However, you don’t necessarily have to accept your voice changing as you age. Your vocal cord muscles also can atrophy over time, causing your voice to change in pitch or volume, or to sound thin, breathy, or weak. See a laryngologist (a type of Otolaryngologist (ENT) who specializes in the vocal cords and care of the voice) if you have been hoarse for two weeks or longer.Ī: Yes, your vocal cord tissues change with age just like the rest of the body.Rest your voice when it feels strained or tired.Do not use your voice when you are hoarse or have laryngitis.Warm up your voice before extensive use, just like you would warm up your muscles before exercise.If spicy foods cause you acid reflux, you may want to order something else off the menu to help avoid vocal damage over time when reflux occurs.Ī: The five main tips we give to avoid damaging your voice are: Others, including large amounts of ginger, gingko, and garlic can thin the blood, putting you at risk of a vocal hemorrhage. For example, too much vitamin C can be very drying. Some supplements in excess can potentially irritate your vocal cords. Prolonged use of menthol can further irritate your throat. If you do use cough drops, we recommend using glycerin-based products and to avoid menthol. Drinking honey or tea, or gargling salt water or apple cider vinegar can definitely be soothing for your throat, but they aren’t washing off the vocal cords. It’s a myth that what you eat or drink comes into direct contact with your vocal cords. So, if you drink 64 ounces of water, and then you have a 16-ounce coffee, you need to drink 16 more ounces of water. If you enjoy a caffeinated or alcoholic drink, you need to add more water to your daily consumption. We recommend drinking 64 ounces of water each day. Your vocal cords vibrate more than 100 times a second when you speak, and they need that mucus to help them stay lubricated. Staying hydrated helps your body produce thin, watery mucus. Q: Which foods and drinks can help heal your voice? Which can damage your voice?Ī: The most important thing we can consume to improve vocal health is water. There is a type of whispering, called an “open throat whisper,” which is fine, but the problem is no one will hear you! If you are trying to rest your voice, we recommend you not talk, not even in a whisper. It can be as bad for your voice as shouting. When most people whisper, they want to be heard, so they strain to produce sound. These structures vibrate, which is what produces our sound.Ī: Whispering is OK in principle, but most people do not whisper in a way that is good for the voice. We only get one set of vocal cords, so it’s crucial to take good care of them.Ī: The vocal cords themselves are made up of a mucosal cover and a muscular body. We also can help dispel some common myths about your vocal cords, and suggest some easy therapies and exercises to keep your voice in tip-top shape.Ī: Anyone who uses their voice! It’s not just singers and actors who should give their vocal cords special care. At the UT Southwestern Voice Center, we enjoy gearing up for World Voice Day, April 16, by answering your questions about how the voice works and how to care for it.
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