Of course, we always stress the importance of nicotine cessation. Unfortunately, your decongestant cold medicine may contribute to dehydration of the vocal cords. Drinks that contain caffeine may seem like they’re hydrating you, but they’re really drying you out more. The best way to keep your hydration at an optimal level is by drinking plenty of water. And it takes a long time to rehydrate them. Hydration is huge for voice care because water helps thin the mucus that then lubricates the vocal cords as they vibrate. When you get sick and lose your voice, you may think it’s just a normal part of being sick. Most of us don’t really think about our voice as a tangible thing that requires care – until we can’t use it because of illness. Treating and avoiding long-term voice damage Your laryngologist can help to optimize your treatment and help protect your voice to avoid long-term damage. Throat clearing and coughing are traumatic events for your vocal cords that can cause damage if the symptoms are not resolved quickly. If your allergy, cold, or flu symptoms are causing you to cough and clear your throat a lot, or if you’re concerned that you’ve developed laryngitis, check with a laryngologist (a type of otolaryngologist, or ear, nose, and throat doctor who specializes in the vocal cords and care of the voice). Treatment for laryngitis includes resting your voice – using it too much can lead to long-term damage that may require surgery. Even if you’ve committed to singing in a recital or giving a three-hour lecture, it’s best to postpone or find a substitute, or you may end up in trouble. When you develop laryngitis, pushing your voice is a very bad idea. When you push your voice through a cold, your vocal cords can swell, which can lead to a condition called laryngitis. That’s when they run into trouble and end up hoarse or losing their voices entirely. So many of my patients come to me saying they were sick, but they pushed through whatever they had to do vocally. When you depend on your voice to make a living, it’s important to protect it from damage. These people are teachers, call center employees, ministers, public speaking professionals, singers, and more. Vocal athletes are people who use their voices for more than just casual conversation. Vocal athletes are on the same playing field – if you push your voice when you have a cold, the flu, or allergy symptoms, you’re risking permanent damage to your vocal cords. Of course that’s not usually a smart decision. Many athletes think it’s perfectly fine to push through injury, even if it hurts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |