World Voice Day: How can we protect our voices?
No matter the profession, role or task, we use our voices daily to communicate with others – after all, we are social beings. On World Voice Day, laryngologist Dr. Adam Szymanowski at Baylor College of Medicine explains why it is essential to protect our voice and what happens if we don’t.
We all have a vocal budget and can sometimes overdo it, Szymanowski says.
“Vocal folds are tiny, about a couple of centimeters at most,” said Szymanowski, assistant professor in the Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. “They slam into each other [when speaking] on average of 130 to 230 times per second. When you overdo it, you can develop vocal fold nodules, polyps or cysts.”
These lesions often will require surgery or voice therapy but must be treated to bring you back to your normal voice.
Szymanowski adds that environmental allergens also can affect our voices. Allergies can cause postnasal drip and irritation in the upper airway, leading to coughing, throat clearing and irritation to the vocal folds. All can change a person’s voice and damage parts of the larynx (voice box).
“The changing of the voice makes it harder to speak, and when we lose that efficiency, we don’t want to talk as much. People then are less likely to socialize, which can really impact mental and emotional health,” he said.
Voice protection dos:
- Recognize your vocal budget. Give your voice a break when needed.
- Hydrate your voice with water or warm tea.
- Stay active. Regular exercise helps to improve your pulmonary strength because your lungs are a motor for your voice.
Voice protection don’ts:
- Smoking.
- Drinking beverages with alcohol and caffeine. Both are diuretics and will dehydrate your vocal folds.
- Eating foods that cause reflux.
- Vocal abuse like shouting, screaming or whispering. This can lead to the development of lesions on your vocal folds.
If your voice is bothering you, see a laryngologist who can closely examine your vocal folds.
By Taylor Barnes
