One hot ear

A lad in my school only has one ear because the other one melted off

I get this often. It's always my left. I have found mine to be related to my emotions. I get it when I'm mad,embarrassed, disappointed,sad, or in pain. I haven't found any really useful information on this,and I think it is strange that it only occurs in my left ear, and happens when I have strong emotions like the ones I listed above. I'm glad I'm not the only one, but I haven't read about one related to strong emotions, so mine is a tad bit different. Good luck guys (And girls)!

hey i m also pursuing a same problem here
suddanly it's goes hot and it's be around consistant 30 to 45 min and it's become normal afterword...

This is such a relief to find so many others who battle the same red ear syndrome. I too today felt the hot ear in the left. Pressure was up a couple days ago as well. I will try the forgiving exercises. Thanks.

I get this almost on a daily basis now and have had it for quite some time:
-Left ear only
-Closer to the end of my day.
-Can see a vein in my ear that is normally not apparent.
-Sometimes feel it along my neck and face leading up to the ear, and slightly above the ear at times as well.

Things I have associated it with in theory:
-Caffeine as I drink a few cups a day, but usually the first part of my day only.
-Sodium
-Lack of sleep, long days
-I live the overnight life (awake at 7pm, asleep by 1pm on a typical day)
-Blood Pressure (As the veins in my left arm sometimes go very thick and heavy at the same time)
-Vascular restriction (So it feels like and based on what I have read)
-Red Ear Syndrome kind of sounds like what we are all dealing with, however very few cases are diagnosed as such. I also don't find I get migraines.

Other thoughts:
-Had wisdom teeth removed. The bottom left one did not heal correctly leaving a small opening which gets infected quite often. Not always do I feel that it is infected, however it may be linked.
-Had Blood test, normal. EKG normal.
-Things I will be trying in the future. Regular exercise (cardio) to see if it is just due to lack of it. May help with the vascular side of things.
-Better diet (already started) including lowering sodium intake and caffeine intake.


I sometimes feel that these might be early signs of worse problems to come if I don't make health conscious choices to better the situation. I will keep you updated if I am able to get this under control myself.

Boy I cant believe this thread is still going. I found this site and posted about 10 years ago, and I still dont think we've found a concrete cure, although I need to read through about 500 posts to catchup. lol. good luck to all. I do find that sleep helps a lot, but i also have trouble sleeping, oh well what can u do

To better explain what I meantioned above two posts ago, See this picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transverse_facial_artery#/media/File:Gray508.png

If you look at this picture, the vein that runs up the neck, to the ear, eye, jaw, and slightly above the ear.. These are the spots I can notice discomfort while experiencing the hot ear. Anyone else in the same boat? Im thinking blood flow, blood pressure, or restriction

Me too it usually happens in my left ear when I’m anxious or worked are something.
It's very strange and has been happening frequently if you know of any tips to stop this tell me.
I was on a date the other night and I went into the bathroom to reapply my make-up and my ear got red and hot it was like blushing but on my ear!

It has to do with nerves and straining them... I was working in a car all day it happened to me. Nerves in your neck will make you eat act up if they are tweaked or if you are siting in a weird position. Also yours ears and the bottoms of your feet and other body parts vent out when the body is is to hot. Thy could also be the case.

I have had this problem for years! It's always one ear or the other that gets red and hot feeling. Always heard that this was because I was tired, and just believed it. However, if it really does hurt you, it can be another problem called 'Relapsing Polychondritis'. This is a vascular problem that attacks cartilage among other things and can be harmful. Just google RP and hopefully nobody has it since it's pretty rare. For now I am still going with the assumption that it happens due to lack of sleep, at least for me. Thanks and good luck all!

Me too :( I blush easily, and I usually blamed what I think is Rosacea that I have on my face. In even the slightest awkward situation, my ears and face light up red which causes severe embarrassment. To make things worse, I am currently sufferring from Folliculitis Decalvans on the scalp which is an inflammation in itself. Thus, when my ears become hot, my inflammation is felt three-fold. I would do anything to cure this.

I have the same problem. I was just diagnosed with chilblains. Look it up could be same problem.

My 8 year old son has this. It does seem to happen when he is stressed or anxious. How he helps himself is by licking his fingers and rubbing his ear with the saliva. Now that is a little older he thinks people at school are noticing this and he is getting embarrassed about it!!! I feel so bad for him. Any suggestions for him? I'll have him try the tongue technique. Has anyone seen a neurologist, dermatologist or an ENT? I just don't understand if there are all these posts on this thread why is RES so rare. Only 100 reported cases! Whatever!!!!

