BY LAUREN BARTH and LAUREN CAHNOCT. 21, 2020 3:29 PM EST
A sore throat is unmistakable. If it takes a monumental amount of will power to swallow down your own saliva, you don't need anyone to tell you what symptom you're experiencing. A sore throat can be miserable — regardless of if it is an isolated issue or one of many signs of illness you're experiencing.  As Brett M. Scotch, a Florida-based osteopathic physician explained in an interview with the American Osteopathic Association, "A sore throat can be caused by any number of factors, including a common cold, low humidity, smoking, air pollution, yelling, or nasal drainage."

No matter the cause, though, you can get some sore throat relief almost instantly with the help of some handy hacks and tickle-reducing tricks. From sipping a boozy beverage to using a numbing all-natural spray, Health Digest is sharing the scoop on how you can start to feel better faster. So pour yourself a cup of herbal tea (peppermint, if you've got it!), and read on. Calming help and soothing sick-day tips are on the way!

Gargling with warm salt water provides symptomatic relief from a sore throat

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You do not necessarily need to run to the grocery store or pharmacy to get all the supplies you'll need to ease your sore throat symptoms. One of the simplest solutions? Mix one-quarter to one-half teaspoon of table salt in a half cup to one full cup of warm water, as recommended by the Mayo Clinic. "Children older than 6 and adults can gargle the solution and then spit it out," the organization explained.

Sorana Segal-Maurer, internal medicine physician, explained to WebMD why it's an effective option, saying, "You're creating a high-salt barrier and you're pulling out a lot of fluids from the tissues in the throat area, so you're washing the virus out. The salt functions as a magnet for water. It's good for symptomatic relief." She clarified, though, that it's "not going to cure a viral infection." Nevertheless, you most likely have access to water and salt — so it can't hurt to try!

By the way, rinsing out your mouth with salt water can also help reduce the acute pain associated with a toothache, while gargling with plain old H20 can potentially prevent respiratory tract infections (via WebMD).

Sweeten your sore throat situation with honey

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Need to sooth that scratchy throat of yours? We have got you covered, honey! It is not quite Mary Poppins' go-to solution, but a spoonful of, um, honey will help the medicine go down. A study published in the National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology found that when patients took one tablespoon of honey twice daily in tandem with anti-inflammatory medications, antibiotics, and gargle solutions, they reported feeling better sooner and recovered faster than those who got the same treatments sans the bee byproduct.

Furthermore, a paper published in Molecules noted many of honey's amazing health benefits: It acts like an inflammation-fighting antioxidant with antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, and anticancer characteristics. So sore throat aside, you might want to consider adding a little bit of sweetness to your daily routine anyway. It is also worth noting that raw honey might boast more goodness than pasteurized forms, according to Healthline, so do your due diligence when shopping to find one that's the bee's knees.

Try an echinacea and sage tea or spray to curb your sore throat

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As part of a study published in the European Journal of Medical Research, 154 sore throat patients tried either an echinacea and sage throat spray or a chlorhexidine and lidocaine throat spray. The researchers found that the natural spray was as effective as the medicated numbing version. This is good news for those who prefer herbal remedies.

If you'd rather not spritz your throat with a spray, though, you can make yourself a cup of soothing echinacea and sage tea instead. Prevention recommends boiling a teaspoon of dried echinacea root in water, covering for a few minutes before taking it from the flame, and adding a teaspoon of dried sage. Once more, let it rest for a few minutes, strain, pour, and sip. As noted by the publication, both echinacea and sage are antibacterial and perform like "topical anesthetics" — hence the spray works similarly to numbing agents.

Raise the head of your bed to put an end to your sore throat

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Sleeping with a sore throat can feel nearly impossible. With every toss, turn, and inadvertent swallow, you feel the burn. One possible way to help you get to Snoozeville faster — and stay there longer — is to boost yourself up a bit and elevate your head to allow your sinuses to more readily drain, according to WebMD.

Sleep Advisor recommends using a wedge pillow with a "natural and gradual incline" to keep your noggin at an angle. An even better solution? "Raise the head of the bed instead," as recommended by WebMD. This will prevent your neck from getting stuck in an awkward position that can also make breathing more labored. By putting "large books under the legs of your headboard" and making sure they are nice and sturdy, you will get a better angle without sacrificing your comfort or your air flow. 

Fight a sore throat with an ice pop

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Hey, a sick day does not have to be all yucky-tasting medicines and herbal remedies. Treat yourself and soothe your throbbing throat with a sweet treat: an ice pop. Professor Ron Eccles, former director of the Common Cold Centre at the University of Cardiff, told Medical News Today that "ice lollies [pops] would be a good treatment for sore throat as they have a local cooling effect on inflamed tissues and may have a specific inhibitory effect on pain-sensitive nerves in the throat." An ice pop a day may not keep the doctor completely away, but it can relieve acute pain and give us something to smile amount: win-win!

And if you do not like the cold sensation, but still want a treat? Try hard candy. As noted by Healthline, they can "increase your saliva production and help keep your throat lubricated." Of course, a lozenge with a numbing menthol medication would be even more effective. 

Soothe a sore throat with any of these herbal teas

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A comforting cup of tea can help you feel more relaxed when you're sick with a sore throat, and give you some much needed pain relief. Dr. Stephen Parodi, an infectious disease expert, told Prevention, "Warm tea or other drinks can help soothe the inflammation, clear nasal passages, and reduce the amount of mucus coming from the nasal passages that might further irritate the throat." 

A nice hot sip of ginger tea with its anti-inflammatory properties could put you on the road to recovery. If ginger isn't your thing, perhaps a cup of peppermint tea will do the trick. Menthol, an active ingredient in peppermint, provides a cooling benefit; furthermore, it has antibacterial benefits. Looking for something more subtle for your sick day?  For "a more classic herbal tea," tea sommelier Lisa McDonald told Prevention, try "chamomile with a touch of honey. The tea is very calming, and the honey offers a smooth sweetness to help coat the throat." Chamomile has also been shown to "lubricate" and soothe the throat.

Don't underestimate the sore throat-fighting powers of water

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If you have been avoiding swallowing because, well, ouch, it hurts to get anything down with a sore throat, you might be doing your body an injustice. It is important to stay hydrated, but even more critical when you are ill. Thankfully, drinking ice cold water can help numb the pain, thus making it easier to get your needed fluids. It will also help to lessen your congestion, thin mucus, and keep your throat nice and coated, MedicineNet revealed.

You will want to be especially stringent about hydrating if you have a fever as it "draws moisture out of your body," as noted by WebMD. Furthermore, if you're dealing with a lot of mucus, you're probably losing additional fluids. Finally, cold medicines can also dry you up, further fueling the need for constant hydration. Drink up, but be sure to avoid caffeinated beverages, like coffee, and alcohol, as these drinks can further dehydrate you, per MedicineNet.

Read More: https://www.healthdigest.com/265411/tricks-you-need-to-try-if-you-have-a-sore-throat/