How Can I Take Care Of Myself
Follow the full treatment prescribed by your health-care provider.
For a sore throat:
- Make sure you have enough fluids. Drink clear soup, cold drinks, and other clear, nutritious liquids. If eating hurts your throat, dont force yourself to eat solid food. When you are able to eat more foods, choose healthy food to give you strength and to help fight the infection.
- Do not smoke. Do not breathe second-hand smoke.
- Gargle with salt water.
- Suck on lozenges or hard candy.
- Dont talk a lot. Rest your voice.
- Use a cool mist humidifier or vaporizer to add moisture to the air.
- Put warm compresses on your neck.
If you have a fever, rest and limit your activities until the fever is gone. You can take acetaminophen, or ibuprofen, to reduce your fever and to relieve pain. Anyone under age 18 with a fever should not take aspirin because it increases the risk of Reyes syndrome.
What Are The Causes Of Dry Throat
As stated, the most common cause of Dry Throat is drying up of mucous membranes in the throat which happens as a result of vigorous exercise, mouth breathing and sleeping with the mouth open, dry climatic conditions such as during summers in regions like Arizona, and insufficient intake of fluids. Tobacco and use also play a role in development of Dry Throat. Inflammation of the throat can also result in Dry Throat. Some of the medical conditions that may cause Dry Throat are:
- Hypotension
- Muscle weakness
If Dry Throat is accompanied by fever and white patches in the throat and mouth signal the onset of the more serious medical condition and needs immediate medical evaluation.
Is My Sore Throat Covid
A sore throat is pretty common, as far as symptoms of illness go. Sore throat can be caused by illnesses ranging from the non-serious to the dangerous.
If youve ever woken up with a sore throat after spending the day before cheering your heart out at a football game or screaming along to the lyrics at your favorite bands concert, you also know you dont need to be sick at all to get a sore throat. The common cold can also cause a sore throat. And, more recently, weve discovered that a sore throat is a sign of COVID-19.
Weve all likely experienced a sore throat before, but when should it be a cause for worry? And when a sore throat feels the same no matter what the cause, how can we tell if its a cold, too much yelling, allergies or a COVID sore throat?
Read Also: Chronic Ear Infections In Adults
Why Does My Throat Hurt When I Touch It On The Outside
Several factors could be behind the pain you feel when you touch your throat from the outside. Most times, in this condition, you might not find it difficult to chew or even speak. This is because the source of the pain is not internal.
However, touching the neck on the outside is where you feel the pain. The common cause of this pain is a sore throat which can arise from several diseases. You can feel sore throats from minor reactions and allergies to complex flu and infections.
Another cause of the pain you feel in your throat when you touch it is swollen lymph nodes. The lymph nodes are present as antibodies that trap diseases and infections before they spread. Sometimes, when they get infected with bacteria, they may swell and lead to pain in your throat.
In other cases, accidents can cause a medical situation known as whiplash, inducing external pain in the throat. Your pain could simply be the consequence of a bad fall or even a terrible way of head positioning while sleeping.
However, the pain may stem from deadlier diseases like cancer or heart attacks.
Living With A Sore Throat
Easing the pain of a sore throat is all you can do beyond treatment. The best remedies include:
- Take over-the-counter pain medicine. This includes brand names such as Tylenol, Motrin, and Aleve. Do not give children younger than 18 aspirin. Aspirin may cause Reyes syndrome. This can be fatal.
- Gargle with warm salt water. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt with 1 cup of water and stir.
- Suck on an over-the-counter throat lozenge. Hard candy works too.
- Eat a popsicle.
- Use a humidifier in your bedroom. Move it to other rooms you spend time in.
- Drink liquids to keep your throat from getting dry. Also, this helps prevent dehydration.
You May Like: Ear Nose And Throat Doctor Denver
When To Seek Medical Care
Talk to your doctor if you or your child have symptoms of sore throat. They may need to test you or your child for strep throat.
Also see a doctor if you or your child have any of the following:
- Difficulty breathing
Since bacteria cause strep throat, antibiotics are needed to treat the infection and prevent rheumatic fever and other complications. A doctor cannot tell if someone has strep throat just by looking in the throat. If your doctor thinks you might have strep throat, they can test you to determine if it is causing your illness.
Anyone with strep throat should stay home from work, school, or daycare until they no longer have fever AND have taken antibiotics for at least 12 hours.
If a virus causes a sore throat, antibiotics will not help. Most sore throats will get better on their own within one week. Your doctor may prescribe other medicine or give you tips to help you feel better.
More aboutC. diff
When antibiotics arent needed, they wont help you, and their side effects could still cause harm. Side effects can range from mild reactions, like a rash, to more serious health problems. These problems can include severe allergic reactions, antibiotic-resistant infections and C. diff infection. C. diff causes diarrhea that can lead to severe colon damage and death.