This is one of the first places I found when trying to figure out what could be going on with me. My right ear will sometimes get very hot, very red, and very itchy. Suddenly my arms will get itchy starting at the elbows and moving upwards. It only affects my upper body and I thought it was at first a reaction to a dissenfectant on our kitchen table but it just happened again in a restaurant when I was wearing long sleeves so it couldn't be something on the table. It always starts to setitle down if i wash the affected area with a cold cloth, but my ear takes longer to go back to normal...What is happening? This is extremely distressing for me and my parents. The right ear is always the start of it.

I got the ear wrong in the last post. It's my left ear.

I just recently got this hot ear syndrome too usually on my right. I noticed that I am getting it whenever I lack sleep so I associate it w/ stress. I googled it too and found that it can be a symptom of adrenalin deficiency .

There's an old wives tale... (I think)
Right ear - someone has spoken your name in a negative way.
Left ear - someone has spoken your name in a positive way.
I may have it reversed.

Yes, even my mom used to say the same thing. I always try to find any metal or cold objects to reduce the heat.

Someone, pls let me know the exact reason why my ear gets hot.

my right ear get hot , been noticing it for a few months now , most of the time it happens when im getting high on pot , so i just brush it off to that no real clue why it gets hot like that

Saturday Morning: I woke up hungry and a little dehydrated, which didn't stop my wife and I from "exercising".. About 15 min later ( Sat morn) on our way to breakfast, but before going outside, my entire left ear had become very red and quite hot. Stayed that way for about an hour. I should mention too, that 2 days earlier I had a cortisone shot in my left shoulder, which I aggravated even more by being stupid and doing some raking of the lawn on Friday. I'm not sure how this relates, but don't want to leave out any details. Also, I should mention that I have had moderate tinnitus in my ears, which has been getting worse. My MD told me as I age (63), the tinnitus will only get worse. There it is. I'll be interested to see if this hot ear thing shows up again.

I have found that it is directly correlated with lack of sleep. I almost always get it at the end of a 12 hr shift at work...very rarely on my days off. I have perfect cholesterol and bp and an active lifestyle. I read somewhere that it might be an adrenaline release to keep you up longer but idk.

MY right ear get warm suddenly from 2-3 days it mostly happen with me in winters and right now here in India here are winters and my age is only 11 sometimes both gets warm hat to do :(

what to do plzzzz help me

My right ear ..
I was studying,using mobile and smoking...
Really amazed

Thank you for sharing. This really hit me hard reading these post. I will make changes in my life. Thanks for sharing everyone

I got the red ear today for the first time. Left ear, RED HOT, right side, normal. I was wondering if it was because I had a truly emotional retrospective time today. Being that the heart is on the left side of the body, I equate it with that.

I'm one of them, my Right ear, has been hot for over 30mins now, and i started doing some research and found u guys. Here I found one possible reason from the article below(topic no. 3 Red Ears).
http://www.medicaldaily.com/listen-5-things-your-ears-can-tell-you-about-your-health-308078
 Most common reason is STRESS. And for my case I agree. It happened to me few times earlier also when working under high work pressure.
But who cares. We have to work for our family and survival.
Bye friends. Back to work.

I have RES. I am 69 years, and developed this syndrome after having my ears treated with a drug called Carac for pre -cancerous lesions. The drug turned my ears into something that looked like raw hamburger. Ever since My ears sustained this Truma, my left ear turns red and hot. My belief is that truma plays a part in this syndrome.
I also believe that RES can signal a nasty and hard to diagnose desease called Polychrondritis. This is an autoimmune desease that can affect all cartledge in the body. Yes, I know it's scary but the possibility is out there, so don't blow it off.

If you know the feeling you know it is not from stess/work/math its entirely out of nowhere sometimes lasts a hr or longer and sometimes its only 20 mins but its unexplainable and how can you tell someone ear gets hot

This is stress related and I believe praying to Jesus will alleviate it. God bless you all richly with a long, healthy life.

Adrenal Glans.

I have the same thing happen, but I am also having this strange sensation which only happens on my left ear at the top part. It feels like every once and a while sometging hot feeling just glaces my ear in that same spot. I am wondering if it might be diabetes related (i am not diabetic though), or what? my imagination?

