Home Remedies for a Lost Voice
Whether you’re watching the Super Bowl, screaming for your life on a roller coaster, or yelling at your significant other – you run the risk of losing your voice. Irritation, infection, or overuse is often a factor when you encounter a case of laryngitis, a condition characterized by inflammation of the voice box. Fortunately, you can soon restore your central means of communication by following home remedies for a lost voice.
Causes and Symptoms of a Lost Voice
Inside of the larynx, you will find your vocal cords. It is here that two folds of mucous membrane cover muscle and cartilage. On a normal day, the vocal cords open and close in an uncomplicated manner – allowing sounds to form with the help of vibration and movement.
However, when the vocal cords become inflamed, your chances of losing your voice increase. Swollen vocal cords make it hard for you to produce sounds. As a result, your voice is barely heard. Depending on the cause, you may encounter a short-term loss of their voice (acute) or battle a long lasting problem (chronic). When you’ve lost your voice, it’s usually because you’ve suffered one of the following:
- Strain or Overuse: Cheering at a sporting is a common cause.
- Upper Respiratory Infection: A virus (like the common cold) is the culprit.
- Allergens and Irritants: Secondhand smoke can contribute to a lost voice.
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Irritation and inflammation caused by acids originating from the stomach.
Symptoms include a voice that is hoarse, weak, and raspy. Some people are completely unable to talk. A sore throat, cough, or urge to clear your throat may also accompany a bout of laryngitis [1]. In children, they may experience difficulty breathing.
Lost Voice Home Remedies
Reducing the strain placed on the larynx is one of the best approaches to finding your voice once again. A handful of home remedies for a lost voice include:
a) Steam:
Soothe your vocal cords by inhaling steam. An easy remedy is to breathe the steam that comes from a bowl filled with hot water. A hot shower is also pretty relaxing.
b) Moisten Your Throat:
Keep your throat moist in an effort to combat your lost voice. Some people have found success by sucking on lozenges or chewing gum [2].
c) Limit Your Caffeine Intake:
Since the caffeine found in coffee, tea, and cola drinks causes dehydration, it is suggested to limit your intake when you’ve lost your voice.
d) Pass on the Drink:
Alcohol brings dehydrating effects to your throat, which can contribute to a long-term issue with your vocal cords. Bad news for coffee drinkers – your favorite beverage also causes dryness in the throat.
e) Humidifier:
Since indoor heat removes moisture out of the air, using a humidifier or vaporizer can make room conditions much easier on the throat.
f) Dust:
Ask someone to keep your living spaces free of dust, as this causes a room to become dry, which can worsen your throat problems.
g) Tea:
Soothe throat irritation by drinking tea. An effective selection is ginger tea, as well as lemon selections. When it comes time to sweeten your tea, choose honey, which contains a natural antibacterial effect.
h) Water:
Drinking between eight and ten glasses of water per day will keep your larynx moist. It is important to make sure that the water is warm or about room temperature – not overly hot or cold.
i) Quit Smoking and Avoid Smokers:
Your throat will take twice as long healing if you are a smoker. Kick the habit and enjoy the wealth of health improvements that follow. Even secondhand smoke can hinder your healing process, so if you live with a smoker, kindly ask that they smoke away from you to give your larynx time to recuperate.
j) Cough Drops:
Since keeping your throat moist can help with your healing process, people often suck on cough drops. Opt for honey or fruit-flavored selections instead of minty or methol brands that tend to dry out the throat.
k) Don’t Speak:
It’s important to stay quiet while you’ve lost your voice. Talking strains your vocal cords and prolongs your road to recovery. And, whatever you do – don’t whisper. You probably never thought that whispering causes more stress on the vocal cords than a soft voice, but it does.
Resources
[1] http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/laryngitis-symptoms
[2] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/laryngitis/DS00366/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies
If you think clearing your throat helps with a lost voice, think again. My doctor told me that it actually makes the irritation worse. So, don’t clear your throat! I also like to run a hot shower and allow the bathroom to fill with steam. Inhale it and the moist air will give you comfort.”
“There is nothing wrong with honey, but tea and lemon are both acidic, which poses a serious problem to anyone who wants their voice to return……Tomatoes, citrus fruits and chocolate are some acidic foods to avoid to prevent reflux and further damage to the vocal folds”
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ColdandFluNews/Story?id=6082396&page=2
When they mentioned to drink tea I would recommend staying away from non-herbal teas. They tend to contain acid which can further inflame the voice box/throat. Try instead an herbal tea, such as: ginger and other, non-mint, ones :3 {Minty things can dry out the throat sometimes!}
Peppermint tea helps. I recently lost my voice, but I had some peppermint tea one night, about 2 hours before bed, and my voice had improved drastically.
Whenever I have sore throat, loose my voice or have cough, I mix 1 Tbs honey,1 TBS minced garlic in jar and 1 tea spoon olive oil and eat it. Chew very well and swallow it little bit at a time. After 15 minutes it begins giving some relief. If you do it tree times a day and have some tea made with 1 tsp minced ginger, half of cinnamon stick ( broken into pieces) and 1 1/2 cup water low heat brew about 15 min. or when tea color turns to yellow then add some honey and sip it. Not hot, not cold; nice warm.
i am always carrying lukeworm water with me .it is giving me better results.sipping water every 15 min. complete voice rest is best.
It says to not drink caffeine but then says drink tea, I don’t understand?
Not all teas have caffeine in them. Tea like black tea and green tea are chock full of caffeine while herbal teas may or may not have caffeine in them. A little bit of caffeine is ok, but it’s best to avoid drinks with a high amount. Although it seems cotradictory, avoid lavender (because it’s an irritant) and nutmeg (because in addition to being toxic at high levels of intake, it dehydrates.) Avoid acidic drinks and just don’t talk. It will take time.
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