Smoking is an easy way to enter a whole new realm of ecstasy and forget all the worries. But sometimes, you may feel intense irritation and discomfort in your throat after a smoking sesh, which may spoil your experience.
A sore and dry throat after smoking is a common concern among smokers, which can be resolved with some preventive measures. However, the question is: “What makes your throat hurt after smoking?” It is the lack of moisture in your throat.
When the hot, dry air leaves your mouth, it removes all the moisture from your throat necessary to keep it lubricated. As a result, you feel irritation, soreness, or discomfort in the area. Some components of the smoke can also damage the fragile tissues in your throat, making it painful and irritating.
While this condition is normal after smoking, it can worsen your existing respiratory issues. Let’s learn about the factors hurting your throat after smoking and how to cure them.
Reasons Your Throat Hurts After Smoking
If you’re a smoker or inhale passive smoke, you may often experience an irritated or sore throat. Here are some possible reasons behind it:
- Hot and Dry Smoke. The hot smoke from the cigarette or cannabis dries out your throat and the nasal passage, irritating the entire area.
- Smoke Content. The other culprits are the content of the compound you’re smoking in, whether cannabis or tobacco. Most contain toxins that directly target the delicate tissues within your nasal passage. This results in frequent coughing and swollen throat.
- THC in Cannabis. It’s also believed that THC stops saliva production, making your throat drier, hotter, and more irritated. The “cotton mouth effect” only makes things worse.
- Side Effects of an Infection. It’s not always the cigarette’s content and dry smoke that makes the throat hurt. Instead, it could be a side effect of the infections that smoking itself causes. Whether you smoke tobacco or cannabis, it can weaken your immune system and make you prone to cold, glandular fever, and flu. All these illnesses lead to a sore throat.
- Longer Puffs. Cannabis smokers are more susceptible to irritated throat or nasal passages as they take longer puffs than typical cigarette smokers. You can understand this by comparing the pull from a giant bong and a cigarette. The former is larger than the latter, so it will more likely cause a coughing fit.
While a dry throat and frequent coughing are normal after smoking, they can aggravate your pre-existing breathing issues like bronchitis, asthma, or emphysema. Not only that, but it can also indicate a major disease like throat cancer. It only happens when your throat remains sore for more than a week.
If you’re experiencing the same, seek a healthcare professional’s help immediately.
How to Treat a Sore Throat from Smoking
A sore throat may come off as a bummer after smoking, but it shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your weed sessions. After all, it’s the easiest and most joyful way of relieving stress and feeling light after a long, tiring day.
Here are some ways to cure a sore throat after smoking to enjoy cannabis without any worries.
Drink Lots of Water
The best remedy for sore throat is drinking lots of water during or after smoking. As the hot smoke makes your throat dry, you can lubricate it with water to prevent the irritation and soreness that comes afterward.
Ensure the water is cold enough to prevent the hot smoke from drying your throat. You should also drink plenty of water for a few hours after your smoking session.
Take Lozenges or Cough Drops
Another way to cure a sore throat after smoking is by taking lozenges or cough drops. They trigger saliva production in your throat, preventing it from getting too dry or irritated. Some lozenges are as tasty as candies, so they will be a treat for your throat and tastebuds equally.
Just make sure not to swallow it as a whole while smoking, or you may end up getting choked.
Try Vaping as an Alternative
If none of the above tricks work, you can use vape as an alternative to traditional smoking. Many smokers believe that vaporizers don’t induce frequent coughing or irritation in the throat. You can even adjust the temperature of your vape device to inhale cooler cannabis content.
However, not all vaporizers let users set the vapor’s temperature, especially the low-quality ones. It means your throat can hurt even after smoking through a vaporizer. So, buy a high-quality vape with a temperature adjustment feature to protect your throat from hot and dry air.
Throat Hurting After Smoking: When Should You See a Doctor?
Having a sore throat is common among smokers. It isn’t concerning if drinking water or eating lozenges treats the irritation or discomfort. But if the pain persists or comes with particular symptoms, you should see a doctor at your earliest convenience.
Here are some signs you must look for to determine the right time for visiting a doctor:
- Bloody phlegm during coughing
- Painful swallowing
- Hoarseness or a change in a normal voice
- Unusual lump in the neck
- Swollen neck
- Sudden weight loss
The healthcare professional will perform a comprehensive test to determine the cause of the above symptoms. It will also help them detect health issues that require immediate medical attention, such as a throat infection or cancer.
Stop smoking as soon as you observe any of the above signs with a painful throat to prevent your condition from worsening.
Conclusion
Whether you smoke cannabis or tobacco, the hot smoke can dry your throat by removing the moisture that keeps the area lubricated. It leads to coughing and a scratchy or irritated throat after smoking.
While that’s normal, it may aggravate an underlying health issue or indicate throat cancer. You can quickly treat mild irritation in the throat by drinking lots of water and eating lozenges.
But if the pain persists for over a week, you should visit a professional healthcare provider as soon as possible. They will guide you about tackling this condition and enjoying cannabis to the fullest.