I used to have flusing in on ear or the other. I figured it was mainly induced by fatigue, stress, adrenal glands, etc. I did however find some relief in Tai Chi (centering solar plexis if you can get into it). It did'nt completely resolve my flushing situation, but I was able to find some peace.

Hey there, I get flushed ears sometimes also, and it happens normally in on ear or the other. I gave up trying to figure it out years ago (but I really did find resolve in Tai Chi, centering myself so to speak). Recently, I have been having an idd sensation that only ever occurs in my left ear at the top in exactly the same place (in fact it just happened while typing this), is a feeling like something hot glances my ear like is a match was struck near it. Very strange and I have been looking for similiar symptoms with no luck. Maybe diabetes nerve related or something like that (although I am not diabetic)? Anyone?

I do believe there is something else at play here. It does not help that the mind can automatically take a stance of delusion when it does not understand things. For example, lately I have been experiencing a sudden and brief hot feeling (like a striking match) in my left ear and always in the same spot. This is not like the tension related adrenal hot ear syndrome of which I also get in only one ear (sorry if name is incorrect and non-OCD friendly), but at first I was willing to believe anything, and was very confused. I do now however believe it has more to do with my nervous system, and neuropathy. I have become borderline diabetic, and after much research I do believe this could explain it:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-neuropathy/basics/symptoms/con-20033336

My point is, my mind was willing to conform to anything and everything that would explain this anomaly, so just remember when you post things here that other people maybe greatly influenced by what you type. Regards.

The hardest thing is being at work and my cheeks and ears are on fire.

Magnesium. If you are taking a magnesium supplement or any other medication that includes magnesium get off it and your hot, burning ear symptoms will go away. My doc thought I was nuts when I told her of my symptoms which also included severe leg twitching (especially at night). Maybe magnesium doesn't effect her negatively but it sure did with me. We are not all created equally. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

Hello somewhere somebody told me that happens when someone is talking about u sometimes bad sometimes good depended on wha ear is leff meaans bad .the other side meas good ..U just have to belive. .. 👀👃👄👆👂is like an extra sentido

My right ear is always very hot!

My son has autism and it's right ear that gets red but just the lower lope of it. So weird. But I am going to pay attention to when it happens. It maybe excitement or a new enviroment. With his autism it's hard to tell. Thanks for the forum

I am very impressed by the fact that I'm not alone in this situation! My mother has always been curious about my ears and why the right one is so red and hot sometimes while my left ear is cool.
I always thought that I was the only one with this problem, but now that I know that I am not alone and probably why this happens to me. Thank you Peterbe for shedding some light on this situation.

I also feel hot & red ear problem since childhood. I m now 38 & still same. It happens to me every nnight only in winter season (temp below 15). Still seffering. :( but in summer, it just vanishes. I have noticed 2 reasons for it to increase soo far. 1. while I use hot wather for bath 2. use of too much warm clothes.

I guess it's a common thing, mine is my right ear it's a heat sensation and can be inching at times but it doesn't really bother me at all. I just get on with it as I don't know what's the cause of it :)

ME BOTH OF MY EARS EVERY TIME I LAUGH. I DONT KNOW WHY. HAHA

Someone should take caution of this symptom. Need to do an MRI of the brain first because it may show a sign for calcification of the carotid, that needs further examinations. You should go to a doctor to examine the circulation.

so happy to see that Iam not the only one who has this issue! The red hot left ear , it doesn't hurt but feels strange! I notice it when my anxiety level raises.. so I think it's connected

my right ear feels really hot on the inside and I'm kinda getting worried

Hi All, basically hot ear is nothing but body is trying to release the heat via ear. If you elephant they always shakes their ear to cool down its body. When I take oil bath to reduce heat from body every week, that time my both ear will become very hot for an hour. Hot ear denotes your body is hot trying to release the heat. You can feel this condition in cold temperature area. since in cold temperature our skin wont be moisture and our body will not be able to cool down using our skin moisture.

I was having this consistently the past few months and I noticed it was less common on weekends. At first I thought it was due to stress (I am an engineer) and started exercising some and it got some better. I also asked myself what else I do on week days that I don't do on weekends. Well I eat 3 scrambled eggs for breakfast on the week days and usually pancakes on the weekends. Tried not eating eggs one day and the problem went away. I know it sounds crazy but it worked. So I am thinking it has something to do with high fat, high protein breakfast and lower calories the rest of the day. So I am suggesting changing up your routine, specifically what you are eating.

