Voice Care

-By Mrs. V.V. Keer (Assistant Professor, Audiology and Speech Therapy Department, Topiwala National Medical college, B.Y.L Nair Charitable Hospital).

Voice is an integral part of the communication process. It is through voice we express our thoughts and emotions. It reveals our personality and it is a part of the total image that we present to the world. Hence it is very important that we should have a voice that fulfills all the above functions.

A Normal Voice Should Have Following Characteristics

• Clarity and audibility
• Stability and flexibility
• Appropriate for age and gender
• Comfortable for the speaker

If You Have a Voice Disorder, You will Experience any of the Following Symptoms

• Have hoarse voice or breathy voice
• Experience fatigue while speaking
• Have loss of voice
• Have to strain or struggle to produce voice
• Voice has pitch breaks or tremors
• Voice does not sound appropriate to your gender

Sometimes a change in voice can be an indicator of a disease. Hence it is very important to consult a specialist in case your voice does not improve with medication for more than two weeks.

Though Voice Disorders can be Caused due to Various Reasons, the Most Common ones are Caused by Abusing or Misusing our voice. The Common Activities that Cause Vocal Abuse Are:-

• Shouting and screaming
• Excessive smoking and drinking alcohol
• Not using appropriate pitch & intensity while speaking
• Talking in the presence of high background noise
• Persistent throat clearing
• Tensing the muscles while speaking
• Singing out of your range
• Talking continuously when you have severe cough and cold

So if You Care for Your Voice, You Should Follow These Tips

• Avoid screaming and shouting, talking excessively
• Decrease intake of alcohol and reduce smoking
• Do not talk in the presence of background noise
• Do not clear your throat and relax your laryngeal mechanism
• Sing with appropriate pitch, intensity and range
• Get treated for your ear, nose and throat infections by a specialist
• Drink lot of water as hydration improves voice quality

If you wish to improve your voice quality, consult a speech or voice pathologist.