Rest with your head on two or more pillows, so the affected ear is higher than the rest of your body. Or if the left ear has an infection, sleep on your right side.

It’s important to take the full course of antibiotics exactly as prescribed to heal the infection. Your doctor can look inside the ears during a follow-up visit. They’ll determine whether the infection has cleared up. To help ease the pain, your doctor may recommend acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).

Double pneumonia recovery time With proper treatment, most otherwise healthy people can expect to get better within 3 to 5 days. If you have no underlying health conditions, you’ll most likely be able to resume your normal activities in a week or so.

A cold, allergies, or a sinus infection can block the tubes in your middle ear. When fluid builds up and gets infected, your doctor will call it otitis media. This is the most common cause of ear pain. If your doctor thinks the cause is a bacteria, she may prescribe antibiotics.

WHY IT HAPPENS: Pain is worse at night because of low cortisol levels. Laying down also backs up drainage into the middle ear, causing pressure on the eardrum and pain.

Sleep positions If you are experiencing an ear pain, you should not sleep on the side where you have the pain. Try to sleep with the affected ear raised or elevated – these two positions should reduce the pain and not aggravate it any further.

Steam from a humidifier, shower or bath can have the same effect as a warm compress. It helps to open and relax airways, thus reducing ear pressure and easing pain.

Ear infections are not contagious or spread from one person to another, but the colds that result in ear infections are. Colds are spread when germs are released from the nose or mouth during coughing or sneezing.

If you let an ear infection go too long without treatment, you risk permanent hearing loss and possibly having the infection spread to other parts of your head. If you suspect that you may have an ear infection, have it checked out by our doctor.

Middle ear infections can cause long-term problems if not treated. They can lead to: Infection in other parts of the head. Permanent hearing loss.

Rarely, serious middle ear infections spread to other tissues in the skull, including the brain or the membranes surrounding the brain (meningitis).