I have same hot ear issue. And at time when I'm in the sun my ear gets cold like ice.
I really want to know why this happens.

Hi Guys! I'm looking at the year all these comments and suggestions have, this is like 10 years old. Anyway, I ended up here and while reading all these comments I realized what was actually the problem causing my ear to be red and hot.
If you are reading this there is a slight possibility that you grind your teeth, even if you do it asleep and don't know.
The grinding causes your jaw to have more tension and that lowers the blood flow in it and that affects other parts near/connected to your jaw, including your ears.
try putting some ice on your jaw and below your ear and that should help out. I would also recommend you get a guard for your teeth.
Let me know if this works, if anyone even sees it!
2017...

I am forty years old, I get really hot ears when its cold in autum and winter, its been happening to me since i was very young, sometimes both ears or from one ear to another, it lasts 2 or 3 hrs and then goes away and always begins and ends at the same times of the day, in the evening to lessen it I try to wear light clothing before it begins, sometimes going to bed helps, I cannot use heaters and I stay away from hot ovens and sometimes its really bad were both ears get hot including my face!

I just looked in the mirror and saw that my left ear is very red and hot while my right ear is not.
I skimmed through several comments and found no Solutions although I'm thankful for everyone sharing their situation.
To be blunt... I did a little cocaine 30 min ago...however, I've been doing that on occasion for several years and never notice anything like this... it's only the left ear. Oh well strange

I have migraine headaches. This is my sensory aura as a headache starts. If I take my medication as soon as my eat gets red, I'm good but if I wait, the other eat gets red then I get the headache...BAD. This started after my brain aneurysm was fixed. The doctors said my blood vessels were hypersensitive. That was almost 20 years ago. Always my right ear then left then headache.

At school today my ear went red! All the kids in my class noticed as well, but it was only the one! That one little ear! AT first I thought I had an infection, then i did some research, and it turns out that I either have MENOPAUSE or CANCER! Considering I'm a young'n, this isn't normal for my body, is it because I'm a REDHEAD? I have been through hormonal changes before, like when my boobies grew and all the kids noticed! But this time, it was't a good change! I don't wanna be part of the red ear army! I was already part of the itty bitty titty committee, that wasn't a fun club because I was the only one in it!

SOMEONE HELP ME! It hurts.

My ear was just. Is doing this so I googled it. I was worried and thought it was a system of that RP auto immune disease because I already have one called Behcets. This has happened in the past but would really far apart. Months or even years. This is the first time it has twice in one month. My right ear is the one that does it......it really weird

Someone told me their kid gets potassium deficiency which makes his ears get red and hot so he eats a banana and it goes away. Worth a try?

I have the same thing but not only does my ear turn red my chest turns red as well.

I grew up in the Midwest and there was a saying there or wise tale if your right ear is on fire in your left ear isn't some is talking good about you it was vice versa then sorry he's burning you talking bad about you

Just wondering if any single one of you ever got a diagnoses, or have a remedy that works, ornery than ice/ chilling. I suffer with my left ear turning red and being excruciatingly, unbearably hot!
It's my left ear and occurs every night as soon as I lay down. It will occasionally happen during the day, but guaranteed every night.
Another possible symptom, my entire body gets overheated with minimal to any activity, including showers even though I end all of my showers with a 5 minute rimmed ice cold soaking.
Hours is this even possible?
Btw, I've seen a plethora of doctors snd specialists and its not any cardiac anomaly.
My only irregular lan work has been indicative of non specific inflammation ..
Please help me++

Hey ppl, it's 2017 now, one day left for 2018
And while I was just studying for my Final exams, my left ear gets really really hot and it's happened for about two times now but I don't remember the 1st time.
It's really comforting to find ppl experiencing you!

Keeping things rolling here!
This has been happening to me for about a month now, usually at about 7pm for an hour?
I have been dealing with many other symptoms of anxiety for the past few months many of which have allevaited, and hot red ears is a more recent symptom.

No idea why, could be a delayed reaction to something in my diet, or hormonal changes. Going to experiment and come back if I find anything for my particular case.

