At night when i try to go to sleep i hear scratching, crackling noises in my pillow when i lay on my side. i've heard other people have experienced it. could it be my pillow? sometimes when i re-position myself it goes away, sometimes it doesn't?

A few things come to mind - what is your pillow made of? Down feathers have a hard shaft that can crinkle, but I would expect that sound to change ears when you turn over. Other thoughts are inner ear issues such as your hearing drum being irritated (wax, water, etc), but you would typically have symptoms outside of interactions with your pillow, also.