When you are dealing with acid refluxing up into the esophagus, you know there can be many painful problems that follow. Acid can travel up to the top of the throat and may leak into the lungs, causing all kinds of breathing problems, and even lowering lung function. You may have problems with your sinuses, and you know all about the pain in the chest that comes with reflux. You may also notice that it hurts to swallow sometimes, and that can be due to damage in the upper esophagus and throat. When that happens, you want to find something for immediate relief, and that means finding good ways to soothe acid reflux throat irritation.

The first thing you should consider when thinking about acid reflux throat pain is that you have to get your reflux under control if you have not already done so. If you don't stop the root of your throat irritation, nothing is going to help you. The biggest problem you may have with your throat is that it hurts in the morning. This is because acid has leaked into the esophagus while you were sleeping, and has sat in your throat. Start taking medications or natural remedies to combat acid reflux, which ever you are more comfortable with using.

You will still experience some acid reflux throat irritation while you are working to get your reflux under control. That is when you can think about things that can soothe your throat until the acid is not doing any more damage. Once the acid is contained, your tissues will heal, but it might not happen right away. However, depending on the state of the damage, it might not mean complete healing.

Here are five tips for soothing your acid reflux throat pain and irritation:

- Think about minimizing your throat damage by elevating the head of your bed. Find something you can use to raise the top of your mattress so that the upper half of your body is elevated by at least six inches. You have to make sure you elevate the entire upper torso, and not just your head. This helps keeps acid down into the stomach and out of the esophagus while you are sleeping.

- Sometimes a sore throat can be aggravated by dry air. When sleeping, many of us breath through our mouths without realizing it. What might help is having a humidifier going while you are sleeping. This puts moisture into the air, and helps the throat from drying over night.

- There are a few drinks you can use to soothe your throat irritation in the morning. You can try gargling with salt water, or you can try any number of teas. You only need about a half a teaspoon of salt per tall glass of water for gargling, and when drinking tea, add some honey.

- You can also try zinc cough drops or lozenges. These should not be relied on, and should not be used all day, but can be used when pain is bad and you need to take the edge off.

- Lastly, increase your daily fluid intake. This isn't a direct cure for acid reflux throat irritation, but it does help in the long run. You should drink plenty of water each day, and it has more benefits that just helping with a sore throat. Aim for eight glasses a day, and drink more if you can.