Hey guys. Glad to find this thread that has been going for thirteen years now. Nice work.
I tried googling these symptoms and ended up here. My right ear is very hot and red, while the rest of me is cold.
It seems like people are talking about stress, lack of sleep etc. I've definitely been stressed at work and it first happened after a long shift.
I'm glad we're all in this together. Let's keep this thread going for another 13 years. Maybe more scientific research will be done in the future that will reveal to us the true origin of the single redhot ear.
ACAB

Hey guys. I get this hot ear thing too. I’m a doctor, and have no idea what causes it. Don’t stress about it too much, there are bigger health problems which people have, with much more obvious signs and symptoms. All my time at medical school, ‘hot ears’ never came up as an indication of anything to worry about. And yeah I get it too but just try to ignore it

Really interesting read, I didn't realise people actually suffer with this. I've always had red ear, but I would say maybe only once or twice a year, maybe more frequently when I was younger (I'm 42 now). Somtimes one ear (could be either) sometimes both. I can think of a few times it it bothered me simply because it felt so hot and it might of lasted a few hours. However it's not something I've worried about, I think partly because if you mentioned it, especially as a child people would joke 'someone's taking about you' and that was that, it was just one of those quirky things.
Interesting to read the possible connection to migraine, I've had aroura, never full blown migraine though.
Thinking about it there were occasions when I was generally hot and dehydrated for what ever reason and it would happen. But definitely times when there was no apparent reason.
Btw I've just been watching IT Crowd and the character Moss gets red ear, so he carries a little bottle of mist to spray on it, it's quite good!
Chin up to all those suffering I hope you find resolution!

I there are a few reasons why ears can get hot for no reason, meaning not due to heat or cold stress, or normal body responses in high school due to Flushing.

It can be multiple factors and it can be a sign that hormonal something is off, you have inflammation due to infection, irritation or lack of mucin that protects soft tissue.

I was having "cold symptoms" year round, excess histamine release but for a good reason, its part of body's self defence. I had mild grade fever daily for years, sometimes would start 30min-1hr after getting up, or after eating, or toward end of the day.

My few problems were: eating and laying down, alcohol, lack of nutrition and the right amino acids. Stress depletes nutrients from the body very fast. Think of nutrients as tools.

I had IBS, which cause inflammation in my stomach right after eating. It was due to lack of specific nutrients to suppress inflammation, and to create the mucin barrier in the stomach to protect it from acid. Acid Blockers are never a solution, as that will create more problems later. My IBS came partly from Ibuprofen, just like other ibuprofen type medicine, it will wreck havoc on your stomach.

Another reason for inflammation was I discovered I had an infected root canal for years. Once I fixed that, (just one root got left behind somehow) the inflammation stopped. But so did my constant body heat which I was so used to.

Lack of cortisol or histidine or dopamine are three examples.... These suppress inflammation or an overactive immune response.

Inflammation also goes along with poor memory, ADHD, depression, poor concentration, pain in joints, Tinnitus, etc.

It's simplified, but describing in detail will drive people mad lol

I wonder if anyone would like to exchange emails or something and talk about similarities. I have an passionate obsession in the medical field.

This can be a physiological area of damage, or an autoimmune disease symptom, which should not be ignored! Drugs will only band-aid the problem. They will not offer a solution, and the decrease in symptoms encourages people to delay being proactive in healing. Stress and temperature changes can be triggers. But while avoiding stress is good for your health, it will also not correct the problem with an unknown injury or your immune system. Baring other simple causes such as dental mentioned above, there are usually two main causes. You can have one or both, like I did.
First, is an misalignment to the atlas bone. To correctly diagnose and treat this, the only qualified practitioners are certified orthogonal chiropractors. Not regular chiropractors!
Second, the immune system. Most of the time, this can be corrected through diet. Doctors do not understand this, nor do they take credit in it, as their studies do not encompass this most important and basic area. To restore the immune system, one must restore gut health. Over 80% of people over the age of 20 have damaged and diseased colons and don't even know it. This is caused from the Western diet. Remove all possible causes of foods that can attack the immune system. This is so much easier to do today than it was even 10 years ago. The main damaging foods are: dairy, meat (even fish), eggs, gluten, processed foods (especially sugar). To put it simply, a vegan - gluten free diet for at least 3 months is necessary to stop most of the major damage our bodies suffer from a Western diet. Keep up the diet to reverse damage and gain back health. If you wish to speed up the process a great deal, you can abandon all processed foods entirely. This means an all raw diet of produce with only 10% fat to the diet. This is a radical change for most people. Depending on the degree of damage, the body will have a difficult time adjusting. The adjustment period is reported easier for those that make the change over a month's time by transitioning one meal at a time and also by those who choose to do a juice or water fast for 3 -5 days before transitioning.

