How to Gargle Salt Walter to Prevent a Cold

Gargling with salt water is not just an effective way to treat sore throat and inflammation due to the common cold; it may also protect you from coming down with this uncomfortable upper respiratory infection. In a 2005 paper entitled "Prevention of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections by Gargling: A Randomized Trial," Japanese researchers at the Kyoto University School of Public Health note that test subjects who gargled regularly enjoyed a 40-percent drop in upper respiratory infections compared to participants who didn't follow this regimen.

Things You'll Need

• Saucepan
• Drinking glass
• 8 oz. of water
• Teaspoon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Spoon

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Instructions

• 1

  Warm 8 oz. of water in a saucepan on the stove. The water doesn't need to boil, but it should be as hot as your mouth can tolerate.

• 2

  Pour the warm water into a drinking glass.

• 3

  Add 1/2 tsp. of salt to the warm water, and stir until it dissolves completely.

• 4

  Pour approximately 2 tbsp. of the salt solution into your mouth, and swish it around. Tilt your head back, and let the solution settle in the back of your throat.

• 5

  Gargle for 10 to 30 seconds, and spit the solution into the sink. Repeat this process with the remaining solution, if desired.