10 Best Dry Throat Remedies for a Better Sleep

A dry throat in the morning can be a symptom of a range of conditions, starting from the dry and hot air in the room to the beginning of a respiratory infection. Given that the occurrence of dry throat can often be a symptom of the novel COVID-19 infection, a lot of people are concerned because of dry throat. Still, don’t worry, dry throat can happen because of a range of reasons, and in this article, you’ll learn how to soothe your dry and aching throat.

Sore and aching throat can at times be an indication of a more serious condition. However, before you start assuming that it’s more serious than you think, try out these dry throat remedies we described to the smallest detail.

10 Best Dry Throat Remedies That Works

A dry throat can at times be the body’s silent response to certain lifestyle habits. Sometimes, even the smallest changes can help you get rid of the annoying dry throat in the morning. Let’s look at the remedies.

1. Drink a Lot of Fluids

Whether you believe it or not, the dry throat can sometimes be a result of dehydration, especially in the hot, summer days. A lot of people forget to drink refreshing drinks such as water as they’re busy working, studying, or exercising. But hydration is extremely important for our overall health.

If you’re worried about having dry throat, it’s possible that you just haven’t been drinking enough of water lately. Remember to drink at least eight cups of water per day. We also wrote an article that talks about the benefits of water on our overall health and sleeps hygiene.

Note: Keep in mind that it’s not a good idea to drink a lot of water in the evening as your sleep cycle may be disrupted.

2. Use a Humidifier

Like we said above, if you often wake up in the morning with dry throat your air in the room where you sleep may be dry. This can happen as a result of an air conditioner that operates in the dry mode, central heating, or something else. It happens mostly in the winter when sleeping in a warm and cozy room is the most essential for your sleep. However, it can happen in the summer months too.

Note: Humidifiers can also include additional scent like lavender oil which will help you fall asleep easier. If having a humidifier is not an option, however, you can always put a wet towel over a radiator so that the room air gets humid. Don’t put it over the fan and other heaters as it can cause the fire to arise.

According to a compelling study, researchers found that using a humidifier can help with a dry throat in the night, humidifying your room and keeping it fresh.

3. Clean Your House or Apartment

It’s no secret that dry throat can be a result of allergies or hay fever, but it’s more common than you think, especially if you’re susceptible to seasonal allergies or have allergy-induced asthma. There are a lot of people who suffer from allergy to dander, mold, dust mites, and other germs that can be found in the apartment.

Use sanitizing products that are good at eliminating bacteria, mold, and other germs in the house. Your symptoms may intensify while you’re cleaning, but once the culprit behind sore throat is gone, you’ll breathe and sleep much easier and wake up with a clean throat.

Also Read: How To Remove Dust Mites From Mattress?

4. Honey

There is growing evidence that honey can help you soothe a dry and sore throat, as well as a cough in both children and adults. A lot of doctors prescribe a tablespoon of honey per day, but you can take more if you like it.

The reason honey is so effective at the soothing dry throat is that it has antibacterial properties. It immediately soothes inflammation and causes pain relief. It is effective with both regular dry throat and bacterial infections and is often used to treat viral infections accompanied by other treatment options too.

If you’re also coughing in the process, as a result of a throat infection, it will help you soothe your throat and reduce the cough. There are different ways to use honey. You can drink two tablespoons in the morning or evening. However, you can also mix it with a warm glass of water or tea such as mint tea.

There are no limits to how much honey you can take throughout the day, but if you suffer from high sugar it’d be wise to avoid it in large amounts. Also, if you’re allergic to honey, you shouldn’t take it.

Read More: Does Honey Help You Sleep?

5. Lemon

It sounds a little weird to use lemon to treat your sore throat. However, it works. Even though it’s rich in citric acid, lemon has great antibacterial properties and it’s rich in vitamin C which is great for boosting our immunity and its natural response.

Lemon can be used in any way you want. For example, you can drink it in water as lemonade, and add a bit of honey to it. Additionally, it can help you with a sore throat if you mix it with tea, such as mint tea. Of course, you can also add honey to make it sweeter, adding up the chances to treat it sooner.

If you don’t believe in lemon’s health properties it has on a sore throat, its beneficial properties have even be noted by research.

6. Drink Tea

One of the first lines of treatment includes tea. If you go to a doctor with a dry throat, they will likely recommend you to drink a lot of warm fluids, including tea. Of course, there’s no need to drink boiling hot tea, as that can just make the infection worse. You should drink at least 2 to 3 mugs of tea per day, and it’ll help you soothe your throat.

Here’s a list of teas that can help you soothe a dry throat.

