Does anyone sleep with ear plugs every night?

[Lostinconversation]

I have been sleeping with ear plugs in every night for about 10 years. At first I wore the foam ones but have been wearing the silicone ones for about 6 years. I can’t sleep without them, I really need them. However recently I have been getting pretty bad ear ache, like a sharp stabbing throbbing pain inside my ear. It pain only happens once every few days but I’m worried that the ear plugs are damaging my ears.

I sleep on my front and can feel the ear plug digging into my ear so maybe it’s too far and has done something? I can’t see how but it’s the only reason I can think of for my ear ache and now it’s really scared me. I slept without them last night and only got two hours broken sleep 😢

Does anyone recommend any other kind of ear plugs that won’t cause problems? The foam ones just don’t work for me at all.

You could have a normal virus affecting your car. Could have a spot right inside your ear. You could have increased wax build up, try some earwax drops or book in at specsavers and they’ll clear them out for you if needed.

I was thinking this at first but I’m getting the pain in both ears. If it was any of those things would it happen in both ears?

I’ve slept with the silicone ones for years but never really feel them digging into my ear as such. I just seal them around the opening. Surely if that was the cause it would have happened sooner.

Maybe try not sticking them in too deep?

i have been sleeping with foam ear plugs ever since I got married 25 years ago 😁😭 due to DH snoring

I sleep with ear plugs. You could have an outer ear infection, I get them a lot. You could probably do with seeing a GP so they can see what's going on there though.

I’ve been using silicon ones for years and try to just swap around the opening, but at times I feel it going in and it hurts!
could you switch to foam while you have what could be infection?
I too find it difficult to sleep without them, but I will sleep in spare room I can manage. I find it’s the psychological part of getting to sleep without them (if im not next to snoring husband) rather than staying asleep.

Yes if I wear earplugs for more than about a week I get ear pain, itching and inflammation of ear canal and tinnitus. I don’t think ears are designed to be plugged up!

Wouldn’t I really know about it if I had an ear infection? I hear they’re very painful. I just get this pain every couple of days for about 10 seconds but it’s enough to have worried me. I get the pain in both ears but mostly in the ear on the side that I sleep on. And even when I put the ear plugs in as shallow as I possibly can, lying on the ear pushes them in and does hurt sometimes. So I really do think it’s them. I’ll probably go to the doctors anyway to check it out but I’d like to try some new ear plugs too that are better than foam ones

Have you tried wax earplugs? I use them (Quies from Amazon) every night and barely feel them as they soften quickly and mould to the shape of your ear.

@Lostinconversation yes if you have a head virus/cold type thing it can affect both ears. Also wax build up can give pain and affect both ears.

I have made an appointment at the doctors to check.

@Pastryface i have tried wax ones but had to cut them up because they were far too big and really hurt. Maybe I have small ear canals because the foam ones always just fell out as well

I use these too, they are brilliant.
They say single use but I use them for a week or two!

My guess is ordinary virus or compressed wax

I use ear plugs every night and have done for 12-14 years. In that time I haven't had any ear infections but I have had compressed ear wax that's affected my hearing. I imagine it's because the food can't drain out of my ear as I sleep? I use olive oil and once a month I put olive oil and cotton will in my ears to soften anything that's there and then I use a trigger stay ear cleaning bottle filled with warm water to clean my ears out. It's actually quite horrific , seeing what gets flushed out. But zero ear problems since then.

I got the ear cleaner kit from Amazon, about £10

Thank you! I feel like I would find this quite satisfying 😂

What shape are they, OP? Silicone plugs can be shallow or quite deep (source: Googling image search for them). Maybe a different shape would help, one that doesn't sit too deeply in your ears. I use Alpine Deep Sleep (don't know if they're available in Britain). They can get a bit annoying from the pressure after a few hours, but they're much better than even the best Howard Leight foam ones I used to use.

@WitchyBits i think theres a typo, what’s your gadget called?

Sorry about the typos, my autocorrect is barmy . I'll attach a photo.

I use the wax ones, but do have to make them a bit smaller otherwise they fall out all the time!

Yes. I get anxiety in the night if I can hear noise due to my youngest child screaming when he was little and I would hear it even when it wasn’t happening. It’s basically absolutely screwed up my ability to sleep long term 🙈. Anyway I use wax ear plugs and have no problem with them.

I have small ears, I just pull the wax plugs apart and mould them into the right side and shape. You need to warm them for a couple of minutes in your hand before you put them in.

I wore them for about forty years without ill effect ( I sleep alone now in a quiet place, though sometimes I have to resort to them in the early morning when the local pigeons are particularly excited 🥰)

I imagine it's because the food can't drain out of my ear as I sleep?

Why are you putting food in your ear?

Oh yes, I use them until they change colour!

🤣🤣🤣

GOO!! Because the GOO can't drain from my ear. Because it's blocked by the ear plug 🥴🤷🏼‍♀️😂