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Another aspect of slow recovery has to do with the body's natural healing
process, which involves the removal of dead cells. While vocal tissues are
undertaking this "clean up" task, the tissues are more viscous (thicker)
than normal.
A Yes, singing exercises can help increase the singing voice range. You can
expand both your upper and lower range through developing your technique
and vocal flexibility with a trained voice teacher supervising your singing
and directing you with specific range-expanding exercises.
Eating a healthy diet, exercising your body and your voice regularly, and
getting enough sleep are also important factors in vocal health. Managing
your stress level can also help. Be careful when taking over-the-counter
medications such as aspirin products (Aleve, Motrin, Advil, Aspirin, and
Excedrin) as they are blood thinners and can put you at greater risk for
sustaining a vocal fold hemorrhage (bleed).
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A Your speaking and singing voice are created from the same exact
anatomical structures. The respiratory system (lungs diaphragm and
abdominal muscles), laryngeal mechanism (vocal folds, laryngeal cartilages,
muscles and nerves) and the supraglottic tract (the spaces above the vocal
folds, including the back of your throat, mouth, nasal passages and sinus
cavities) all work to produce the beautiful sounds you make.
A When people speak with an accent, they produce the vowel sounds
differently than the person identifying them as having an accent. When
singing, the vowels are prolonged and those differences are minimized.
People who stutter may have an easier time singing because of several
possible reasons:
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folds come together, often compressing the vocal folds in the middle where
your tissue is most likely to swell when your are sick. Whenever you have a
sore throat, you should minimize your voice use if possible. If you are
uncertain whether you are safe to use your voice, it is always best to see
an otolaryngologist who specializes in voice care.
Why do male voices "crack" when young men are going through
Q adolescence? How long does this stage last?
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A There is a voice team locator in the Nurse's Office at the Voice Academy
website (www.voiceacademy.org). Otolaryngologists (ear-nose-throat
doctors) specializing in voice are listed by city and state. Ideally, these
otolaryngologists work closely with speech-language pathologists and
advocate a team approach to voice care.
You may also contact us the National Center for Voice and Speech, and we
will attempt to find a voice pathologist/vocologist in your geographic area.
E-mail the NCVS.
A Several changes can occur in the voice with the aging process. However,
just as with the rest of the body, many changes can be stalled with regular
exercise and overall healthy lifestyle choices (such as adequate hydration, a
nutritious diet, and avoidance of vocal irritants such as cigarette smoke).
Typical changes due to aging include possible:
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I read that clearing your throat too much is bad for your voice.
Q Why? It seems that having excess mucous in your throat makes it
harder to speak.
A Clearing your throat is very abusive to the vocal fold tissue, as you basically
are grinding the vibratory edge of each vocal fold against the other. This
causes swelling and irritation of the vocal fold in the middle of the vibratory
edge, which then hits first before any other part of the vocal fold. Chronic
irritation and swelling in this area can lead to the formation of vocal fold
masses such as nodules.
The other aspect of the throat clear, as much as it feels like it clears off the
mucous, only moves the mucous to the side of the vocal folds, and that
mucous eventually makes its way back to the vibratory edge. This begins
the viscous cycle of constant throat clearing.
a silent coughsay the word "huh" with oomph from your belly
without voicing followed by a swallow (kind of like coughing, but
without voice)
humming can move away the mucous
a sip of water can move away the mucous
a gentle cough with lots of air in front of it is still less abusive than a
throat clear.
Why can some people smoke, drink, stay up all night and yet have
Q a good-sounding voice, and other people seem to have so much
trouble?
Not all larynges are created equally. Some people are genetically more
A prone to injury of the vocal mechanism, as in other parts of the body.
Usually, however, that kind of destructive behavior eventually catches up
with even the most robust of larynges.
Do you have a question for the NCVS? Contact us. We will do our best to respond quickly to inquiries and post questions
and answers which would be of interest to many.
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