ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Losing your voice as you age isn’t just frustrating, it can change your relationships, your work, and even your confidence. And it’s more common than you might think.
Buzz Bruggeman starts his morning every day just like this:
“Breathe and do your screaming exercise,” he told Ivanhoe.
As both a lawyer and an entrepreneur, Buzz built his career on the power of his voice. But last year, he began noticing something troubling. His once steady voice was now a mutter.
“If I don’t get better, I’m really in trouble. I mean, my income, my livelihood, my satisfaction, my joy, my relationships are all going to go away,” Buzz said.
Buzz’s doctors have not been able to pinpoint the cause, so we asked Michael Benninger, MD, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, from Cleveland Clinic about the process of losing your voice as you age.
“Just like your biceps lose some of their muscle mass as you age, so do your vocal folds,” he said.
Called presbyphonia, it affects about 18% of older adults with voice loss, but there are ways to fight it.
“So the best things people can do as their voice ages is to use good breath support,” Dr. Benninger explained.
While Buzz hasn’t been diagnosed with presbyphonia, he does voice exercises every day to strengthen his voice.
“Just like pumping iron, just like lifting weights,” he described.
And the most important thing?
“Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe,” Buzz repeated.
And speak on the out breath.
Buzz says he has also found his voice is worse when he is cold and tired, and that not drinking wine, soda, and coffee has helped. He says he has been advised not to drink anything really hot or really cold, so he drinks a lot of water without ice and warm tea.
People with Parkinson’s also have risk of losing their voice in a condition called dysarthria. Dr. Benninger says there is a specific voice therapy called the Lee Silverman technique to help Parkinson’s patients speak loudly again.
Contributors to this news report include: Marcy Wilder, Associate Producer; Bob Walko, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
Sources:
https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-23-00143
https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-23-00143
https://www.myparkinsonsteam.com/resources/raising-your-voice-with-parkinsons
* For More Information, Go To https://health.clevelandclinic.org
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