A sore throat can be painful making it hard to swallow foods and drinks. However, the right foods and drinks can ease sore throat pain and even help you get better faster. Staying away from bad foods can help ease some pain.
There isn't a lot of scientific proof for many herbal or alternative ways to treat a sore throat, but the tips below may help. If you're experiencing unilateral sore throat, focus on calming therapies and hydration for one-sided throat pain to relieve pain and encourage healing.
Some of the causes of a sore throat are:
- Many people get Colds, Flu or COVID-19
- Strep illness, Streptococcal pharyngitis, or strep throat.
- Allergies
- Acid reflux
- Smoking, or being around people who smoke.
A sore throat is usually nothing to worry about, but it can be annoying. On the other hand, the following home treatments can help ease pain.
You can usually recover from a sore throat without seeing the doctor immediately. Putting salt water in your mouth, taking a steam shower, and drinking tea with honey are all home treatments that can help.
Salt Water to Gargle
If your throat hurts, gargling with warm salt water can help relieve it. The salt helps ease the pain by pulling the mucus out of the swollen, heated tissue.
Mix 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of table salt with 4 to 8 ounces of warm water. Mix the salt in until it's gone. Then, mouth it for a few seconds and spit it out. The salt rinse should be done several times a day.
Chew a Lozenge
Some over-the-counter (OTC) throat lozenges have menthol in them, which can numb the tissue in your throat slightly. This might help temporarily ease the burning and pain you're feeling. In a pinch, candy can work just as well.
Sugary foods and cough drops make you salivate, which keeps your throat moist. To be honest, cough drops and candy won't help your sore throat as much or for as long as medicine lozenges, and you may need to retake them soon.
Do not give cough drops or lozenges to kids under 6. Both can cause choking.
Include Herbs and Honey
It might also help to put honey in your tea or other hot drinks. Honey is known to kill germs, which helps the body heal faster. Studies on kids have shown that honey is better than over-the-counter cough medicines to help them sleep and stop coughing at night.
Because it reduces inflammation, protects cells from damage, and tightens skin slightly, chamomile tea is often used as a natural cure. It also makes you sleepy, so it's often used to treat nervousness and help people sleep. A study from 1990 found that breathing in steam with chamomile extract improved cold symptoms, but experts say that more research is needed to prove those results.
People also say that peppermint tea can help with sore lips because it tastes like menthol. But there isn't much science to back up those claims. Peppermint has mostly been looked into as a way to help people with irritable bowel syndrome.
There are also hints online that apple cider vinegar can help sore throat. This is likely because it kills germs. But vinegar has a lot of acid—about the same amount as stomach acid—so it might make things worse instead of better.
Drink Enough Water
A sore throat can be helped by drinking plenty of water. If you don't drink enough water, your body can't make enough saliva and mucus to keep your mouth moist. This is going to make the pain and swelling worse.
You can drink water, warm tea, or already warm soup. But hot tea or soup might hurt your throat more if it's already sore and worsens the problem.
Don't drink or use coffee because it can dry you out even more.
Use Humidifier
Breathing in wet air can help ease the pain if your nose and throat are swollen. Turn on a cool mist humidifier to wet the air in your room. Humidifiers are sold in most stores.
Take a Hot Shower
You can still feel better with wet air even if you don't have a humidifier. Taking a warm shower and breathing in the steam can help reduce swelling and ease sore throat pain.
Running very hot water into a sink is another way to make steam. Put a towel over your head and lean against the sink to absorb the steam. Take deep breaths for a few minutes straight, and do it repeatedly until your sore throat feels better.
To wet your home, boil some water in a pot on the stove for 30 minutes. You can fill the air with the smell of reliever menthol by adding a tablespoon of menthol cream like Vick's VapoRub to the boiling water.
Put your Head Up
Put an extra pillow under your head if you have a stuffy nose and a sore throat. You'll be able to breathe better because you're taller. You no longer need to sleep with your mouth open because of congestion. This can dry out your throat and make it hurt even more.
Consult a Physician
Viruses are typically the cause of sore throats. However, bacteria like streptococcus can also be to blame. You should get a strep test from your doctor if your sore throat doesn't go away, gets worse, or has a fever. A drug that kills germs might help.
If your doctor gives you an antibiotic, take it through. Even if your symptoms disappear and you start to feel better, don't stop taking the medicine. If you stop taking the antibiotic, some bacteria may stay behind and infect you again. The drug might also no longer be able to kill these bacteria.
When to Consult a Doctor?
There's no need to put up with a sore throat. Many over-the-counter medicines and home methods can help you feel better.
See your doctor if the pain doesn't get better. Also, set up a time if you:
- Experience intense discomfort when swallowing
- A high fever
- Nausea, or vomiting
Conclusion
Staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do to ease the pain of a sore throat and help it heal. Staying hydrated can make a big difference in the health of your throat. You can drink water, herbal teas, or breathe in steam. Adding these ways to stay hydrated to your daily routine allows you to quickly and effectively treat your sore throat symptoms and feel your best again.
Remember that drinking plenty of water is the best way to ease a sore throat. If you're seeking expert advice on managing cold symptoms, consider consulting a cold specialist in Royal Oak for personalized care and treatment options tailored to your needs.
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