Hot summers in Plano make you feel extra thankful for air conditioning. If you’re running your AC all day, you might notice that your throat feels a little sore. Let’s look at how AC can irritate your throat and what you can do to reduce inflammation without sacrificing your cool temperature.
Air Conditioning and Throat Pain
A couple of reasons why your air conditioning may impact your throat health include:
- The cold, dry air that AC units emit can irritate the tissues in the throat over time
- An unclean filter in your AC unit can release dust and debris that irritates your throat
Managing your environment and taking steps to calm throat inflammation will help you enjoy your summer with all the cool air your AC provides.
Minimizing Your Risk of a Sore Throat
There are a few ways you can change the air in your environment and protect your throat health this summer.
- Clean the air filters in your AC unit each month
- Keep your AC thermostat at a moderate setting
- Run a humidifier if the humidity in your environment gets below 40%; replace humidifier water daily and clean the unit often to prevent buildup
- Don’t run the air conditioner at night; supplement with a fan whenever you can
- Drink extra water
- Suck on cough drops or drink tea with honey if the irritation gets uncomfortable
- Avoid sitting or sleeping directly under an air vent
- Gargle with warm salt water if your throat starts to feel dry
- Keep windows closed on very dusty or high-pollen days, so you‘re not exposed to extra irritants
About 10% of people see a health care provider with a sore throat each year.[1] If your sore throat lasts for more than a week or is accompanied by other symptoms, like postnasal drip or congestion, it’s possible that another condition is contributing to your inflammation.
Contact Collin County ENT to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists. We’ll get to the bottom of your throat inflammation and help you find the right treatment path.
[1] Kenealy T. (2014). Sore throat. BMJ clinical evidence, 2014, 1509.