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Last Updated: August 7, 2020

Best Pillow with Ear Hole for Pain Relief (2021 Picks)

While searching for a good quality side sleeper pillow with ear hole in the middle, we looked at more than 10 different products and were surprised to see that only a few of them actually offered the relief we’ve been looking for.

If you’ve been tirelessly looking for the best pillow for ear pain, your search ends now. We have already burnt a lot of money to find these winners to make sure you don’t waste your time and money on useless ear pain prevention pillows that do more harm than good.

Check out our best picks.

5 Best Pillows With Ear Hole in the Middle (2021 Picks)

PureComfort Ear Pain & CNH Pillow

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The Best Pillows for Ear Pain

1. PureComfort’s Pillow With An Ear Hole in the Middle

Do you have to toss and turn the whole night in your bed, trying to find a position that will help you fall asleep without triggering your ear pain? If so, give the Pure Comfort’s Ear Hole pillow a try, which you will find to work wonders. When looking for a support that is there to stay, this pillow becomes your ideal match.

As the name suggests, the PureComfort’s ear pain pillow features an ear hole in the middle that is ergonomically designed to provide relief from ear pain. It is commonly used by CNH patients or those with sensitive ears, to eliminate the symptoms of their illness and prevent them from recurring, while they sleep.

The pillow filling is made of a proprietary mix of visco-elastic shredded memory foam, which is known for its ability to provide superior support to your head and neck. Since the shredded memory foam is breathable, machine washable and is guaranteed to not go flat, you can rest assured that this pillow is totally worth the money.

However, what truly makes it stand apart is the adjustable loft, which allows individuals with diverse sleeping preferences to customize the pillow as per their comfort. Giving access to the filling inside, through a zipper, PureComfort allows you to add or remove the fill to achieve the desired pillow loft. You therefore enjoy an uninterrupted sleep through the night.

2. PureComfort CNH Pillow with 2 Ear Pockets

Sleeping with CPAP to treat sleep apnea can be a major nuisance, especially while resting your head on ordinary pillows. The PureComfort’s CPAP pillow however is designed to be compatible with a CPAP machine, as well as to prevent the symptoms of ear pain, CNH and TMJ from escalating while you sleep.

The PureComfort’s CPAP pillow features dual ear holes, which are designed in a way to take off pressure from your ear and other pressure points on your face. So even when the pressure from the CPAP machine weighs down on you, the ear holes will ensure that your ears won’t bear the brunt of it. Due to the two ear cutouts that eliminate pressure, you will sleep comfortably no matter what side you are sleeping on.

The pillow features a proprietary mix of visco elastic shredded memory foam filling, which is extremely breathable and prevents you from overheating during the night. It consists of a bamboo cover which enables the pillow to stay cool while you sleep. The hypoallergenic nature of the cover ensures that you enjoy a fitful sleep without having to worry about developing allergies.

This pillow also comes with an adjustable loft option, which enables a single pillow to be used by individuals with diverse needs. Whether you prefer a several inches loftier pillow, or a flatter one instead, all you really need to do is add or remove the filling from the zipper cover.

3. Mkicesky Contour Memory Foam Pillow

The Mkicesky memory foam pillow is nothing like your traditional pillow with an ear hole. In addition to its superb ergonomic design that makes sleep come naturally to even the most troubled sleepers, it becomes the best bet for those looking for relief from recurring ear pain during sleep.

The pillow has gained popularity in quite a small period of time, for its ability to alleviate symptoms of ear, neck, shoulder and back pain all through its unique design. This memory foam pillow matches the contours of your body to support your neck and head in a way that promotes appropriate spinal alignment.

Individuals with ear pain are often suggested to elevate their ears, which enables their ears to stay above the rest of the body and promote drainage of ear fluids. The Mkicesky Memory foam pillow therefore features a prominent loft with varying heights on both sides creating a slight wedge that becomes ideal to alleviate symptoms of ear pain. Moreover, the hollow design in the middle of the pillow works best for side sleepers who can thus sleep comfortably without putting pressure on the sensitive ear.

Moreover, since the pillow is made of 100% low rebound memory foam, it offers a guaranteed comfort. Memory foam provides a soft and resilient support to you, with an efficient air circulation to enable you to sleep cold.

4. DeluxeComfort Ear Pressure Relief Pillow

DeluxeComfort’s Anti-stress pillow provides the ultimate relief for you, if you suffer from persistent ear aches throughout the night. Combining a superior therapeutic value with ultimate comfort, the Forever Sleepy Hollow anti-stress pillow works like a wonder in putting you to a restful slumber.

The attractive dimple right in the middle of the pillow is hard to ignore. However, more than the aesthetic appeal, the hollow region is part of the pillow’s therapeutic feature to provide relief from ear pain.

Individuals with earaches who tend to sleep on their side often develop ear pain as a result of the added pressure on their ear. This pressure can be effectively prevented by the hollowed out region of the pillow.

