CLEVELAND, Ohio. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — There are many jobs that use verbal communication, like customer service, hospitality, education, and entertainment. But even if you don’t have a very vocal job, you most likely use your voice everyday — and you probably don’t think about how to take care of it.
Performing since kindergarten, Noelle Prevot has lost her voice more than a few times.
“You know, I think I almost like black them out because they’re like so traumatic,” she described.
As a music teacher, Prevot makes sure her students don’t experience the same thing.
“For all of my students, I do recommend that they warm up before they sing. I recommend always bringing in a bottle of water to our lessons with us. Just stay nice and hydrated,” she said.
Michael Benninger, MD, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Cleveland Clinic, classifies the loss of voice as overuse, misuse, abuse, and illness.
“The biggest thing is that many people, they start to lose their voice and then they just try to push through it,” he explained.
The best thing to do if you lose your voice is to let it rest.
“I actually downloaded an app and I used that to speak for me,” said Prevot.
But you only need to go to a doctor if the voice loss persists for more than three weeks. One easy way to keep your voice healthy is to invest in a humidifier.
“Your vocal folds require humidification in order to work well,” said Dr. Benninger.
“I keep the temperature in my house a lot hotter than a lot of my friends,” Prevot told Ivanhoe.
You can also drink tea, chew sugarless gum, and cut down on dairy before a big speaking day because it thickens mucus.
“The people with the best voices are people that really take care of their bodies. So healthy living means a healthy voice,” described Dr. Benninger.
Just like with your hearing, your voice can start fading as you get older in a process called presbyphonia. Dr. Benninger recommends not talking over loud noises, making sure you speak with good breath support from the lungs and posture, and if having a strong voice is important to you, taking a few voice lessons.
Contributors to this news report include: Marcy Wilder, Associate Producer; Chuck Bennethum, Videographer & Editor.
* For More Information, Go To https://health.clevelandclinic.org
Free weekly e-mail on Prescription: Health from Ivanhoe. To sign up: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
