You don’t have to be a professional opera singer to wake up with no voice and have it ruin your day. Here, experts give you the essential tools to identify what’s wrong when your first thought is ‘my voice is gone’, how to treat a sore throat, how to prevent a hoarse voice from happening again, and how to generally keep tabs on your vocal cords.
Lost Voice Remedies
As with most medical topics, loss of voice is surrounded by untruths. “One myth is to be quiet instead of to work through the problem,” says Dr. Amy Lebowitz, the chief speech pathologist and assistant director of the Voice and Swallowing Institute at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. “People say ‘oh, my throat bothered me so I didn’t talk for five days but the reality of that is that you’re dealing with muscles,” she explains. Suddenly stopping using any muscle will result in a weaker muscle once you start training again. “As soon as you’re quiet for three days the muscle tissue starts to atrophy,” says Lebowitz.
Many people reach for menthol cough drops at the slightest sore throat or hoarse voice but in fact, menthol—and eucalyptus and mint—lozenges are not a good choice, because they numb your throat and mask any further damage being done. Better options are drops made with pectin or butterscotch. To sooth your sore throat, also try drinking herbal tea or gargling your own concoction of salt water, honey and baking soda mixed in warm water. Stay away from any gargles that contain alcohol, such as most mouthwashes.