A description of the nature of a sore throat is the first thing a doctor needs to establish a correct diagnosis. This allows you to substantiate the most likely assumptions, draw up a diagnostic program and decide whether the patient needs urgent help. Pain syndrome with localization of sensations in the area of the oropharynx, tonsils and larynx is characteristic of many diseases, but usually the pain persists constantly, increases with swallowing. In most cases, it is not difficult to determine the cause of its appearance. However, if your throat hurts in the morning, but does not bother you during the day, you should think about why this is happening and what may be associated with it.
Pain etiology
A person who has painful sensations in the throat only in the morning suffers from them, of course, less than a patient with an acute inflammatory process in the oropharynx. But if the symptom appears regularly, only at certain times of the day and persists for a long time, justified anxiety increases. Acute pharyngitis or tonsillitis are understandable explanations for the presence of pain, but these diseases are not characterized by unpleasant sensations only at the beginning of the day. The throat may hurt constantly or only when swallowing, but complaints do not depend on the time of day.
With a sore throat, it's not just infection that needs to be ruled out. But even non-infectious diseases (for example, glossopharyngeal neuralgia or Eagle-Sterling syndrome) do not have such a feature as pain at a certain time of the day. A morning pain episode can be caused by:
- Unsatisfactory indoor climate parameters.
- Postnasal flow syndrome.
- Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Symptoms can be due to a combination of adverse factors - not necessarily just one of them.
Smoking
Smokers, both active and passive, can complain of soreness in the morning. When smoking a morning cigarette, tobacco smoke irritates the mucous membrane of the pharynx, the lack of moisture of which is more than typical for smokers: prolonged contact with tobacco provokes the development of inflammation in the oropharynx and tonsils. In addition, long-term cigarette smokers are usually familiar with the excruciating, hacking cough that occurs in the morning. At the same time, the phlegm is viscous, it is difficult to cough up the throat, therefore there is also a sore throat.
Chronic pathology of the respiratory organs
Sore throat in the morning is experienced by people suffering from chronic diseases of the respiratory system. With constant nasal congestion, aggravated in a horizontal position, as well as in the presence of crusts (atrophic processes), nasal breathing is difficult. If during the day a person can use drugs or control their breathing, at night they begin to breathe through the mouth. The mucous membrane dries up, pain appears.
Microclimate and sore throat
The characteristics of the microclimate in the room where the patient spends a significant part of the time are extremely important. They affect general well-being, susceptibility to infections, can help to recover, or, conversely, slow down the improvement of the condition.
These include:
- temperature;
- relative humidity;
- air speed.
The main parameters that can be effectively influenced even with simple measures are humidity and temperature indicators. According to the established hygienic standards, they should be in the range of 40-60% and 18-20 ° C (for a cold climatic region 22 ° C), respectively. In this case, it is important not to allow sudden fluctuations.
Why does my throat hurt in the morning? If the reason is an unsatisfactory microclimate, the following options are possible:
- Inhalation of superheated air.
- Inhalation of excessively dry air.
- Inhalation of too cool air.
The most common cases of pain associated with dry and at the same time too hot air - for example, with the active operation of heating devices. The absence of a humidifier and a hygrometer (a device that records the level of humidity) leads to the fact that a person does not pay attention to unfavorable parameters. He can associate pain with an infection or simply ignore it, since the discomfort usually stops on its own after drinking water, tea, walking along the street, where the air is more humid and cool.
The greatest risk of morning pain is associated with being in dry, overheated and dusty air.
Thus, it is worth suspecting a connection between pain and unsatisfactory microclimate characteristics if:
- pain sensations appear in a certain room;
- often occur in the morning, after sleep;
- pass on their own after moistening the mucous membrane;
- are not accompanied by other symptoms (fever, weakness, cough).
To improve the condition, you need to eliminate irritating factors. This is possible only with the correct correction of the microclimate indicators, which should be combined with regular wet cleaning.
Postnasal flow syndrome
Postnasal syndrome occurs in patients suffering from chronic forms of ENT pathologies:
- Chronic rhinitis.
- Chronic sinusitis.
- Pharyngeal cyst (Thornwald's bag).
The mucus flowing down the back of the pharynx irritates the mucous membrane, dries up on its surface and, in some cases, causes chronic cough. Patients feel an accumulation of pathological discharge, cough up mucous clots, the color of which is sometimes close to an orange-brown hue. Coughing or coughing is especially pronounced at night and in the morning. Also, in the morning, pain is felt, which later goes away. In this case, discomfort and sore throat occur in the absence of inflammatory changes in the mucous membrane of the pharynx.
The causes of pain lie in a persistent inflammatory process in the upper respiratory tract, and the presence of postnasal syndrome can be confirmed after examination by an otolaryngologist.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, or OSAS, is a condition characterized by snoring and intermittent cessation of pulmonary ventilation. The patient stops breathing for a while - there is a phenomenon of apnea, cessation of respiratory movements.
The oxygen level in the blood drops, sleep is disturbed, in the morning the patient feels overwhelmed and tired, he needs a second rest, he experiences daytime sleepiness.
How is OSAS and morning pain syndrome related? There are two main reasons for the onset of pain:
- snoring and breathing mainly through the mouth, which leads to drying out of the mucous membrane;
- nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux - the throwing of stomach contents into the esophagus.
Reflux occurs as a result of increased pressure in the abdomen. The stomach contents irritate the esophagus and pharynx, which provokes pain. Register at the gorgeous online casino InstantPay. InstantPay casino working mirror https://www.casinozonline.ru/casino/instantpay-casino.html See player reviews and get no deposit bonuses and play on your mobile phone at InstantPay casino. Remember slot machines. Subsequently, it may go away after consuming fluids.
GERD
GERD is one of the most likely explanations for a sore throat every morning. This is a common pathology that has both "digestive", "esophageal" and "extraesophageal" manifestations.Both children and adults suffer from GERD - as a result of gastroesophageal reflux, a child may experience a “wet pillow” symptom in the morning after sleep.
GERD occurs when the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter decreases, among the risk factors:
- chronic stomach diseases;
- smoking, stress, alcohol;
- eating disorders, etc.
Spontaneous reflux occurs at night and also during sleep (especially immediately after eating) when the person is in a horizontal position. The pain is felt after waking up, then it goes away - usually relief is associated with the intake of food and fluids. Acid has an irritating effect, with prolonged preservation of reflux, it provokes the development of inflammation (reflux pharyngitis, reflux laryngitis) - pain in this case ceases to depend on the time of day.
When a morning sore throat appears, you should consult a doctor, since this symptom can indicate the development of various pathologies. The therapist, gastroenterologist, otolaryngologist can help the patient.
