A Day in the Life of a Sore Throat: Morning, Noon, and Night Relief

Sore throats don’t stick to a 9-to-5 schedule - they can be a real pain from morning to night Cepacol®,  known for its sore throat lozenges¹, Medsip (hot medication)^2&3, and now new raspberry-flavoured effervescent⁴, explores how and why sore throats change throughout the day.

Waking Up With A Sore Throat⁵

Waking up with a dry, scratchy, and raw throat can ruin your day before it even begins. A sore throat in the morning can be caused by several things, including:

Dehydration: Due to natural circadian rhythm fluctuations, saliva production decreases at night, making a dry throat more noticeable in the morning.^5a

Medication and health conditions: Certain medications and health conditions, like diabetes and Sjögren’s syndrome, can cause dry mouth and a sore throat. Stress, anxiety, and depression may also play a role.^5b

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder: Acid reflux can bring stomach contents up the oesophagus, leading to heartburn, wheezing, and throat irritation.^5c Lying down makes things worse since gravity isn’t on your side. 

Environmental conditions: Airborne pollutants, including dust, smoke, and chemicals, can trigger symptoms such as hoarseness, mucus, a dry cough, or an itchy throat, while cold or dry air can cause a sore throat and inflammation in the nose.^5d

Snoring: Snoring and sore throats often go hand in hand, especially for smokers or those with sleep apnoea. Whether snoring causes throat pain or vice versa isn’t clear, but mouth breathing and vibrations from snoring may contribute to irritation.^5e

Sleep apnoea: People with sleep apnoea are more likely to wake up with a dry mouth, likely due to mouth breathing.^5f

Allergies: Blocked nasal passages from allergies such as dust mites and pet dander force many people to breathe through their mouths, leading to a dry throat.^5g

Infections: Although most sore throats are caused by viral infections, in some cases bacterial infections are to blame and can cause severe or persistent throat pain.^5h

The Afternoon Scratch^6&7

By midday, sore throat symptoms can either improve or persist, depending on what is causing it.  If a sore throat is linked to an ongoing viral or bacterial infection, symptoms may start escalating in the afternoon. 

Viral sore throats, like those that cause colds or flu^6a, love company and usually bring on additional symptoms like cough, changes in your voice that make it sound breathy, raspy, or strained, runny nose and, if you’re extra unlucky, conjunctivitis.^6b

If a bacterial infection is to blame, throat pain may be more severe. Around a third of throat infections come from bacteria, with Group A streptococcus being the usual troublemaker behind a painful throat.^7a  

The pain sometimes spreads to the ears, and other symptoms may include fever, headache, and an upset stomach.^7b The tonsils might turn red and swollen, sometimes with white patches, and the lymph nodes in the neck can become tender and enlarged.^7c

The Night Irritation⁸

If you’ve ever noticed throat pain feels worse at night, you’re not imagining things. Research suggests that your body’s circadian rhythms - along with a few other factors - turn up the misery after sundown.

Your circadian clock doesn’t just control sleep; it also plays a big role in your immune system.^8a When your immune system is activated (like when you’re battling a cold) it releases chemicals that trigger inflammation in infected tissues.^8b 

While this helps fight off germs, it also leads to unpleasant symptoms like fever, congestion, and, you guessed it, a sore throat.^8c This overnight surge in immune activity and inflammation can linger into the morning hours.^8d

A few other factors can make nighttime symptoms feel worse. Without distractions, aches and pains feel more intense.^8e That sore throat you ignored while binge watching Netflix suddenly feels unbearable when you're lying in bed.

Lying down also worsens congestion since mucus doesn't drain as easily.^8f Propping up your head with extra pillows can help prevent buildup, and staying hydrated during the day keeps mucus thin rather than thick and sticky.^8g

Beat The Scratch With Cepacol®’s New Raspberry-Flavoured Effervescent⁴ 

Cepacol® understands how sore throat symptoms evolve throughout the day. Whether it’s a morning remedy to soothe dryness, an afternoon lozenge for scratchy irritation, or a nighttime treatment to ease inflammation, Cepacol® offers a wide range of formats and products tailored for targeted relief, including the newly launched Cepacol® Effervescent⁴ - a fizzyraspberry-flavoured effervescent provides relief for the whole family (children aged 6+). 

Cepacol® Effervescent⁴ helps to relieve symptoms of cold and flu such as sore throat, nasal congestion, sneezing and cough, assists with opening of the airways, thinning of mucus and providing relief of coughs associated with inflammation of the airways. It also supports the immune function within the upper respiratory tract and provides antioxidant support for the maintenance of good health.

In addition to Cepacol®’s newly launched raspberry-flavoured effervescent^4b, the Cepacol® range includes cough and cold syrup⁹, Plus cough and cold syrup¹⁰ specifically designed for nighttime relief, athroat spray¹¹ and throat gargle¹², Medsip, a hot medicated drink^2&3 in either ginger or honey lemon flavours, and antibacterial throat lozenges¹  in four flavours - regular, black current, honey & lemon and menthol. 

So, when you're dealing with a sore throat from morning to night, remember, there's a Cepacol® for that!

Embrace the Winter Warrior within, with Cepacol®

As we brace ourselves for the winter months, it's wise to be prepared. Adcock Ingram's Winter Warriors 2025 Campaign offers a range of products aimed at combating common cold and flu symptoms. With brands like Cepacol®, Panado®, Compral®, and ViralGuard™, you can arm yourself and your loved ones against the seasonal sniffles.

