Yes, sleeping in a cold room can give you a sore throat because cold, dry air irritates the delicate throat tissues and dries out nasal passages, making them more vulnerable to inflammation and infection, even if the cold air doesn't directly cause a virus. This dryness, often worsened by indoor heating, leads to a scratchy or sore feeling, and can increase susceptibility to germs. Using a humidifier, staying hydrated, and breathing through your nose can help prevent this.
Again, the cold weather itself does not cause a sore throat. But since the humidity decreases in the winter, the air becomes dryer, and thus you may experience a sore throat if you're breathing in a lot of the colder, dehumidified air.
Yes. Cold, dry air removes moisture from your throat lining, causing irritation and soreness.
Wise Choices
Colds and sore throat symptoms are more gradual in that you slowly start feeling more and more sick. With strep throat, there are no other upper respiratory symptoms. With the common cold and general sore throat, patients often have other symptoms like a cough, congestion, runny nose or sneezing.
Overuse or irritants: You can strain your throat by yelling or screaming. You may also develop a sore throat if you eat spicy food, smoke or drink very hot liquids. Mouth breathing: You may have a sore throat if you breathe through your mouth instead of your nose when you're sleeping.
Pharyngitis, or acute pharyngitis, colloquially sometimes called cobblestone throat, is an inflammation of the back of the throat, otherwise known as the pharynx. The condition generally causes pain and a sensation of scratchiness in the region of the throat, as well as difficulty swallowing.
How to treat a sore throat yourself
Dry indoor air can make the throat feel rough and scratchy. Breathing through the mouth also can cause a dry, sore throat. An ongoing stuffy nose can cause breathing through the mouth.
June 26, 2025 – The new COVID-19 variant that now makes up about a third of U.S. COVID cases has a signature symptom: a painful sore throat that feels like "razor blades." "This 'razor blade sore throat' was reported as a common symptom in China," where the variant first emerged in May, said Matthew S.
4Low indoor temperatures and insulation. Cold air inflames lungs and inhibits circulation, increasing the risk of respiratory conditions, such as asthma attacks or symptoms, worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and infection.
A sore throat at night could also be caused by allergies, dry air in the bedroom, indoor air pollution or smoking. Another less common cause of this condition is a group A Streptococcus bacterial infection, otherwise known as strep throat.
A review of 21 controlled trials using 1 to 8 grams of vitamin C per day found that “in each of the twenty-one studies, vitamin C reduced the duration of episodes and the severity of the symptoms of the common cold by an average of 23%.” The optimum amount of vitamin C to take for cold treatment remains in debate but ...
Waking up with a sore throat is sometimes an indication that you've caught a cold or have strep throat. But unless you're experiencing other symptoms, it's more likely that something irritated your throat while you slept, such as dry air, mouth breathing, acid reflux, sleep apnea or dehydration.
According to pulmonologist Dr. Michael Scharf, inhaling cold air may cause bronchial irritation and cough. If you have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the cold air “may induce bronchial tightening or constriction leading to cough, wheeze and shortness of breath.”
“A sore throat can be caused by any number of factors, including a common cold, low humidity, smoking, air pollution, yelling or nasal drainage,” says Brett M.
Mold grows in areas with high moisture content, such as bathrooms, basements, and kitchens. Exposure to mold spores can trigger an allergic reaction, resulting in a sore throat. You can reduce your exposure to mold by ensuring that your house is well-ventilated, especially in areas with high moisture content.
But is that cough, sore throat, or stuffed up nose really a cold? Symptoms that mimic a cold could actually be the result of low humidity in your home. We need our furnaces to keep our homes warm during winter, but when they churn out air that's too dry, they can actually cause a whole host of respiratory problems.
Self care
To quickly soothe a sore throat, drink warm liquids like honey lemon tea, chamomile, or broth, which coat and calm irritation, or try cold drinks/popsicles to numb the pain and reduce inflammation, with warm saltwater gargles (for adults/older kids) also offering fast relief by breaking down secretions and killing bacteria.
Stage 1 of a sore throat, often the start of a cold or flu, involves early symptoms like a tickle, scratchiness, or mild pain in the throat, possibly with sneezing, usually appearing 1-3 days after infection, and can be managed with rest, fluids, saltwater gargles, and OTC pain relievers, but see a doctor if it's severe, lasts over a week, or comes with a high fever or trouble breathing.
A viral sore throat often comes with cold symptoms like a cough, runny nose, and hoarseness, while a bacterial one (strep throat) usually hits suddenly with severe pain, high fever, no cough, and white spots/pus on tonsils, but only a doctor's test (strep test) can confirm, as symptoms overlap and look similar.
A sore throat (pharyngitis) is when the throat is red, swollen and painful. A sore throat may occur with other symptoms, such as cough, fever, swollen glands or white patches in the throat.
Risk factors. Anyone can get tonsil stones, but you're more likely to get them if you: Get tonsillitis (frequent tonsil infections). Have enlarged tonsillar crypts (folds).