Most sore throats are caused by viral infections and will clear up on their own within about a week. In the meantime, several home treatments and over-the-counter options can significantly reduce the pain and help you feel more comfortable while your body fights off the infection.
Why Your Throat Hurts
The most common cause is a viral infection like a cold or the flu. Viral sore throats account for the vast majority of cases and don’t respond to antibiotics. Bacterial infections, particularly strep throat, are less common but do require treatment. Beyond infections, sore throats can also be triggered by allergies, acid reflux, dry indoor air, chronic mouth breathing (especially overnight in winter), and even straining your voice.
Knowing the cause matters because it shapes what will actually help. A sore throat from dry air responds to humidity. One from acid reflux won’t improve until you address the reflux. But for the standard viral sore throat that comes with a cold, the strategies below are your best options.
Gargle With Salt Water
Saltwater gargling is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do. Mix a quarter to a half teaspoon of table salt into eight ounces of warm water, then gargle for 15 to 30 seconds and spit it out. The salt creates a solution that pulls excess fluid out of swollen throat tissue through osmosis, reducing inflammation and easing pain. It also helps clear mucus and debris from the area. You can repeat this several times a day as needed.
Use Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers
Acetaminophen works well for sore throat pain by dampening pain signals. Ibuprofen is another option, with the added benefit of reducing inflammation directly. Either one will help, and both are available without a prescription. Stick within the recommended daily limits for adults: no more than 3,000 milligrams of acetaminophen or 2,400 milligrams of ibuprofen per day.
Throat sprays containing numbing agents like phenol can also provide quick, targeted relief by temporarily deadening the nerve endings in your throat. Lozenges and cough drops work on a similar principle, coating and soothing irritated tissue while keeping the throat moist.
Try Honey
Honey has solid evidence behind it for soothing upper respiratory symptoms, including sore throat. A systematic review published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine found that honey performed comparably to the active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough medicines and was consistently better than doing nothing or receiving standard care alone. The likely mechanism is straightforward: honey forms a soothing, protective coating over irritated throat tissue. Stir a tablespoon into warm tea or water, or take it straight. One important note: never give honey to children under one year old due to the risk of botulism.
Stay Hydrated and Humidify Your Air
A dry throat is a more painful throat. Drinking plenty of fluids keeps the tissue moist and helps thin mucus. Warm liquids like tea, broth, or warm water with lemon tend to feel especially soothing because the warmth increases blood flow to the area. Cold options work too. Some people find that ice chips, popsicles, or cold water numb the pain temporarily.
Indoor air, particularly in winter with the heat running, can drop well below the humidity levels your throat needs. The Mayo Clinic recommends keeping indoor humidity between 30% and 50%. A cool-mist humidifier in your bedroom can make a noticeable difference, especially if you wake up with the worst pain in the morning. If you don’t have a humidifier, sitting in a steamy bathroom for a few minutes can offer short-term relief.
Rest Your Voice
Talking, whispering, and clearing your throat all put mechanical stress on already-inflamed tissue. Voice strain alone can cause throat pain that mimics an infection. If your throat is sore, giving your voice a break for even a few hours can prevent further irritation and let healing happen faster.
How to Tell if It’s Strep
Most sore throats don’t need antibiotics, but strep throat does. Strep is a bacterial infection that typically looks different from a viral sore throat. The key distinction: strep usually comes without the runny nose, cough, or congestion you’d expect with a cold. Instead, it tends to cause a sudden, severe sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and sometimes white patches on the tonsils.
Doctors use a scoring system that weighs your age, whether you have a cough, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and visible tonsillar coating. A high score suggests about a 50% chance of bacterial infection and often justifies a rapid strep test or starting antibiotics. If your sore throat has no cold symptoms but does come with a high fever and swollen glands, getting tested is worth it. Untreated strep can lead to complications that a simple course of antibiotics prevents entirely.
When a Sore Throat Needs Urgent Attention
Most sore throats resolve within a week. See a healthcare provider if your symptoms don’t improve within a few days or are getting worse rather than better. Seek emergency care immediately if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, or if you suddenly can’t swallow at all. These symptoms can indicate a more serious problem like an abscess or airway obstruction that needs prompt treatment.