Cepacol®’s range of products is now available at leading pharmacies and retailers nationwide. For more information, visit www.cepacol.co.za and join the conversation on Facebook.

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References:

1. CEPACOL® Throat Lozenges approved professional information, October 2014.
2. CEPACOL® Medsip Ginger Approved Professional Information, March 1993. 
3. CEPACOL® Medsip Honey Lemon (Powder) approved package insert, August 2009.
4. CEPACOL® Effervescent approved professional information, August 2024. 
5. Sleep Foundation. Waking Up With a Dry Throat: What Causes It and How Do You Treat It? Available from: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/waking-up-with-dry-throat. Last accessed June 2025.
6. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Sore Throat Basics. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/sore-throat/about/index.html.  Last accessed June 2025.
7. MSD Manual. Throat Infection. Available from: https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/ear-nose-and-throat-disorders/mouth-and-throat-disorders/throat-infection. Last accessed June 2025.
8. TIME. Here’s Why You Always Feel Sicker at Night. Available from: https://time.com/5521313/why-you-feel-sicker-at-night/. Last accessed June 2025. 
9. CEPACOL® Cough and Cold Syrup approved professional information, February 2022. 
10. CEPACOL® Plus Cough and Cold Syrup approved professional information, February 2022. 
11. CEPACOL® Throat Spray approved professional information, February 2022. 
12. CEPACOL® Antibacterial Throat Gargle (solution) approved professional information, August 2005.

S0 Cepacol® Throat Lozenges Menthol. Each lozenge contains Cetylpyridinium chloride 1,47 mg; Benzyl alcohol 6,5 mg. Reg. No. 40/16.4/0297. (PI 10/2014).
S0 Cepacol® Throat Lozenges Regular. Each lozenge contains Cetylpyridinium chloride 1,47 mg; Benzyl alcohol 6,5 mg. Ref. No. H 1388 (Act 101 of 1965). (PI 10/2014).
S0 Cepacol® Throat Lozenges Blackcurrant Flavour. Each lozenge contains Cetylpyridinium chloride 1,47 mg; Benzyl alcohol 6,5 mg. Reg. No. 33/16.4/0492. (PI 10/2014)
S0 Cepacol® Throat Lozenges Honey and Lemon Flavour. Each lozenge contains Cetylpyridinium chloride 1,47 mg; Benzyl alcohol 6,5 mg. Reg. No. 33/16.4/0505. (PI 10/2014).
S0 Cepacol® Antibacterial Throat Gargle. Each 100 ml solution contains Cetylpyridinium chloride 50 mg; Alcohol 15,8 % v/v. Ref. No. H 1387 (Act 101 of 1965). (PI 08/2005).
S0 Cepacol® Medsip Ginger. Each 5 g sachet contains Paracetamol 800 mg; Caffeine 50 mg; Ascorbic acid 10 mg. Reg. No. Y/5.8/10. (PI 06/2015).
S0 Cepacol® Medsip Honey Lemon. Each 5 g sachet contains Paracetamol 800 mg; Caffeine 50 mg; Ascorbic acid 10 mg. Reg. No. 27/5.8/0508. (PI 03/1993).
For full prescribing information refer to the Professional Information approved by SAHPRA. Adcock Ingram Limited. Co. Reg. No. 1949/034385/06. Private Bag X69, Bryanston, 2021, South Africa. Customer Care: 0860 ADCOCK/232625. www.adcock.com.

S0 Cepacol® Throat Spray. Each 1 ml contains Pelargonium sidoides (African Geranium) 140 mg; Hedera helix (Ivy) 40 mg; Menthol crystals 0,09 mg; Eucalyptus globules (Eucalyptus oil 2) 0,45 mg; Syzygium aromaticum (Clove oil) 0,3 mg. Category D: Complementary Medicine Discipline Specific: 33.7 Combination Medicine. (PI 02/2022).
S0 Cepacol® Plus Cough and Cold Syrup. Each 5 ml contains Hedera helix (Ivy) 5 mg; Pelargonium sidoides (African Geranium) 150 mg; Valerianae officinalis L. (Valerian) 12mg. CategoryD: Complementary Medicine Discipline Specific: D33.6 Western Herbal Medicine. (PI02/2022).
S0 Cepacol® Cough and Cold Syrup. Each 5 ml contains Hedera helix (Ivy) 5 mg; Pelargonium sidoides DC (African Geranium) 150 mg. Category D: Complementary Medicine Discipline Specific: D33.6 Western Herbal Medicine. (PI 02/2022).
S0 Cepacol® Effervescent. Each tablet contains Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) 500 mg, Zinc citrate 3-hydrate 39,2 mg providing 12,4 mg elemental zinc, Hedera helix 35 mg, Pelargonium sidoides 12,5 mg, Vitamin A acetate (Vitamin A) 379 µg RAE, Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) 250 IU, Category D: Complementary Medicine. Discipline Specific: D33.7 Combination Product.
This unregistered medicine has not been evaluated by the SAHPRA for its quality, safety or intended use. Adcock Ingram Limited. Co. Reg. No. 1949/034385/06. Private Bag X69, Bryanston, 2021, South Africa. Customer Care: 0860 ADCOCK/232625. www.adcock.com.

06.09.20251000002289. June 2025.