We all know what it’s like to have an itchy throat, that irritating sensation that constantly makes you want to cough. While an itchy throat can be annoying when you’re experiencing it, it’s usually not a major concern. In fact, most of the time, it will go away all on its own. But sometimes, an itchy throat doesn’t just go away. It persists, causing all sorts of negative symptoms and side effects that can have an effect on your daily life. Fortunately, there are things you can do to deal with an itchy throat.
Itchy Throat Symptoms
The most common symptom of an itchy throat is that it gives you a persistent desire to cough. You might also find yourself clearing your throat repeatedly. Those with a throat itch might also experience mild throat pain and irritation which could make talking or swallowing difficult. An itchy throat is often accompanied by other symptoms, including a runny nose, secretions, and itchy, watery eyes. These accompanying symptoms can often point you towards the underlying cause of your itchy throat.
Common Causes
One of the most common causes of an itchy throat is dryness. When you have a dry throat, it usually means the mucus that covers the inner walls of your throat has dried up. This mucus usually lubricates and protects the throat, so when it dries up your throat is left vulnerable to irritation. Another common cause of an itchy throat is the common cold. In fact, most people experience this annoying condition when suffering from viral infections like the cold, the flu, chickenpox, and infectious mononucleosis. Other things that can cause an itchy throat include food allergies, environmental allergies, smoking, bacterial infections, talking too loudly, talking for too long, dust, and inhaling fumes from household cleaners. Serious illnesses, like cancer, can also cause an itchy throat.
Itchy Throat Remedies
The fastest remedy for an itchy throat is drinking a glass of water. This is especially true if your throat is dry due to dehydration. Other liquids, like herbal tea, chicken soup or broth, or fruit juice can also help soothe your throat, remedy dehydration, and stop the itch. Just make sure you don’t drink anything that contains caffeine. Caffeine causes dehydration, and can make your itchy throat even worse. There are herbal lozenges that can help relieve throat itchiness. These lozenges usually contain throat-soothing herbs like eucalyptus and chamomile. If home remedies don’t help, your only solution might be to deal with the underlying cause of your itchy throat. For example, if the throat irritation is caused by a food allergy, the solution is finding out which foods you are allergic to and avoiding those foods.
It might be necessary for a doctor to diagnose and treat the cause of your itchy throat. For example, if a bacterial infection is the culprit, the doctor might prescribe antibiotics that will cure the infection. An itchy throat can be annoying, especially when it refuses to go away. But if you identify the underlying cause of the condition, and receive proper treatment for that cause, you can make your itchy throat problem a thing of the past.