When I go to sleep I usually sleep on one of my sides - which ever side I am on, my ear goes to sleep! Drives me crazy - feels like it is bent over and starts to prickle, bad enough to wake me up.

is this common?

gosh char,

i sleep on my sides and i havn't experienced that.
i hate things that wake me up.

Hey Char~ I also sleep on my sides and I turn constantly all night long. The only thing that bothers me when I'm on my side too long is my shoulder and hips.

Right now, my ear is plugged, but it doesn't have anything to do w/my laying on it.

Sorry I can't help ya. Can ya hear me NOW???

Wonder if there's a way for you to protect your ear so that the nerve isn't compressed...must be a really irritating way to be awakened...

Well, that has to be pretty obnoxious.

I'm sure this will generate a fair amount of mockery from a couple dingbats, but, are you using a good pillow?

A down pillow will yield to your softer points and also "mold" around your neck and head just as you prefer it. A push here, a punch there, and it's custom comfort every time.

Sometimes I get a wicked burning pain in the outer ear if I'm inadvertently sleeping on my hand, back to the pillow and it goes away.

Hey - I sleep on my hand! Is that what is causing it??? and no I don't have a good pillow - 2 cheap ones to make a good one!

No little Yabbit, two wrongs don't make a right! Get yer hand out from under your head! Go get yourself a good pillow like Nappy said and you will be fine!!

I hate it when that happens! I sometimes sleep on my arm at night and it goes to sleep and wakes me up.

By Jove, I think she's got it!

Ha! Another mystery solved.

All in a day's work, all in a day's work.

Hi Char,

A pillow has become very important to me in the past few years as my aches and ailments increased. Like DM, I get shoulder pain, so I need to keep changing position. If I have the wrong pillow, I also get upper back and neck pain.

Let us know what kind you get, I vote for a down one as AMN suggested. If you're allergic, they have hypoallergenic covers to go with them. That's what I put over my old faithful feather pillow.

I always sleep on my left side because I have limited range of motion in my neck to the right from an accident. My ear does not go numb, but I don't have my hand there, my left arm is somewhere under there.

I found a pillow that has a gel covering which is very comfortable. It is only on one side. I found it at Marshals about 2 years ago.

It is a real bother to get up because sometimes it is hard to get back to sleep.

I also use a pillow between my legs which is the better way to sleep on your side. If you are really good, you have a third pillow to put your arms around, per my PT. Hope something works for you.