4 Common Reasons You’re Losing Your Voice

If your voice is normally clear and easily understood, it can be a bit of a concern when it becomes somewhat husky. But it can be downright alarming when that husky voice turns to unintelligible croaking while you’re trying to talk. Our ability to speak is one of our most important abilities, and losing that ability can make you feel frustrated during the course of the day.

Here are some of the more common causes of losing your voice:

1.      You’re a Smoker

You really should quit smoking, and the prospect of losing your voice is just one of the risks of continuing this deadly habit. Studies have shown that smokers are 3 times more like to have a problem with their voice compared to nonsmokers.

Smoking can cause the development of a small non-cancerous growth on your vocal chords. This growth is called a polyp, and it can turn your voice lower, hoarse, and breathy. The cigarette smoke can also irritate your vocal chords. When this happens frequently enough as you maintain your smoking habit, you can develop long-term issues about your voice.

2.      You’re Using Your Voice Too Much

You probably know that when you overuse your muscles when you work out, you can strain or injure those muscles. The same is true when you’re using the wrong workout techniques. But when you talk or sing, you’re also using muscles in your mouth and throat. So if you talk or sing too much within a period of time, you may lose your voice due to fatigue or strain. You may not even be speaking or singing properly with the right techniques, which can also lead to your voice loss.

3.      You Have a Cold

The good news about losing your voice when you have a cold is that when you’ve recovered from your cold, you’ll gain your former voice back. You just have to drink plenty of fluids in the meantime while you rest your voice. A cold can make your vocal chords swell up, which can then change the way they vibrate and your voice will change as well. Your throat can also get sore and inflamed, and that can affect how much air you can breathe in to make your vocal chords vibrate.

4.      You Have Allergies

Having your vocal chords swell up is a possible allergic reaction. The allergies can cause postnasal drip that moves mucus into your throat to irritate your vocal chords. If you keep on coughing or clearing your throat, this can strain your vocal chords as well.

Source:

HK ENT Specialist Ltd.

Hong Kong based ENT clinic centre

For ENT Services, Audiology & Speech Therapy,

Sleep Disordered Breathing Management,

Hearing Aid Prescription & Medical Cosmetic Services

https://www.hkentspecialist.hk