I was given this information 9 years before I decided to follow it. The thing with change that we don't choose for ourselves is that we will avoid that change until it becomes too uncomfortable not to change. Now that I have corrected both issues and am looking back over a year later, I regret waiting as long as I did. None of us have any idea what optimal health feels like until we have it. And at that point, we wonder why we ever endured living without it.

The following medical paper was published in 2013: https://thejournalofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1129-2377-14-83.

So research *is* being done. Turns out RES is a real thing. :) I'm a 39-year-old (fella) and RES suddenly started with me about 3 months ago (September 2018) a few weeks before a stressful business trip. Naturally I put it down to stress, but since then I have continued to suffer attacks on a daily basis, usually at the same time every evening between 7 - 10 pm. The attacks usually last between 20 minutes to 1 hour and are generally unilateral (one ear at a time), mostly occuring on my right ear. My ear will turn red and feel very hot. It's not painful, but the heat feels like mild sunburn and is uncomfortable and distracting. Splashing the ear with water - like Moss from the IT Crowd :) - brings momentary relief, but the heat returns and persists until the attack subsides. A poster on this board from several years ago mentioned that s/he thought this issue could be related to upper back and neck trouble. I can confirm that I developed upper back and neck issues about 12 months ago. Upper back pain is also mentioned in the above medical paper. I work a desk job, and attribute my back trouble to poor posture and carrying/lifting/swinging my kids. I believe my back stiffness is the symptom of some mild nerve impingement in the cervical spine/neck region. I had the usual checks done (MRI, resonance, blood work) to rule out any signs of an autoimmune issue (other posters have mentioned relapsing polychondrondritis, but RP attack on the ear cartilage is said to be extremely painful, with the rigidity of the ear typically devastated after just two episodes - I hardly think splashing the ear with water would alleviate RP pain, even momentarily!). The results of these tests showed no evidence of RP or other issues I've seen mentioned (MS, arthritis, etc.).

The above medical paper mentions two types of RES sufferer: younger sufferers who have experienced migraine and older sufferers who have back trouble. Well I can check both boxes, because I used to experience migranes during my 20s, which may have even been cluster headaches based on their severity. However, my RES is *not* accompanied by migraine, which makes me suspect that my RES falls into the upper back category rather than migraine-related.

One other point I should mention: I had braces (brackets) fitted about 12 months ago. This is probably unrelated, but since we're trying to identify patterns here, I thought I'd mention it because I agree with an earlier poster who said this could be related to the nerves around the jaws and cheeks (TMJ, right?). So perhaps the effect of the braces on my jaw alignment (if any) has triggered or aggravated the RES.

Finally, I definitely *do* think stress plays a key part in this as many others have already mentioned. Stress can cause some crazy physical symptoms, and I think the muscle/joint tightness synonymous with stress can trigger my RES. I still belive the root cause in my case is related to the cervical nerve(s) issues as mentioned in the medical paper, but I have started doing some mindfulness exercises (meditative breathing, that kind of thing) and although I was never a big believer in alternative therapies I have to admit that it helps me to tolerate the "distraction" of the attacks. The difficult part is learning to overcome the instinct to "tense up and resist" when an attack begins and instead think, "bring it on! It's not gonna kill me!" I haven't mastered it completely, so there are still days when I tense up and think "oh crap, here we go!" but if I can distract myself by focusing on something else (this can be very challenging during an acute attack) it definitely makes the RES subside more quickly. Coincidentally, I was experiencing my nightly attack when I started reading this board and in the 20 minutes it has taken me to write this post, my attack has subsided and my ear is nice and cool again. Oh thee wonderful cool ears! :)

Anyway, I hope some of this helps other sufferers. Try to remember: 1) You are not alone, 2) It can't kill you (thanks Hottus Earus!). We should really come up with a secret signal to identify ourselves as RES sufferers...I mean other than when our bright red throbbing ears are broadcasting it to the world. :)

So I’ve read through the years and here is what is going on with me.

I have noticed my right ear gets very hot lately during the night mostly.

I have been developing neck issues lately and back problems.

My nose right nostril is completely blocked so I know the oxygen flow completely sucks.

