How does salty water help a sore throat

You can use any type of salt, but smaller granules tend to dissolve more quickly and easily. Your Albany ear, nose and throat doctor recommends a saltwater gargle two to four times a day, depending on how bad your symptoms are. You should start to feel better after 24 hours. If you suffer from high blood pressure, try another remedy to help moisten the throat.

Chicken soup is a good alternative and, as with saltwater, it has been medically proven to work. As an added bonus, the broth contains nutrients that help fight infection. Fortunately they tend to run their course in a few days, but the pain they cause during that time can make you downright miserable.

Medications might help, but Augusta mothers have been recommending a saltwater gargle for decades. This is because saltwater has hypertonic properties; in other words, the osmotic pressure in saltwater is higher than the pressure in the fluid of the surrounding cells.

After gargling, when you spit out the water, you will get rid of some of the germs, as well. An additional benefit of a saltwater gargle is that moisture on the surface of the throat acts as a lubricant and will help relieve some of the soreness. Other causes include strep throat, allergies and smoking. Within a week, most sore throats will get better on their own, but home remedies, such as a salt water gargle for a sore throat, can help you feel better in the meantime.

Gargling with warm salt water is a widely recommended home remedy, but before you try it, you may be wondering how it works. The Mayo Clinic notes that warm liquids can help to ease the discomfort associated with a sore throat.

Penn Medicine explains that salt water can help to kill bacteria, ease pain and loosen mucus, making it especially helpful in relieving your symptoms. To make a salt water solution, you'll need just two things: salt and warm water. It's important that the water is warm, as this helps the salt dissolve. While gargling with salt water can help to relieve a scratchy or painful throat, this method isn't right for everyone. As the Mayo Clinic explains, children younger than 6 years old can't usually gargle properly.

For this reason, gargling isn't recommended for young children. There are many helpful home remedies out there. In addition to a salt water gargle for a sore throat, the Mayo Clinic shares several other tips to reduce your discomfort:. Home remedies aren't always enough to heal a sore throat, however. The CDC recommends seeing a doctor if you have symptoms of strep throat , such as a fever, pain when swallowing or red, swollen tonsils. You should also see a doctor if you have bloody saliva, difficulty swallowing or breathing, joint pain or any other symptoms that concern you.

The symptoms are similar for children, but children can also get a temperature and appear less active. Sore throats are usually caused by viruses like cold or flu or from smoking. Very occasionally they can be caused by bacteria. Page last reviewed: 05 February Next review due: 05 February Sore throat. How to treat a sore throat yourself To help soothe a sore throat and shorten how long it lasts, you can: gargle with warm, salty water children should not try this drink plenty of water eat cool or soft foods avoid smoking or smoky places suck ice cubes, ice lollies or hard sweets — but do not give young children anything small and hard to suck because of the risk of choking rest How to gargle with salt water Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water warm water helps salt dissolve.