I have a huge concert tomorrow- we practice for five hours (with breaks, of course) and then preform. Normally, I would be fine after a good night's rest, but in the last two days my throat has been becoming scratchy and dry, and I believe it's the beginning of a cold. I can probably hold off the cold for now, but that doesn't change the fact that my throat is sore. Just practicing my clarinet for an hour today put my throat in agony and I'm worried about being able to play to my full potential tomorrow with my throat the way it is right now. Does anyone have any quick remedies or ideas for my throat? Drinking water helps somewhat, but it doesn't last for long. :dry:
I tend to get a cough drop and suck on it while drinking some water. So, it coats my throat. Hope that helps.
Gargling with salt water always works for me, although usually only temporarily. You do have to try to get it go down your throat as far as possible without swallowing it, though, so if you try it only use a small amount of water. Lemon also seems to work, and hot drinks. Cough drops only provide relief while your actually sucking on them, and (if my year 10 science teacher is trustworthy) will just makes things worse if it's bacterial infection because the sugar in them will be feeding the bacteria.
Gargling with salt-water is a good long-term solution, but you probably won't see the effects by tomorrow. I swear by honey as a throat remedy; try adding a liberal amount to your favorite tea. I've used hot chocolate, too, so you can use that if you don't like tea. You could also just mix it in some hot water. Don't be stingy with the honey; when I say liberal amount, I mean that you should have a thick layer of it pooling on the bottom of your mug before you mix it in (it helps to use a clear mug or glass so you can see how much is in there). If you think you've put in too much, put in more. Then mix and drink. If you're using hot chocolate or strong tea, you should be able to taste the honey just as strongly as the other flavor. If you're using a weaker tea, the honey should dominate the flavor. I've used just a spoonful of straight-up honey before, but your throat can react badly to that if you don't mix it with enough saliva before swallowing. That's why I think you should mix it with hot water at the very least.
HONEY HONEY HONEY Last week I developed a sore throat. In bed I literally just poured some honey down my throat and let it stay there for like 10 minutes. The next morning my sore throat had completely gone. Not sure if I got lucky with it completely disappearing but it definitely worked.
Several of my friends who sing swear by slippery elm lozenges or drops (available at health food stores) and ginger tea. They also do several things that help rehydrate their throat, especially if their throat has been feeling scratchy.
Today, I was able to have some hot tea with honey on the way to the practice and performance sight, and thanks to all of you that suggested it because it did help! After that just drinking a lot of water seemed to help it along, so my throat wasn't as scratchy during practice as it was yesterday. The only thing that I needed to worry about then was my back and fingers getting cramped and the now fairly large blister on my upper lip from the friction Thank you for all of the suggestions! I'll definitely use more of them in the future next time my voice gets sore and/or scratchy.
Oh my god. I saw this post and remembered these delicious swiss throat candy things that I had when I was little when I lived in England. Goddamn delicious! And they work...
Try warming a couple of water about the same temperature that you'd drink tea, and then mix in honey and lemon juice. It tastes amazing and soothes the throat.
In general for a sore throat, I'll just have something like a strepsil and cup of green tea. Always works well for me .
When I was a little kid, my mom always made lemon tea (lemon juice, hot water, and honey) which soothed my sore throat.
I know it tastes HORRIBLE...but if you use vinegar and add a little honey to it and drink that. It may taste bad, but it will coat your throat and relieve the pain. Trust me! If you don't like this idea, you can always stick to cough drops or hot tea to soothe your throat!
For me ice cold apple juice has always made my throat feel better. Its really far off what everyone else suggested so it may just be me. :lol:
The opposite's always been true for me - it works instantly (especially for that little tickle that makes you want to cough) but the relief fades in a few hours.