If you have cartilage piercings in both ears ...

[TheWomanWho]

... can you sleep on them?

I used a travel pillow when they wee healing, but even the supposedly healed ones are getting lumpy if I sleep on them and I'm scared of them going squint.

Should I get one of those pillows with a hole and resign myself to using it forever?

Have the got flat backs? If not can you change them? They are so much comfier than butterfly backs.

I only have a cartilage piercing in one ear but it's the side I always sleep on! Avoided lying on it for 6 weeks after piercing but not had any problems sleeping on that side since. Mine has a flat back as PP said 😊

Surely no one gets cartilage piercings with butterflies.

Yes, flat backs with properly downsized bars. I think it's the angle my ear gets pressed at when I lie on it. Just wondering if it will get better eventually or if I should spend 40 quid on the pillow.

I've got version 2 of the pillow with a hole (I have several cartilage piercings in each ear) and I really rate it. My last piercing was 12 months ago and I can now lie on either side on the sofa with my head on a cushion - eg watching TV. The pillow does make it easier overnight though. Plus I plan to get more piercings so worth the purchase for me!

They can take a year to 18 months to heal. If you really can't sleep take one side out and wait for the other to heal up before getting it repierced

What type of cartilage piercings do you have OP? I have 7 across both ears and the type of jewellery I wear in them really makes a difference to how I sleep. Rings, curved/straight bars, flat backed studs, I've gone through a variety until I found the comfiest for each piercing.

Any that need rings, I've found a septum type ring, with a gap between the balls the most comfortable as it hugs the space rather than twists with the ear(Helix, Daith, Tragus, snug etc) . Curved bars, always go for the smallest bar length for the piercing once healed if you're sleeping on it as otherwise it'll push in weird places(rook in my case). My tragus, use a small labret stud with a smooth ball rather than anything elaborate.

May be worth spending a little on some alternative jewellery rather than a pillow.

How long have you had the piercings? Mine doesn’t hurt at all but I’ve had it 15 years.

@Girlwithapple good to know, thank you! I like how you justify the expense too 👍

@LetsgoLego the lumpiest one is a helix with a flat backed labret, but the ones I'm not sleeping on yet are flats, which apparently have a tendency to go squint too.