What Can You Do To Feel Better
While severe sore throats may need medical attention, there are things you can do at home to ease the symptoms.
You can:
- Suck on ice chips or popsicles to soothe your throat. You can also try hard candies or lozenges.
- Use a humidifier if thereâs dry air where you sleep.
- Gargle with salt water to curb the itching in your throat.
- Drink warm beverages and plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
- Use honey to ease coughs for adults. Children can have honey if theyâre over 1 year old.
Show Sources
Don’t Miss: Best Medicine To Dry Up Runny Nose
What Causes A Sore Throat In The Morning
Snoring: This may not be the first morning sore throat cause that jumps to mind, but a possible cause nonetheless. When snoring or sleeping with your mouth open in general, the throat can become dried out from air exposure. This leads to waking up hoarse and with a sore throat. If you dont know if you snore or not, ask someone you sleep with or, if you sleep alone, consider recording yourself for a night and seeing what happens. Sleeping with your mouth open is usually a result of congestion or something otherwise obstructing the nose.
Dehydration: Much as sleeping with your mouth open can dry up your throat and make it sore, so can going to bed without adequate fluid intake. Alternatively, sleeping in a dry room or with a dehumidifier can cause a similar effect.
Acid reflux: If waking up with a sore throat is also accompanied by a bad taste in your mouth, acid reflux may be the problem. This is when stomach acid partially splashes up into the esophagus and can cause sensations ranging from heartburn to a sore throat. Although normally associated with recently eating a meal, its possible for acid reflux attacks to happen while you sleep.
Other infections: One of the primary causes of a sore throatin the morning or otherwiseis a minor viral infection such as the cold or flu. These ailments may attack the throat directly, leading to inflammation, dryness, and soreness that can feel more pronounced when first waking up.
What Causes An Itchy Throat
Allergies are one of the most common causes of an itchy throat. An allergic reaction occurs when a substance called an allergen triggers an immune system response in your body. Examples of common allergy triggers that can cause an itchy throat include:
- animal dander
- foods, such as peanut butter, dairy, or strawberries
- pollen, found in trees, grass, or ragweed
Allergies can range from mild to severe. An itchy throat can indicate a milder, yet uncomfortable, allergic reaction.
Inhaling pollutants can also lead to an itchy throat. These might include:
- tobacco smoke or vapor
- pesticides
Infections, such as the common cold or strep throat, can start as an itchy throat before progressing to soreness and pain.
An itchy throat may feel:
An itchy throat feels uncomfortable, and it can feel as if you need to clear your throat frequently.
Its important to distinguish between the symptoms of an itchy throat and similar symptoms that may indicate other conditions. For example, an itchy throat doesnt feel rough or raw, or make you feel as if you cant breathe.
Recommended Reading: Why Does My Throat And Ears Itch
Everything You Need To Know About Throat Pain
Throat pain can be caused by a number of ailments. Some causes, like strep throat and acute laryngitis, are transient and often resolve on their own. Other causes, like acid reflux, can be chronic and require treatment from a healthcare professional.
Throat pain and painful swallowing can make it difficult to eat and drink. If severe enough, swallowing problems can lead to weight loss or other problems.
This article will cover the different causes of throat pain and explain when you should see a doctor. It will also offer suggestions for easing a sore throat.
Verywell / Alexandra Gordon
Consume Honey And Lemon
Certain foods can help soothe the symptoms of a dry throat.
Honey, for example, has antibacterial properties that may help alleviate a dry throat due to a bacterial infection. It may also help with viral infections.
You can dissolve honey in warm water to drink, which also improves hydration.
However, keep in mind that honey is not safe for children under 1 year old.
Lemon can also provide vitamins to help support immune function and help break up the mucus that may present with respiratory infections that irritate the throat.
Don’t Miss: Sore Throat Stuffy Nose Cough
Viral And Bacterial Infections
If your throat pain is caused by an infection, you will probably have other symptoms. These may include:
- Sore muscles
See a doctor if you have extreme pain or severe swelling of the tonsils. Throat pain accompanied by a rash is often bacterial. A doctor can decide if you need antibiotics.
It is hard to tell the difference between bacterial and viral throat pain. Strep throat can lead to serious complications if left untreated, so when in doubt, get tested.
Almost any healthcare provider can perform a strep test. This includes family practitioners and urgent care providers.
How Is A Sore Throat Treated
Usually, no specific medical treatment is needed if a virus is causing the sore throat. The throat most often gets better on its own within five to seven days. Antibiotic medicine does not cure viral pharyngitis. For acute pharyngitis caused by bacteria, your health-care provider may prescribe an antibiotic. For chronic pharyngitis, your provider will look for other causes.
