Home Remedies To Soothe Your Dry Throat

A dry throat is one of the symptoms of the common cold. A dry scratchy throat causes irritation when you drink or swallow something. It takes place mostly in winters as the air becomes dry and upper respiratory infections also spread during such weather conditions. Some instances of the dry throat can be cured at home with proper care whereas chronic dry throat may require Over Counter treatment. Follow the article to know home remedies for a dry throat.

Causes Behind A Dry Throat

Various associated symptoms of a dry throat are as follows;

1. Sleeping with an open mouth

If a person breathes through his/her mouth while sleeping, the air outside dries the saliva and his/her mouth may feel dry on waking up.

2. Dehydration

When you are not drinking enough water, your throat may get dry. Dehydration can make you feel very thirsty, urinating less, having dark urine, feeling tired and dizzy.

3. Common Cold

Common cold leads to a person's throat feel dry, scratchy, or sore. This throat infection can cause a runny nose, cough, mild fever, and body aches.

4. Flu

A dry, scratchy or sore throat is a symptom of influenza, also known as the flu.

5. Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is a condition where the food pipe sometimes feels a burning situation that may cause a dry throat.

6. Tonsillitis

Viral and Bacterial infections cause inflammation of the tonsils. Tonsils are the fleshy lumps at the back of the throat to fight against infections.

7. Strep Throat

Strep Throat can be caused by the bacterium, Streptococcus pyogenes.

Home Remedies For Dry Throat

Let's have a look into various home remedies for the dry throat;

1. Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is one of the best ways to prevent yourself from getting a dry throat. An appropriate amount of saliva is required to keep your mouth moist. Drinking fluids like herbal tea provide relief to the dry throat and prevent any further irritation.

2. Moisten Your Food

It is a better option to add broths, soups, gravies, creams, butter, and other liquid ingredients into the dry foods to coat your mouth with extra moisture and add more fluid into your body. It makes the food soft and easy to swallow even at room temperature.

3. Soothe Your Throat With Honey

By coating the lining of the throat with honey, it fights against irritants and soothes dry, irritated throats. Honey with lemon helps to boost your immune system.

4. Gargle With Saltwater

Another dry scratchy throat remedy is gargling with saltwater. It works when your throat is getting dry due to seasonal irritants like dry air or allergies.

5. Have Chewing Gum Or Candy

The other alternative that increases the amount of saliva in the mouth is having gum or hard candy. Too little saliva will give rise to tooth decay that leads to various other problems. You can also hop on ice chips, sugar-free popsicles, or throat lozenges to keep your throat moist.

6. Take Steam And Humidity

One of the most tried home remedies to treat dry throat is to breathe in humid and moist air throughout the day. Breathing in steamed air offers a temporary relief to your throat. You can also take a bath under a shower and breathe in the steam for several minutes.

7. Go With Artificial Saliva Product

As we all know, artificial stuff can never take the place of the original things. In the same way, artificial saliva has its strengths and weaknesses. Make sure that the product should contain xylitol, carboxymethyl cellulose, and hydroxyethyl cellulose to attain the maximum benefits.

How To Prevent Dry Throat?

• Air inhaled through your nose is filtered and makes your mouth more humid. So, avoid breathing through your mouth.
• Avoid eating dry, salty, or spicy foods to lessen the dryness in your throat.
• It is better to stay away from alcohol and caffeine including beverages.
• Medicines that include "anticholinergic" decrease secretions, also result in drying the throat excessively. Consult your doctor before taking such drugs.
• Switch your mouthwash and dental care products with the one that produces excessive saliva.
• Smoke contains drying agents and responsible for chronic dryness. It is better to quit smoking.

When To Consult Your Doctor For Dry Throat?

See Your Doctor

If you are facing persistent throat dryness that doesn't go away even after trying various home remedies for dry throat, it is time to set an appointment with your trusted doctor to get out of this problem.

Check For Existing Conditions

Your doctor will need to diagnose if the problem should be treated directly or indirectly.

Learn About Saliva Producing Medications

If your dry throat occurs due to saliva gland damage, your doctor will recommend you to take pilocarpine or cevimeline, drugs that boost natural saliva production.

Make sure you see a doctor if your pain lasts for more than a few days.