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The Role of Hydration in Combating Sore Throats During the Cold Season
Cold season is rarely fun, and when you get hit with a serious sore throat, it can be downright excruciating. So, here’s how staying hydrated and looking after your throat can help take some of the misery out of the winter months.
The importance of hydration for sore throats
Drinking anything, even water, can sometimes be uncomfortable with a really sore throat, but hydration is very important and can make a real difference to your comfort and recovery time. Staying hydrated can help soothe your throat and thin any mucus secretions that are causing or exacerbating the irritation.
Staying hydrated doesn’t have to mean drinking only cold water – any non-alcoholic drink without caffeine may help, and there are ways to try to maximize the sore throat and cold-busting potential of your beverages. For instance, you might try warm water with honey and ginger. The warmth may be soothing for your throat, and honey and ginger are believed to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
You should avoid acidic drinks like orange juice, however, as the acid may irritate your throat further. Though vitamin C may be helpful for slightly shortening the length of time you feel ill when you have a cold, starting to take it once your symptoms have already started likely won’t make a difference, so don’t worry about cutting out juice while your throat is hurting.
Using humidity to aid your hydration can also be helpful. When the air you breathe in is moist, it can soothe the swollen tissues of your throat and nose. You can increase humidity using a cool-air mister or humidifier.
Apart from hydration what helps a sore throat?
As we mentioned above, honey and ginger can be helpful. Here are some other sore throat tips that are easy to try at home.
Get plenty of rest.
It can be harder than usual to sleep when you’re feeling unwell, but rest is essential to help your body fight off infections and keep your energy up.
Gargle with warm salt water.
Using salt water might seem counterintuitive when your throat feels raw and painful, but for adults and children ages 8 and up, a salt rinse can be soothing for the throat and help reduce inflammation. Please note that children ages 8 and up should be supervised to make sure that they do not swallow the salt water and spit it out.
Raise your head to sleep.
If you have a blocked nose as well as a sore throat, adding an extra pillow or two can make breathing easier when you go to bed. This may help you breathe through your nose rather than your mouth, which can be very drying for your throat – undoing your efforts to stay hydrated and making your sore throat more painful.
Use a special sore throat treatment.
To alleviate pain quickly and effectively, you can use sore throat pain relief treatments. These are specially formulated to tackle the discomfort of a sore throat, whatever the cause.
How to relieve throat pain
A lot of cold and flu treatments contain painkillers to dull the pain of a sore throat, but many people find it is more effective to get right to the source of the pain.
Treatments that directly target and numb the throat include sprays and throat lozenges.
Sore throat sprays are designed to give fast-acting relief from sore throat and mouth pain, and some are suitable for children ages 3 years and up. In fact, Chloraseptic is currently the only brand safe for children ages 3 years and up, and it’s the number one pediatrician-recommended sore throat spray.
Sore throat lozenges help soothe throat pain and can taste like a treat! You can find a wide variety of flavors, sugar-free throat lozenges, as well as versions with ingredients that can also help you treat a cough or blocked nose. Chloraseptic lozenges are suitable for children ages 6 and up.
If your throat is so sore you’re having discomfort trying to swallow water or hot tea, you can try numbing the pain first with a spray or lozenge. Let the soothing effects take hold and then get your fluids in. Be sure to take care, get rest, and if your sore throat is severe or comes with other symptoms like fever, headache, nausea, or vomiting, seek care from your doctor right away.