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Make delicious tea with fresh ginger, honey and lemon* But keep in mind that hydration only works indirectly: Nothing you swallow actually touches your vocal cords.Ĥ.
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Why is hydration so important? It keeps your vocal cords flexible and maintains the protective mucus lining that coats your cords to protect them from the natural friction when you speak or sing. Drink lots of water and tea and avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks. Make sure your room has sufficient air humidity. Oh, and don’t whisper! This is even worse for your voice than speaking. You can even make a virtue out of the necessity to consider it as a little silence retreat. I’ve experienced that this accelerates the healing process tremendously. If possible, try not to speak at all for a couple of days. Make sure you get plenty of sleep as well. Stress is another voice killer! Take good care of yourself: cancel your obligations and tuck yourself into bed. You might feel upset about your voice, but try not to worry. If laryngitis is caused by a cold or influenza, it will cure by itself and within one or two weeks you will have your voice back.īut there are actually quite some things that you can do yourself to quicken the process. Every time I make myself believe that I will never get it back again. I feel really desperate when I lose my voice. You have to cancel your shows and it can take weeks before you’ll have your complete vocal range back. As a singer, I know how distressful this is. No matter how good your vocal and breathing techniques are, it can happen to anyone. When you suffer from hoarseness or voice loss, this is called laryngitis. For singers this can be extra annoying, especially if the virus affects your larynx and vocal cords. Sooner or later, you know that you’ll suffer from either a cold or a flue. If the laryngitis is caused by a bacterial infection, the outlook depends on the type of bacteria involved.It’s the time of the year again. Laryngitis caused by a virus or vocal strain usually will disappear in a few days to a week. If hoarseness lasts for several weeks after a respiratory infection, or if hoarseness develops without any respiratory infection, check with your doctor to determine whether some other condition of the vocal cords, such as a tumor, may be causing the hoarseness. If you have a persistent fever, difficulty breathing or a cough that produces colored phlegm or blood, contact your doctor. If your doctor determines that a bacterial infection is causing the laryngitis, he or she normally will prescribe antibiotics. Avoid whispering, too, because it strains the voice as much as normal speech. To rest your vocal cords, talk as little as possible. You can use a humidifier or shut yourself in the bathroom for a few minutes after letting the shower run on its hottest temperature. Gargle with warm saltwater or use throat lozenges to relieve the sore throat. Viral laryngitis normally does not require medical treatment. To prevent laryngitis caused by straining the voice, avoid shouting or singing for extended periods.
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There is no way to prevent laryngitis caused by an infection. Laryngitis usually clears up within a few days to a week. In either case, if the doctor suspects a bacterial infection, he or she may ask you to cough up some mucous (phlegm, sputum) and have it analyzed in a laboratory. The doctor passes the scope through the nose into the back of the throat. Another way to view the vocal cords is with a flexible fiberoptic scope. The feeling that you need to clear your throatĭoctors examine vocal cords using an instrument with a light and a mirror placed in the back of the throat, which allows the doctor to see the vocal cords reflected in the mirror. And laryngitis can occur when the vocal cords are inflamed by straining the voice, such as when yelling or singing very hard. Bacterial infections of the breathing tubes (bronchitis) or lung (pneumonia) also can infect the larynx and cause laryngitis. Hoarseness tends to appear later in the illness, after the sore throat, sneezing, coughing and other symptoms. Laryngitis often occurs along with a viral infection, such as a cold or flu. Depending on the degree of swelling, the voice may become mildly hoarse, turn into a croak or whisper or even disappear temporarily. Laryngitis makes the vocal cords swell, changing the way they vibrate and the sound of the voice. Laryngitis is an inflammation or infection of the voice box (larynx) and the vocal cords it contains.
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