Recommended Reading: Sudden Sneezing And Runny Nose
How To Avoid Waking Up With Sore Throat
Waking up with sore throat can be discomforting and worrisome. Here is a list of things you can do to avoid it.
Is A Sore Throat With A Cold Caused By Viruses Or Bacteria
Sore throats can be caused by viruses or bacteria. The most common causes of sore throats are viruses. Viral sore throats are often accompanied by other cold symptoms that may include a runny nose, cough, red or watery eyes, and sneezing. Other causes of sore throat include smoking, pollution or irritants in the air, allergies, and dry air.
Recommended Reading: Eyes Ears Nose Throat Doctor
Can Anxiety Or Stress Cause A Sore Throat
Although its rare, anxiety and stress can sometimes cause a sore throat. This is because when were stressed, our heart rate and blood pressure can both increase, causing you to take shallower and faster breaths. This can either dry your throat up or cause the muscles to tighten up in that area. You may find that your sore throat goes away when youre feeling a bit calmer. If you feel like your anxiety is becoming too much, you should seek advice from a doctor.
How Is Strep Throat Treated
If your health-care provider suspects you have strep, he or she may prescribe an antibiotic before you have all the results from the lab tests. This medicine may be taken as pills or given as a shot. It is very important to take all of the prescribed medicine, even after the symptoms have gone away, to prevent the infection from coming back. Strep needs to be treated so you can prevent the serious problems it might cause, such as heart and kidney disease.
Read Also: Body Aches Sore Throat Cough
What Is The Treatment For Strep Throat
Strep throat is treated using antibiotics, which kill the bacteria causing the infection. Antibiotics are often taken as pills or given as a shot. Penicillin and amoxicillin are common antibiotics used to treat strep throat. Other antibiotics are prescribed for people who are allergic to penicillin.
Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions for antibiotic use. Take all of the medication, even if you feel better. You should feel better within a day or two. A person with strep throat should stay home until 24 hours after starting the antibiotic.
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Sore throat pain is severe and not better 2 hours after taking ibuprofen
- Large lymph nodes in the neck
- Pink rash that’s widespread
- Sinus pain around cheekbone or eyes
- Fever lasts more than 3 days
- Fever returns after being gone more than 24 hours
- Age less than 2 years old
- Close contact to a person with Strep within last 7 days
- Sores on the skin
- You think your child needs to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
You May Like: Why Is My Ear Buzzing
My Throat Hurts When I Touch It On The Outside
You may often wonder: Why does my throat hurt when I touch it on the outside? Its a common problem that may occur for several reasons. Though many of these reasons are unserious, they often demand you see a doctor.
Your throat hurts when you touch it on the outside for several reasons. It usually stands as a medical condition symptom like ordinary flu, sore throat, and muscle strains. However, its a symptom of diseases like mononucleosis and even cancer in more severe cases. You may solve it quickly at home sometimes or may need to consult your doctor.
There is so much discomfort from neck pains, but there are ways to avoid and cure them. If youre wondering, why does my throat hurt when I touch it on the outside, dont be alarmed and keep reading.
Soothing A Sore Throat
Weve all had sore throats around this time of year. Your throat feels scratchy and may hurt when you swallow. What can you do to soothe a sore throat? And when is it a sign of a more serious infection?
Most sore throats are caused by viral infections such as the common cold or the flu. These throat problems are generally minor and go away on their own.
To soothe your irritated throat, keep it moist. Ever notice that a sore throat seems worse in the morning? Its because your throat gets so dry overnight, says Dr. Valerie Riddle, an infectious disease expert at NIH. Having lozenges or hard candiesor anything that stimulates saliva productionwill keep your throat moist. Its also important to drink plenty of fluids.
For young children who might choke on hard candies or lozenges, try cold liquids and popsicles. Throat pain might also be soothed by throat sprays and over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin, but dont give aspirin to young children.
Contact a doctor if your sore throat is severe, doesnt feel better after a few days, or is accompanied by a high fever or swollen glands. These symptoms could be signs of a bacterial infection, such as strep throat. Taking antibioticsPrescription medications used to treat bacterial infections such as strep throat. wont help at all if your sore throat is caused by viruses, but theyre essential for fighting bacterial infections like strep.
Read Also: Why Does My Nose Run In The Morning
Preventing Viral And Bacterial Infection
Hand washing is the best way to prevent sore throats caused by viruses and bacteria. Wash for at least 20 seconds. Make sure you wash from your fingernails to your wrists. Thorough hand washing greatly reduces your chances of getting an infection. Hand sanitizer is a good alternative when you are not near a bathroom.