Most sore throats are caused by viruses and will clear up on their own within three to ten days. In the meantime, a combination of simple home remedies and over-the-counter pain relief can make a real difference in how you feel while your body fights off the infection.
Salt Water Gargle
Gargling with warm salt water is one of the fastest ways to temporarily ease throat pain. Salt draws water out of swollen tissues, reducing inflammation and creating a barrier that helps block irritants from settling back in. Mix a quarter to half teaspoon of table salt into eight ounces of warm water, gargle for 15 to 30 seconds, and spit it out. You can repeat this several times a day.
Why Honey Works
Honey does more than coat your throat. A systematic review published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine found that honey was superior to usual care for relieving upper respiratory symptoms, reducing both cough frequency and cough severity across multiple trials. Its thick consistency coats irritated tissue, and it has mild antimicrobial properties. Stir a tablespoon into warm water or herbal tea, or take it straight off the spoon. One important note: honey should never be given to children under one year old due to the risk of botulism.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relief
Anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen are particularly effective for sore throats because they reduce both pain and the swelling behind it. Acetaminophen is another solid option, though it won’t address inflammation directly. One practical strategy is alternating the two, spacing doses every few hours so you get steady relief without exceeding the daily limit for either one. For acetaminophen, most experts now recommend capping intake at 3,000 mg per day to protect the liver.
Numbing throat sprays and lozenges containing benzocaine or menthol can provide targeted relief on top of oral painkillers. These are applied directly to the back of the throat and should be limited to no more than four times per day. They work best right before meals or at bedtime, when throat pain tends to interfere the most.
What to Eat and What to Avoid
Cold, soft foods like yogurt, smoothies, and ice pops can soothe an inflamed throat while providing calories your body needs to recover. Warm broth and mashed potatoes are also easy to swallow without irritation. The goal is to keep eating and drinking, since dehydration makes a sore throat feel worse.
Certain foods and drinks will actively aggravate your symptoms. Avoid acidic items like orange juice, grapefruit, tomato-based sauces, and lemonade, all of which can sting inflamed tissue. Spicy foods, hard or crunchy snacks like dry toast and chips, carbonated drinks, and alcohol fall into the same category. Very hot beverages can also increase irritation, so let your tea or soup cool to a comfortable temperature first.
Keep Your Air Moist
Dry indoor air pulls moisture from your throat lining and makes soreness worse, especially overnight. A humidifier in your bedroom can help. The Mayo Clinic recommends keeping indoor humidity between 30% and 50%. Cool-mist humidifiers are generally preferred, particularly for children, since heated humidified air hasn’t shown the same benefit for congestion relief. Clean the humidifier regularly to prevent mold and bacteria buildup in the water reservoir.
Sleeping With a Sore Throat
Sore throats often feel worst at night. When you lie flat, mucus from post-nasal drip pools at the back of your throat, triggering irritation and coughing. Elevating your head with an extra pillow or a wedge under the head of your mattress encourages drainage away from your throat.
A saline nasal rinse before bed helps thin out secretions so they’re less likely to settle and irritate. You can use a store-bought squeeze bottle or a neti pot with distilled water. If allergies are contributing to the drip, an antihistamine or nasal steroid spray before sleep can reduce both inflammation and mucus production. Keeping your bedroom clean, vacuuming with a HEPA filter, and washing bedding frequently also cut down on allergens that worsen nighttime symptoms.
How Long It Should Last
A typical viral sore throat resolves within three to ten days. You’ll usually notice the worst pain in the first two or three days, with gradual improvement after that. Staying hydrated, resting, and using the remedies above can shorten the period of real discomfort even if the virus runs its full course.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most sore throats don’t require a doctor’s visit, but a few red flags point to something beyond a standard virus. Strep throat, a bacterial infection, typically shows up as a combination of specific symptoms: fever above 100.4°F, swollen or white-coated tonsils, tender lymph nodes in the front of the neck, and notably no cough. The absence of a cough is actually one of the distinguishing features, since viral sore throats usually come with one. Strep requires a rapid test and antibiotics to prevent complications.
You should also get checked if your sore throat lasts longer than a week without improving, gets progressively worse rather than better, makes it difficult to swallow liquids, or comes with a rash, joint pain, or trouble breathing. A fever that persists beyond three or four days or swollen lymph nodes that don’t go down are worth a call to your doctor as well.