When I sleep at night I am constantly having to roll over from side to side because I get terrible pain in my ears when I lie on them. If I put my hand under the side of my face, raising the ear off the pillow, it seems to be a little bit better. I don't have any hearing loss or pain during the day, only when I sleep. This usually will wake me up nightly. What could be wrong?

K.S.

I don't know why you have this problem, but I can tell you that you are not alone, and I can also tell you what you can do about it.

Some people are exquisitely sensitive to pressure on the ears. In many cases, there is just one particular spot on one ear that gets tender. In your case, both ears are prone to this problem.

The solution to the problem depends upon your craftiness. Some people fashion sleeping caps with foam-rubber rings sewn into the fabric. The rings fit around the ears, so that the ears are cushioned when sleeping on them. It may be difficult to get used to wearing such a contraption, so you may want to try something a bit simpler. How about just buying a different pillow?

One thing I would NOT advise is medicating this problem away with nonprescription or prescription pain relievers. The fact that your ears hurt should tell you something: Your ears are actually being injured by the pressure. If you medicate the pain away, you may get a good night's sleep, but you could easily find yourself with ears that hurt all day -- even when there is no pressure on them. Ear, nose and throat specialists see such patients occasionally. They have red, tender areas on the outer rim of one or both ears. Antibiotics and steroid injections may be recommended for these patients, but it is not uncommon that the nighttime problem must be corrected before the ear pain will fully resolve.