In addition to the therapeutic value with regard to ear pain relief, this pillow also tends to provide superior support to your head and neck region. This pillow therefore can easily be morphed and used as a chiropractic pillow that can help relieve neck and back pains by putting your body into its natural and preferred alignment.

5. Core Products Tri-Core Cervical Support Pillow

If you are looking for a cervical pillow that can also provide assistance in alleviating your ear pain, look no further. The Tri-Core Cervical pillow by Core Products with its anatomical construction and top-tier materials become your best bet at a peaceful sleep through the night.

In order to make your symptoms of ear pain go away, the Tri-Core pillow features a trapezoidal-shaped center hollowed out to provide space for your sensitive ear as you sleep on your side. This prevents your ear from bearing the brunt of your body weight, which will otherwise cause an aching ear.

Just as most cervical pillows do, the Tri-Core pillow is designed in a way to help alleviate the symptoms of your neck pain. While the hollowed out center provides you with a supportive surface that cradles your head, the cervical roll on the sides provide superior support to your neck region. You therefore manage to restore your proper cervical curve during the night.

This cervical support pillow comes in both firm and relatively less firm options that can help you adjust to the pillow gradually. Thanks to its superior quality, this cervical pillow is bound to provide you with a firm yet comfortable support for years to come.

Why is Ear Pain Worse at Night?

Your ear pain worsens during the night because the horizontal position of your body promotes the constriction of the Eustachian tubes within your body. Eustachian tubes are the narrow air flow enabling passageways which are also responsible to manage the drainage of ear fluids by maintaining the appropriate pressure within your ears.

Doing so during the day time is fairly easy for these tubes, when the vertical body posture enables the tubes to dilate and promote airflow. During the night when these tubes contract, the flow of air slows down, causing a pressure difference to build up. This ultimately slows down the drainage of the fluid within your ears, a buildup of which exerts pressure on your ears resulting in stabbing ear pain.

Why Buy a Pillow With Hole in the Middle?

Pillows with ear holes in center tend to work best for side sleepers who are prone to developing earaches. When individuals with sensitive ears sleep on their side, especially the one with the aching ear, your body weight causes pressure to be exerted on your ear as well as on the pressure points in your face. This leads to incidences of ear pain in most individuals.

A pillow with an ear hole prevents the weight of your body from being supported by your sensitive ear. The ear hole acts as a cavity which tends to limit the contact of your ear with the pillow. It therefore helps to prevent your ear from getting strained and consequently developing pain afterwards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can sleeping on your side hurt your ear?

It most definitely can, especially if the side you are sleeping on has your sensitive ear in contact with your pillow. When you sleep on your affected ear side, the weight of your body tends to exert pressure on the sensitive ear. This presses on the outer part of your ear, which causes it to swell and therefore results in agonizing ear pain.

Sleeping on the good ear however, with your affected ear lifted above the rest of your body by being plopped against multiple pillows, tends to be a favorable sleeping position for individuals with ear pain.

Can a pillow cause earache?

If your pillow enables your body to exert pressure on your ears, it most definitely plays its part in developing an earache. Most pillows that aren’t designed to help you cope with your ear pain, tend to have a rather firm support with friction enabling pillow covers.

Sleeping on such pillows, especially on your side, for a long period of time can exert pressure on your outer ear, causing it to swell and become painful. Specially designed pillows with ear holes are gaining popularity for their ability to prevent you from exerting pressure on your ear while you sleep during the night.

How can I stop my ears from hurting when I sleep?

Naturally, sleeping in a way that enables your Eustachian tubes to resume their working uninterrupted can prevent ear pain from triggering. You should therefore ideally use a pillow with an ear hole to prevent additional pressure from causing pain in your ear.

Moreover, sleeping upright rather than lying down can ensure that your Eustachian tubes do not contract and constrict the air flow. So you can either sleep on a comfortable wedge pillow, an armrest pillow or plop your head on top of multiple pillows to ensure your head stays above the rest of your body. Additionally you can try heat therapy before you go to sleep, sip or swallow some fluids, or if the pain worsens take some OTC painkillers.

Does CNH go away on its own?

CNH is not exactly a critical condition and in most cases, it does go away on its own, after persisting for several months. All you need to do is ensure that it doesn’t get irritated by maintaining certain self-care techniques.

First off, you need to sleep on the side that doesn’t contain the CNH nodule, so that no pressure is exerted on the sensitive skin. Applying petroleum jelly to the irritated nodule can also help relieve the irritation caused by the nodule. In some cases however the nodule catches infection and the CNH becomes critical. At this point, your doctor might suggest antibiotics or a surgery to eliminate the nodule.

How should you sleep to relieve ear pressure?

You should sleep on a pillow with an ear hole to relieve the pressure that forms on your ears. Moreover, you need to avoid sleeping on the side where the ear pressure develops ear ache. The supine sleeping position is also generally regarded as a suitable position for individuals with ear pain. However, you would need to elevate your head using either multiple pillows or a single wedge pillow. Doing so helps your Eustachian tubes to open up and make use of gravity to drain the excess fluid from your ear drums.

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