Hoarseness: what to do if the voice fails

hoarseness
When the voice fails

© Taras Mikhailyuk / Shutterstock

When the cold hits the voice, we often don’t take it seriously – hoarseness can have protracted consequences. But how does it come about and what should be done if the voice suddenly sounds like a grater?

Tina Turner has it and the actress Jessica Schwarz too: a rough, somewhat hoarse voice that sounds beautifully sexy. Which is why some women don’t mind when their voice is thick with a cold and sounds like a grater. After all, the typical symptoms of a cold such as a runny nose are usually more uncomfortable than hoarseness anyway.

“Anyone who feels miserable, has a cough and headache takes the infection much more seriously than if only their voice is scratchy,” says Dr. Michael Deeg from the German ENT Society. “Many have the feeling: it’s not that bad.” A mistake, because hoarseness is a symptom to be taken seriously.

What are the causes of hoarseness?

Viruses and bacteria very often attack the vocal cords, larynx and windpipe in colds. It is also obvious: They are connected directly to the mouth and nose via the throat. Viruses and bacteria are therefore the most common causes of hoarseness.

What to do about hoarseness

When the voice starts scratching with a cold or you get hoarseness straight away, you should do it good as quickly as possible. Above all, this means:

Drink a lot

This will keep the throat moist. We should, however, on drinks with a high proportion of tannic acid (coffee, black and green tea) and Avoid sour fruit juices to a large extent. Water, herbal teas and juice spritzers help better against hoarseness.

Inhale

For inhalation and gargling one takes best sage tea or salt water. Chamomile, on the other hand, has to be dosed carefully, otherwise it will dry out the mucous membranes.

Potato wraps

A potato wrap also helps against acute sore throats and hoarseness (To do this, boil three to four potatoes, mash and wrap around your neck in a cloth for 30 minutes).

Save voice

Overuse of the voice should be avoided. However, whispering is not an alternative, because it puts even more strain on the vocal cords. It is better to speak softly if you are hoarse and to avoid environments in which the volume is increased involuntarily.

If the croak voice remains

The voice problems should not be delayed, because if you ignore the infected vocal cords, you will stay ill longer even with a simple cold. In a worse case, thickening of the vocal cords and even vocal cord nodules develop – The hoarseness healing can then take months. And once the immune system is weakened because of an attacked voice, it is easier to catch a new cold. If the hoarseness persists for more than one to two weeks, an examination by an ear, nose and throat specialist is advisable.

What does the doctor do with hoarseness?

The doctor looks into the throat with a mini mirror and examines the larynx and vocal cords. Are you flushed? Swollen? Is the mucous membrane thickened? Or is cold secretion lying on the vocal cords and making the voice sound hoarse and brittle? If a virus caused the common cold, this secretion is light and clear. In this case, antibiotics will not help. A bacterial infection, however, which can be recognized by the thicker and discolored mucus, can be successfully cured with antibiotics.

Courses against hoarseness

If you often have problems with your voice, you can do something to improve your voice and breathing technique in the long term: in courses (about the method of Ilse Middendorf, z. B. as a day seminar at adult education centers) or through individual exercises with a speech therapist (a doctor may prescribe under certain conditions).

Even better: prevention

The heat from the heating system makes the air in the apartment extremely dry in winter. In order to be healthy and resilient, the mucous membranes in the nose and throat must be moist. The humidity at home and in the office should therefore not be below 55 percent. This can be checked with a special measuring device that is available for around 10 euros in any electronics store.

A healthier, more humid room climate can be achieved by using large bowls with water, evaporators or wet cloths on the radiators and green plants. And outside? When it gets really cold: Close your mouth and breathe through your nose to avoid hoarseness. Then the mucous membranes dry out less and the icy air is warmed up before it hits our sensitive vocal folds. These vocal folds shape our sounds when we breathe and are therefore essential for speaking.

Help, laryngitis!

The larynx plays a key role in the formation of sounds. In laryngitis (which can also be chronic), the lining of the larynx is inflamed, which can lead to coughing, sore throats and hoarseness. It usually develops through virus-related inflammation of the airways, but there are also more specific causes, such as smoking or reflux-induced laryngitis, in which the acidic stomach contents flow back into the esophagus and throat. The doctor can diagnose the laryngitis with a laryngoscopy. Laryngitis usually heals on its own after a few days.

Is your nose blocked, do you suffer from chills, are you annoyed by a dry, irritating cough or a strong cough? Home remedies for a cold, home remedies for coughs, and home remedies for a sore throat can help gently!

Text: Heide Fuhljan
Brigitte

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