Read More: 5 Best Teas That Will Lull You Into Sleep

Pretty much, nearly all herbs can be good for making tea that will help you soothe your throat. However, there are also some limitations and risks. Before you attempt to experiment with herbs, especially those that you don’t know about and haven’t tried before.

Before attempting to drink certain tea to soothe the dry throat, you should talk to your doctor. If you suffer from a certain throat infection and are taking medication, your doctor can tell whether some tea can be used in combination with those medicines. That’s because some medicines react to certain teas and vice versa, and could either result in potential allergy reaction or some other issue.

Note: Licorice root tea can turn out to be toxic if you drink it in excess amounts. Also, because certain herbs and their teas don’t fall under the Food and Drug Administration regulators, there’s a chance that they could be harmful. Your doctor will warn you whether there are herbs you should be cautious with.

7. Gargle

Gargling is one of the best methods to treat the sore throat, or at least subside the pain. If your sore throat is caused by a bacterial infection, gargling saltwater or something else can ultimately help you treat your sore throat.

It’s known that the saltwater may not provide an ultimate sore throat relief, but it’s extremely effective in subsiding the symptoms because the saltwater can kill bacteria and germs in the throat. There are other soothing remedies that you can gargle and soothe your throat.

The mentioned remedies will soothe your throat by killing bacteria and breaking off the mucus. In two to three days, your throat should completely recover. Another great medicine to dry throat is using mouthwash. Some mouthwash is useful in treating sore gums and teeth, but dissolving some stronger solutions with water can also help you soothe your throat.

Note: Make sure to talk to your doctor before taking mouthwash for gargling. Only certain medicines may work for you. Also, don’t swallow the mouthwash because it can relax your throat too much, and potentially cause choking and suffocation.

8. Hot Steam

Hot steam is another great way to get rid of sore throat. It’s like using a humidifier that you inhale directly. Some people use special devices called nebulizers that evaporate saltwater or other throat-soothing remedies.

However, if you don’t have a nebulizer, boiling water in a dish and inhaling it above should be more than enough to help. Hot steam, once inhaled, will relax your throat, and will also break mucus down and help you cough it out. Repeat it for two to three days a couple of times per day, especially after you wake up and going to sleep.

A dry throat can compromise your sleep quality, because you may wake up multiple times per night in pain. Inhaling hot steam will help. You can also inhale eucalyptus to help you soothe your throat.

9. Hot Toddy

A hot toddy is a great way to treat your throat. It’s a special drink made out of the water, honey, lemon, and whiskey. If your sore throat isn’t too intense, you can also add cinnamon or ginger. Make sure that the water is hot, as a hotter drink can soothe your throat.

Honey and lemon, as well as warm water, will help you soothe your throat, while whiskey will help you break down mucus, and dilate the blood vessels around the throat. Cinnamon or ginger can stimulate saliva so your throat isn’t dry.

10. Lastly, Rest

Proper rest is more than necessary when you wake up with a sore throat. If it’s an indicator of an infection, the dry throat can be soothed with rest and saving your voice.

Avoid talking loudly, exercising, or sitting on cold. If you have to talk, either whisper or write things you want to say down in notes on a phone or notebook. Doctors usually recommend 24 to 48 hours of rest so that your dry throat heals in entirety.

What Should You Avoid?

When treating dry throat, there are a few things to avoid. For example, apple cider vinegar should be avoided because, even though experts recommend some of its antibacterial properties, it’s still insufficiently explored to be applied for treating dry throat. Its acidic properties could make it even worse on you.

Other things to avoid:

If your dry throat is caused by acidic reflux, don’t lay down immediately after eating, as that could lead to acid going up and causing heartburn.

When to See The Doctor?

Sometimes a throat infection can be the reason your throat feels sore and dry. However, it can be a more serious condition if it persists for longer than two to three weeks. If your throat doesn’t feel soothed with the remedies it’s time to visit a doctor. Also, if you experience other symptoms such as high body temperature and fever, persistent cough, and runny nose, you should visit your doctor earlier so that they can prescribe you an antibiotic and other accompanying medicines.

Also, see the doctor if:

Conclusion

A dry throat in the morning can happen for a variety of reasons, but most of the time, it’s nothing to worry about. If you feel that your dry throat persists for more than two weeks, the safest thing to do is to visit a doctor. A sore throat can often be a response to stress, so if you recently changed career, school, or had a stressful exam, your body’s natural response could be a dry throat.

If you don’t know what causes your dry throat in the morning, our list of causes to sore throat in the morning is waiting for you!

What remedies do you use to treat dry throat? Let us know in the comments!