From yelling at baseball and basketball games to talking on your cell phone, your daily activities can strain and damage your vocal cords. Your occupation can also leave you vulnerable to voice problems; one in two teachers will have a voice disorder at some point.
"Yelling at basketball and baseball games, talking too much on your cell phone, and other forms of overuse can damage your voice,” Dr. Lee M. Akst, assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery and director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center, said in a statement. “Red flags for an over-used voice are frequent hoarseness, a sense of strain while talking, or discomfort while speaking.
"If hoarseness lasts for more than two weeks or is accompanied by ear pain, difficulty breathing, or difficulty swallowing, it may indicate a potentially serious vocal cord condition," Akst said.
The American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) says nearly three of every 10 people have experienced voice problems. Chronic hoarseness is an occupational hazard not just for singers, but for coaches, teachers, broadcast journalists, clergy, attorneys, and other people who use their voices a lot as part of their professional responsibilities.
“According to AAO-HNS statistics, more than one in four people in the United States report voice disorders during their lifetimes,” says Akst.
Akst recommends the following steps to protect your voice:
• Drink plenty of water. Moisture helps keep thin secretions flowing to lubricate vocal cords.
• Try not to scream or yell at ball games or other similar events. This can strain the lining of the vocal cords.
• Don't overuse your voice. Give it a rest rather than talking on the cell phone all the time.
• Don't smoke.
• Use good breath support. Fill your lungs before talking and don't wait until you are almost out of air before taking another breath to power your voice.
• Use a microphone when giving a speech or presentation.
• Pay attention to how your voice sounds and how your voice feels. If you are getting hoarse or strained, know when to rest your voice so that it can recover.
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