Why Is Your Throat Sore After Waking Up? Causes & Treatment

Waking up with a sore throat is common and can be frustrating. While often minor, it can sometimes indicate a viral or bacterial infection needing additional care. If your symptoms persist, it’s important to consult a healthcare provider for evaluation.

Identifying the cause of your symptoms, how to treat them, and when to seek medical attention is key to recovery and preventing long-term complications.

Causes of a sore throat or discomfort after waking up

There are many reasons you may be experiencing a sore throat. Considering your recent history can provide insight into the underlying cause.

While not all causes require intervention, a sore throat may come with symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, or neck swelling. If the symptoms are severe, impact daily life, or worsen over time, it may be necessary to seek medical care for further evaluation.

Viral infection or COVID

A key factor in identifying the cause of a sore throat is determining whether it’s due to an infection. Viral infections, such as the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV) are responsible for 25 to 45% of sore throat cases.

In most infections that cause a sore throat, symptoms like fatigue, nasal congestion, and cough are common. You may also experience nasal inflammation, eye redness, sneezing, hoarseness, ear pain, sinus discomfort, mouth ulcers, or even a rash. A low-grade fever is typical, though with some viral infections like the flu or COVID, the fever may be higher.

If you suspect you may have a viral infection or symptoms persist, consult a doctor.

Bacterial Infections

Your symptoms may also be caused by a bacterial infection, most commonly Group A streptococcus (GAS). Unlike viral infections, GAS typically presents with an acute onset of sore throat, fever, and swelling of the throat with patches along your tonsils. Swelling in the front of the neck, which may be painful, is also common.

If left untreated, GAS can lead to complications like Scarlet fever. If it progresses to Scarlet fever, you may notice red spots along the roof of your mouth, redness along your tongue, and a rash along your body. If the infection continues to go untreated, you may develop complications, such as ear infections, cellulitis of the space surrounding your tonsils, sinus infection, brain infection, and bloodstream infection. Treating GAS with antibiotics is crucial to prevent complications.

Similar to viral infections, other bacteria may be causing your symptoms. If you suspect you have a bacterial infection, consult a doctor.

Recent surgery

If you were intubated during surgery, this could lead to a sore throat when you wake up. The tube may cause temporary swelling and irritation, but these symptoms should improve over time without requiring additional treatment. If you recently had surgery and your sore throat persists, consult a doctor.

Allergies, sinusitis, and environmental triggers

Environmental factors may also play a role, especially if you have a history of sinus infections or uncontrolled allergies. Smoke or exposure to second-hand smoke can contribute to your symptoms as well. Seasonal changes, such as dry winter air, may also aggravate throat and sinus issues. If you suspect your sore throat is due to these causes and your symptoms persist, consult a doctor.

Treatment options to soothe a sore throat in the morning

Soothing your sore throat at home can offer short-term relief. Below are treatment options to consider if you believe medical attention isn’t necessary.

Supportive care

In many cases, medication may not be necessary to relieve your sore throat. Focus on getting adequate sleep and rest. Teas can also help soothe your throat. Prioritizing sleep, along with other remedies listed below, can help manage your symptoms effectively.

Fluids

You may notice a decrease in appetite due to your symptoms, but staying hydrated is crucial. If certain foods worsen your pain, try sticking to a diet of softer foods or liquids that are gentler on your throat when swallowing.

Tylenol and other over-the-counter medications

For fevers and pain, over-the-counter pain medications such as Tylenol and ibuprofen can help. If your symptoms begin with a runny nose, nasal congestion, or cough, decongestant or cough suppressant medications may be helpful.

For allergy-related symptoms, over-the-counter medications like Zyrtec and Claritin can offer relief. If you are using these medications consistently with little improvement, consider reaching out to a medical professional for further evaluation.

Other options

You may find relief with treatments like cough drops. For nasal congestion, saline rinses can be helpful, or try staying in a steamy bathroom after a shower to ease symptoms.

How to stop waking up with a sore throat

While the options above may help relieve a sore throat, it’s equally important to focus on prevention, especially if it’s a recurring issue. Below are some preventative measures to help reduce the likelihood of future symptoms.

Avoid sick contacts

It may seem obvious, but since sore throats are often caused by infections, it’s important to try to avoid contact with sick people to reduce your risk of infection. If you start to develop symptoms, try to limit your exposure to others to prevent spreading the illness.

Avoid environmental triggers

If you think your symptoms are related to allergies or environmental triggers, limit exposure to prevent worsening symptoms. If you notice a seasonal pattern, speak with your primary care provider to explore additional ways to reduce exposures to these triggers and to reduce your symptoms.

Stay well hydrated

Hydration not only treats symptoms but also prevents them. Your body needs adequate fluids to work properly, so ensuring that you drink enough water is a simple and effective way to prevent sore throats and maintain overall health.

When you should see a medical professional

Ongoing symptoms can be frustrating, and knowing when you should contact your primary care provider or visit the emergency room can help shorten the duration of symptoms and prevent your condition from worsening.

You should see a doctor if:

• You continue to experience ongoing or worsening symptoms.
• You continue to have a fever despite taking over-the-counter medications.
• You are noticing a drastic loss in weight.
• You develop a rash across your body.
• You start noticing drooling.
• You notice red spots along the roof of your mouth.
• You notice odd-colored patches along your tonsils.

You should go to the emergency room if:

• You are experiencing difficulty breathing.
• You have a sudden change in your ability to swallow.
• You start coughing up blood.
• You lose your ability to speak.
• You develop neck stiffness or pain with neck movement.
• You notice worsening swelling or redness around your neck.

Frequently asked questions: waking up with throat discomfort

Throat discomfort is an extremely common symptom, and it can be difficult to understand what’s causing it. Here are some frequently asked questions about waking up with a sore throat.

Why do you wake up with a sore throat but feel fine otherwise?

Often, you might be experiencing an intermittent irritation in your throat that may not be due to something serious or life-threatening. In cases of viral infections, they are usually self-resolving without the need for intervention other than supportive care as discussed above.

What should you do if you’ve been waking up with a sore throat for months or weeks?

Even if your symptoms aren't life-threatening, it's important to seek evaluation from a healthcare professional, especially if you notice a sudden worsening, even after dealing with them for some time.

Why does it hurt to swallow when I wake up, but feel fine otherwise?

The pain with swallowing may be caused by some irritation and inflammation in your throat or oral cavity. As mentioned above, in most cases, sore throat is not caused by a life-threatening condition. If your symptoms worsen or persist, consult a doctor.

Why do I only wake up with a sore throat in certain seasons, like summer or winter?

Viruses and bacteria that cause sore throats tend to fluctuate seasonally, with most cases occurring in summer or winter. Similarly, sore throats during these seasons may also be due to environmental triggers, as discussed earlier.

Managing a sore throat in the morning

Even though sore throat is a common symptom, it has many potential causes. It is important to know what to look out for, and if you’re concerned, it is always best to reach out to a healthcare professional for further evaluation.

General Medicine follows a strict editorial process, including using real experts to write our articles, vetted primary sources, fact-checking, a secondary medical review, and updates as necessary. This article was medically reviewed and fact checked by Dr. Pallabi Sanyal-Dey, MD.

Sources

Huovinen, P et al. “Pharyngitis in adults: the presence and coexistence of viruses and bacterial organisms.” Annals of internal medicine vol. 110,8 (1989): 612-6. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-110-8-612 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2494921/

Schappert, Susan M, and Elizabeth A Rechtsteiner. “Ambulatory medical care utilization estimates for 2006.” National health statistics reports ,8 (2008): 1-29. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18958997/