleviates neck, ear and back pain but also clear up your worries about skin allergies.

Nature’s Guest is highly recommended by both chiropractic and orthopedic doctors for supporting your neck while sleeping on your back.

What buyers complain about this pillow is that it comes with extra filling, which is somewhat messy. Another drawback is that the pillow tend to get flat overtime.

All in all, with these features, this pillow may not fall short of your expectations.

NOTE: Unlike most conventional pillows, this Cervical pillow is firmer and uniquely designed with an indentation at the center for your neck comfort. Because of featuring heavier filling, it is not ideal for those who want a soft pillow.

Pros:

• Well made
• Adjustable filling for proper support
• Affordable

Cons:

• Extra filling is s little bit messy
• The pillow get flat overtime

#3. Remedy 80-YT225 Contour Pillow

Bluestone Key Features:

• The pillow is made out of the hypoallergenic poly-fiber cushion.
• The cotton cover features a zipper.
• The pillow is designed to keep your head and neck aligned.
• The cushion can be carried when you travel.

This U-shaped pillow from Bluestone is aimed to maintain your healthy posture and give full-body pain relief as you sleep. What makes this pillow stands out is the two ear pockets design that offers you comfort and painless night sleep by keeping your neck and back cradled, well-aligned and protected from strain.

Moreover, its cover is a hypoallergenic poly-fiber cushion, recommended for people dealing with skin allergies, and is a zippered pillow cover for doing the cleaning.

The pillow is also ideal for those who often go on a business trip or traveling as it is exceptionally compact. You can bring it everywhere you go for a sense of comfort and painlessness.

Using Remedy 80-YT225 when sleeping means that you won’t need to use multiple pillows for the sound sleep as can do it all. This all-in-one pillow has been highly recommended by customers because of not only its effectiveness but also its affordable price.

It’s worth noting that every pillow of this kind has Bluestone’s logo, so make sure to pay attention to this feature when purchasing one for the best results.

Does this pillow have any claws? Absolutely. People find it too small to give added support and comfort.

Pros:

• Offer comfort and painless night sleep
• Compact design & affordable price
• Hypoallergenic construction

Cons:

• For some, it might be too small for added support

Also read>>Best pillow for shoulder pain: top 5 options of 2020 & buying guide

#4. The Original Pillow with a Hole

Key Features:

• The Original P.W.A.H features a center hole.
• The item helps to faster healing after surgical procedures.
• Its handy zip is useful to control the firmness level.
• It deals with CNH and Pressure Sores.
• Hollowfibre used in the pillow can trap air.

This pillow is extremely beneficial to people suffering from chronic ear pain. It comes with a hole at the center, which helps in reducing ear pain, CNH, and pressure sores as well.

As an added bonus, hollowfibre with thin and narrow polyester fiber strands used in this pillow can trap air and maintain the pillow plumpness. Compared to memory foam, hollowfibre is cooler and softer. Moreover, as it is hypoallergenic, there will not have any sign of allergic reactions.

The Original pillow is made out of 100% cotton and is hand-stuffed with hypoallergenic hollow-fiber, so there is no saggy corner and lumpy bit. The side zipper is adjustable, allowing you to choose and control the firmness level as you want by taking out or inserting in the stuffing.

For those who have experienced ear surgery or troublesome piercings, the item also helps in quickly healing wounds. The Original P.W.A.H has been received positive feedback from customers after a couple of weeks of use. However, some people claimed that it is too thin and flat, causing your ear to get pressure on it.

All of the features mentioned above make the Original P.W.A.H an ideal solution for a painful ear.

Pros:

• The firmness can be adjustable
• Relieve ear pain with a center hole
• Keep body warm in the cold weather

Cons:

• Thin and flat
• Has chemical smell

#5. PureComfort – Side Sleeping Pillow

Key Features:

• The pillow comes with ear cutouts to eliminate ear pain.
• The cover is bamboo Hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant cover.
• The Pillow meets the CertiPUR-US Standards.
• The item features CentiPUR Certified Memory Foam.

If you are struggling with an earache or facial pressure while sleeping on your side, this pillow can resolve such a problem.

The PureComfort features cutouts for your ears, very useful to eliminate pain while you sleep. Plus, its height inserts allow the pillow itself to adjust to your comfort level without you getting your hands on it.

What’s even more interesting is that its content, emissions, and durability all meet the CertiPUR-US standards, meaning that the foam has been strictly tested for no TCEP flame retardants, lead, heavy metals and toxic substances.

Therefore, I bet that allergy sufferers will be satisfied with this pillow. Plus, Its cover is machine washable, making it easy to clean it for a new look. However, the downside of this item is its thinness, so it does not fit in standard pillowcases, so you’ll have to buy cases from the company.