I’m not sleeping a healthy amount during the week days.

So if anyone else is having these issues maybe we can try to narrow it down

Unrelated - I eat a lot of sugar .. prob has nothing to do but thought should mention

These seemed to be a lot of other people’s causes of the Red/hot ear syndrome ( the one without the headaches)

Hi all. I also have experienced burning ears. Mine really went crazy starting in 2015 when I started developing other symptoms as well. I also have burning feet and hands, as well as numerous other health issues. Long story short, I discovered that my symptoms were all related due to Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. I also have secondary erythromelalgia. What has helped me most with the burning ear syndrome and erythromelalgia is taking H1 and H2 blockers (Zyrtec and Zantac) as well as quercitin. All of these help to either stablilize my mast cells or block the histamine that comes from my mast cell degranulation. It also helps to stay away from all foods that are high in histamine.

If you find yourself having multiple health issues, check into MCAS. It could be the cause of your burning ear syndrome too.

Hi There Im from Belarus and I got same issue with my right ear. 90% it's right one and 10% of time it's left.
I believe it's all about emotions and lack of oxygen supply for the brain.
Im going to fix my spine as staright as i can by swimming (nice reason to learn swimming in my 31 years, what a shame). As well there are special excersises for neck to improve blood flow to the brain. Going to practice them as well.
And of course try to reduse stress in my life. No chance, lol.
Anyway it's nice to know im not alone with this.

Just found this thread and I'm so glad I'm not alone with this issue! I've had this problem for 3 years now for me it's my right ear that gets red. It feels like burning and sometimes my ear gets swollen too. This happens when I'm hot, sweating, nervous, stressed and sleeping. Cold water, ice and using a table fan for a while helps but this happens almost every day. I've been to doctors and one of them prescribed me cortisone cream that had antibiotic stuff in it. It worked wonders but after the 2 week treatment period all symptoms came back. Then I tried antibiotics to make sure it's not an infection but they did nothing. In the winter it's not as bad as it is in the summer and no doctor could figure out why.

I think it is related to biorhythms. My left ear is sometimes red and hot as I have a fever symptom, but this happens after the sunset, at night.
Maybe it is related to sleep and the vagus nerve, part of the parasympathetic system. I am sensitive to blood taking and this adds more to all of this.

Has anyone ever experienced brief but intense sensations of heat on their outer earlobe, specifically my helix. it is analogous to say if someone poked my ear for a split second (sometimes it is cold but mostly a heating sensation). It does not make my ear go "beet red" so it is not the same as flushing or beeting. I sometimes could swear that it happens on purpose (almost like someone knows what I am doing, and times it just right in conjunction with things I am doing (sounds kind of crazy I know, but if you believe in ghosts I guess it could be possible. I have tried looking on the internet but keep coming up with conspiracy this and conspiracy that. I do not believe that I am a "Targeted Individual" or victim of "gang stalking," for instance, but I do believe God or ghosts or something has chosen my left outer earlobe (and occasionally right side) as their focus. I don't know why or how so don't ask, I just want to find someone who is experiencing the same thing so I don't feel like I am crazy or something. It (whatever it is) has been know to "miss" my earlobe and sort of hit near my ear or scalp so I really don't think it is like a nerve or something in my ear. Sometimes, it also feels like someone is actually touching my earlobe (neither hot or cold) for a split second and can and does happen on either side. Sometimes I can go for weeks and it will only happen in certain places (e.g., church) so there is that. Anyone have a similar experience? (just to be clear, I so not believe in govt conspiracies etc., but I do think this is someone or something trying to possible make contact with me or something idk.

I’ve been dealing with the same red, hot ear symptoms as everyone else for about 3 weeks. Here are some specialists I’ve seen and what I have learned:

Specialists
Rheumatologist- Relapsing Polychondritis can cause ear redness, but it spares the lobe. It typically last days to weeks and the ear is swollen and very painful. You have to also concomitantly have symptoms affecting 2 more areas: eyes, respiratory system, nose, joints, hearing.

Lupus can also affect the ears but mostly the cheeks and the rash is butterfly like and usually red to purple.

Dermatologist- spoke to a derm who said her son has the same issue and he is 29. She isn’t concerned about it and says she is seeing it a lot more, and attributes it to stress and potentially food or other allergies. Another derm thinks it could be rosacea since I have redness on my face.

