Laryngitis and worse: Why you must care for your voice

As I write this, I know a decision I made yesterday was the wrong one. After having a worsening cold for several days, I took a day off work. Yesterday, I went back to work for some important meetings. By the end of the day, my voice was sounding bad. By this morning, it was barely there at all. A visit to my doctor gave an official diagnosis of laryngitis - and a prescription for 6 days of vocal rest (not talking - at all), overall rest and lots of fluids.

Why is such a long period of vocal rest needed? The vocal cords are easily injured. A cold causes edema (swelling) of the cords, and time is needed for this to return to normal.
Talking forces the cords together at a fast pace, and can cause injury, called vocal nodules. (You can probably find some great pictures of vocal nodules online.) If they are ignored, they can become hardened, and can cause more severe problems.

Easy ways to care for your voice are to lubricate your vocal cords by drinking lots of water (not caffeinated beverages or soda), pay attention to changes in the sound of your voice and have them checked by an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist if they last for 2 weeks or more, and avoid abusing your voice with lots of yelling or making weird noises.


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