If the pillow falls short of your expectations, you can return it to the manufacturers within one hundred days.

Pros:

• Machine washable
• Hypoallergenic and chemical odor free

Cons:

• Adjusting to the pillow takes time
• Too thin

When it comes to selecting the right pillow for a painful ear, there is no one-size-fits-all formula. However, a pillow that corresponds to the way you sleep is linked to the improved quality of your shut-eye, especially if you have issues with ear.

There are various types of pillows available out there that are specifically designed to benefit those dealing with ear pain. Nevertheless, before rushing to buy one, it’s necessary for you to ask yourself the question “Which is your sleep position?” Answering this may help you pick a pillow that does good to your ear. For a stomach sleeper or back sleeper, just pick a soft and flatter pillow as it provides you with proper support.

If you are a side sleeper, a firmer pillow and a pillow on the thicker side would be the best choice. Choose one that has the same thickness as the space between your ear and the outside shoulder.

Moreover, a pillow with holes or cutouts that fit your ear shape and size is also an ideal option because it protects your ears from the pressure exerted by the pillow while sleeping.

You can also choose a very soft pillow with adjustable microbeads and thicker design to get your desired comfort level when you’re lying on your side.

Other Ways to Cure Ear Pain

Though Ear pain is not a sign of serious health issues, it prevents you from eating or even sleeping. If you are experiencing such an annoying problem, consider using the following methods to alleviate your ear pain.

• Use a few soft pillows to elevate your head during the night time. This allows air to pass through your Eustachian tube yet may hurt spinal as well as neck. Therefore, it would be better if you put the bed’s legs to elevate your bed’s head instead. Another effective way is to put a wedge pillow between the bed and your mattress.
• Cover the painful ear with a warm flannel cloth, whose heating radiating will help to soften the earwax and bring relief.
• Swallowing and yawning is another remedy you can try to prevent the pain from waking up you at night as this makes the Eustachian tubes open wider.
• Using a hairdryer on a warm and low mode also has a great result on your painful ear. Be sure to keep it around twenty centimeters from your ear to avoid getting a burn.
• Taking pain relievers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or paracetamol before bedtime may be useful in relieving the pain.
• One of the easiest ways to combat ear pain is to place a few drops of olive oil or warmed garlic into your affected ears and then use cotton balls to plug them.
• It is advisable to sip some water before you go to bed. The swallowing motion can cause the Eustachian tubes to open up and drain, thus alleviating your earache.
• Gentle massage can help with ear pain that radiates from the jaw or teeth, or that causes a tension headache.
• Doing simple neck exercises might help to ease the pain caused by tense muscles around the ear canal.
• Sleeping in an upright position can help reduce the pressure placed on the ear.

These methods are no doubt useful for an earache, but they don’t work for any cases. If your ear pain comes to a great extent, don’t resist to try them. Instead, going to see a doctor for diagnosing the cause of the pain and prescribe a proper remedy.

FAQs

1. What is the best pillow for ear pain?

The best pillow for ear pain is supposed to have a design that places the least amount of pressure on your ears. You can choose one several options above with different designs such as a soft microbead pillow or the one with holes or an indentation. Another great option for a painful ear is a pillow with ear contours and thicker design. Besides, your pillow should be adjustable to enable you to fit your different sleeping positions.

These pillows might look a little bizarre, but their innovative features are actually useful in reducing the pressure placed on your ears, and just might result in your higher quality of sleep.

2. Can a Pillow Cause Ear pain?

A pillow can be beneficial or harmless to your ear, depending on its firmness and your sleep posture as well. Ear pain is a real possibility if a pillow that’s too firm, too flat or not specially designed for those with ear issues.

Moreover, if you choose the wrong shape pillow, ear pain will definitely be increased.

Thus, it’s crucial to have the best pillow to resolve such an annoying problem. Make sure to pick a pillow that keeps the neck and the head aligned.

3. How to sleep on your side without hurting your ear?

Repeated frictional pressure on the ear is one of the most common causes of earache. And if you are a predominant side sleeper and you are struggling with ear pain, then you need to learn some methods below to get the most out of this sleeping position without hurting your ear.

1. Be sure to use a thick and firm pillow for the best comfort.
2. First, turn to the left side. Make sure your ears and shoulders are aligned. Neither tuck your chin into your chest nor keep your head down.
3. Your arms and hands should be below your face and neck and parallel to the sides.

Conclusion

Choosing the right pillow is significantly important to those dealing with a painful ear. The best pillow for ear pain is not necessarily the most expensive one. What really matters is its functions as well as features. Make sure to know your sleeping position before making a purchase decision to achieve the results as you want. With several options listed above, you may not be wrong about choosing a pillow for yourself, right?

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