Most sore throats are caused by viruses, not bacteria, and will resolve on their own within about a week. In the meantime, the right combination of pain relief, fluids, and simple home treatments can make a real difference in how you feel. Here’s what actually works.
Figure Out What You’re Dealing With
Viruses like those behind colds and flu cause the majority of sore throats. These tend to come with a cough, runny nose, hoarseness, or pink eye. A bacterial infection like strep throat is less common and typically shows up differently: fever, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, white patches on the tonsils, and no cough. The overlap between the two can be tricky, which is why doctors use a rapid strep test rather than guessing based on symptoms alone.
This distinction matters because viral sore throats won’t respond to antibiotics. If you have classic cold symptoms alongside your sore throat, you’re almost certainly dealing with a virus, and your focus should be on comfort measures while your body fights it off.
Take the Right Pain Reliever
Over-the-counter pain medication is the single most effective thing you can do for throat pain. Ibuprofen outperforms acetaminophen for this specific type of pain, and the difference is substantial. In one clinical trial, a standard dose of ibuprofen reduced throat pain by 80% at three hours, compared to 50% for acetaminophen. By six hours, ibuprofen still provided 70% relief while acetaminophen had dropped to just 20%. Ibuprofen also reduces the inflammation in your throat tissue, not just the pain signal, which is why it holds up better over time.
If you can’t take ibuprofen (due to stomach issues or other reasons), acetaminophen still helps, especially in those first few hours. You can also alternate between the two since they work through different mechanisms.
Gargle With Salt Water
Salt water gargling isn’t just an old wives’ tale. Dissolve at least a quarter teaspoon of salt in half a cup of warm water. This creates a solution with higher salt concentration than your throat tissue, which draws fluid and swelling out of the inflamed cells. It also pulls virus and bacteria to the surface, helping clear them away. Gargle for 15 to 30 seconds and spit. You can repeat this several times a day.
Choose Your Drinks and Foods Carefully
Staying hydrated keeps your throat moist and helps your immune system work efficiently. Both warm and cold liquids help, but in different ways. Warm drinks like tea or chicken broth loosen mucus and soothe the back of the throat, which can also calm coughing. Cold liquids, ice chips, popsicles, or sorbet numb the area and reduce inflammation. Try both and see which feels better for you.
Honey is worth adding to warm tea or lemon water. It coats and soothes irritated tissue, has mild antibacterial properties, and can calm the nerve endings in your throat to reduce coughing. For children ages 1 and older, half a teaspoon to one teaspoon of honey can help with cough. Never give honey to a baby under 1 year old due to the risk of infant botulism.
Skip acidic drinks like coffee, soda, and tomato-based foods. Spicy food is also worth avoiding. While some people think the heat helps, it typically makes the burning worse and increases mucus production.
Try Throat Lozenges and Sprays
Medicated lozenges containing a local anesthetic can provide targeted relief. In a clinical trial of lidocaine lozenges, about 73% of patients reported meaningful pain relief with multiple doses over the course of a day, compared to 34% with a placebo. Throat sprays containing phenol work similarly by numbing the surface of your throat. If your sore throat hasn’t improved within seven days of using these products, or if it gets worse, that’s a sign something else may be going on.
Even plain lozenges or hard candy help by stimulating saliva production, which keeps the throat coated and moist.
Adjust Your Environment
Dry air irritates an already inflamed throat, especially overnight. A humidifier in your bedroom can help. Aim for indoor humidity between 30% and 50%. Below 30%, the air is dry enough to worsen throat irritation. Above 50%, you risk encouraging mold and dust mites, which can create new problems. If you don’t have a humidifier, breathing in steam from a hot shower works as a short-term substitute.
Know When It’s More Than a Virus
A typical viral sore throat improves gradually over about one week. If your pain is getting worse after three or four days instead of better, or if you develop a high fever, swollen neck glands, white patches on your tonsils, or a rash, a strep test is a reasonable next step. Strep throat needs antibiotics to prevent complications.
Difficulty breathing, inability to swallow liquids, drooling because swallowing is too painful, a muffled or “hot potato” voice, or significant swelling on one side of the throat are signs of something more serious that needs prompt medical attention. These symptoms are uncommon, but they can indicate a peritonsillar abscess or another condition that won’t resolve on its own.