Gastroenterologist - facial flushing can very rarely be a symptom of carcinoid syndrome. Typically this flush includes the face neck and chest and there are a number of other symptoms. You can have a 5 HIAA test which is a 24 hour urine test to check serotonin levels. You’ll need to be off a number of foods and meds that could skew the results, but if positive, you can have a special scan that would look further into the body.

Endocrinologist- have an appt but haven’t seen. Could be related to diabetes, thyroid issues, mastocytosis, adrenal gland tumors, etc.

I work in the medical field and understand that googling this symptom is the worst idea on the planet. The red ears can in itself cause more stress which can make you feel panicked and it’s a vicious cycle. There is such a thing as idiopathic flushing which means it happens and the cause is unknown.

RES is more common than what is published but that typically always includes the earlobe.

Cervical and back issues can affect the nerves that go to the ears, too.

Honestly, I would work with your PCP and ask to run some tests or refer to a specialist to rule everything out. If nothing else, get the piece of mind from the lab work and tests and know that there are many others who are healthy and deal with the same quirky issue.

Ive seen a couple of users say it may be due to lack of oxygen. Im conviced that is what it is. I tried a very simple trick. Hyperventilate very deep breaths until you get dizzy and saturate your blood with oxygen. Really go at it like you have been running. My red hot ear cooled down in less than 10 seconds. I believe this RES is deeply related to cluster headaches and migraines and falls in the category of trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias. Even without pain, these can be related and ive never had a migraine. It was a miracle for me, hopefully it can work with you. Very mysterious, and can have random triggers but the key seems to be oxygen.

My hormones are messed. Only when I lay on my ears and neck at night do they get red and hot

I also get this, my right ear gets hot and turned red, the lobe is always normal however. This happens every 1-2 days and goes away in like an hour. Does anyone have any answers yet? I mean this thread has been going on for 17 years.

Fellow red-hot-ear sufferer here for the last 25+ years. When I was 6 my primary care and my allergist just shrugged it off.. so my parents kept a food journal for me and we narrowed it down to corn syrup at the time. So since then I've avoided corn syrup but it will still occasionally happen with other foods. Most commonly happens with certain pizza places.. it also happens a lot when I consume an unfiltered style of beer known often referred to a "Hazy IPA"
So what does Pizza and unfiltered IPAs have in common? yeast. What feeds yeast? Sugar.. hence the corn syrup connection. I'm convinced this is a weird lesser known symptom of a yeast or a candida overgrowth. Between living in a culture that has added sugar in just about everything, and overprescribing anti-biotics without recommending probiotics afterwards.. it's not surprising that our gut biomes are messed up.. once that imbalance spreads elsewhere, it becomes really hard to put back in check

I think it might be the corn syrup. I’ve been having this as well. Trying to figure it out and hope I don’t have Covid! I don’t drink pop much anymore but occasionally still like to have a Dr Pepper. I think that might be the cause. Just a theory that seems to connect with me.

I think that in my case this is related to TMJ disorder. As others have mentioned, there is a nerve connecting the ear, jaw and neck that runs in close proximity to this joint, and any stress or dislocation of the joint may be causing the symptoms described here.

Here is my [anecdotal] evidence to support this conclusion: I have been suffering with the disorder for almost 9 months and during this time I have noticed that my left ear (the one in which I carry significant tension and occasional pain) is often red, sore and hot, especially during hotter temperatures and at night. My right ear does not exhibit the same symptoms.

I will hopefully be undergoing splint therapy in the future to entirely resolve or help reduce my jaw problems. If this does result in lessening of the red ear symptoms everyone is suffering from, I will aim to report back (if I can remember that I posted this!). I will also aim to improve my wellbeing and posture as I believe these could be linked as well.

I cut out butter (and dairy). It is much less of a problem now. Before I could burp and it would trigger it.

I also have similar things too this sometimes only one or sometimes both but almost always when I'm trying to go to sleep in bed my ears will become really hot and I don't know why I have a pretty bad sleeping schedule so idk of that would be a contributing factor or not but it stops me from being able to sleep even more than I already do struggle

I have one ear (switches) randomly get hot and red and sometimes both after a hot shower.
Usually happens in evenings. Lasts one hour. My feet also get overheated easily so I’m freaking out that I have erythromelalgia. My face now also gets red and warm cheeks, and nose.
Anyone else get anything other than just the ear?

Got this after a covid infection together with headaches. Maybe it's a long covid thing