I have to talk a lot - as part of my job I might add! - and find this?

Question

affects my voice quite a lot which starts giving way after half hour or so. Any solutions?

Answer 1

gargle with a good mouthwash

Answer 2

The same thing happens to me. I've found that drinking water and staying away from juice, coffee, pop, etc. is the best idea. The other drinks besides water will take longer to be digested and will affect your body's ability to deal with the stress of talking for long periods of time. Caffeine, of course, dehydrates you and whips your adrenal glands, which increase the work your body has to do to deal with stress.

Also taking a lot of Vitamin C has helped with sore throats and sinus aches from talking on the phone for hours. It's the most effective naturally-occuring antibacterial, antiviral, and antihistamine (sp?) out there.

Giving your voice a rest whenever you can will also help, although it's not practical all of the time just to stop talking.

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Answer 3

That happens to my mom a lot too. She's a teacher, and she has to talk, rather loudly, for the better part of the school day. About two or three years ago, her voice started getting very hoarse and she would frequently lose it altogether. This was especially bad for her because we like to go to karaoke together, and she suddenly couldn't sing anymore. She went to a couple of different ear, nose, and throat doctors, but they couldn't find anything physically wrong with her. One of the things she started doing was making a conscious effort to rest her voice frequently, by letting the 3rd graders read things she used to read to them in class, and by drinking more water throughout the day. One thing that really seemed to help, though, was getting out of smoky environments. Colorado just passed a ban on smoking in all public places last summer, so now everywhere we go, there's no smoke in the air, which really helps her out a lot. Try to avoid smoky bars and restaurants, try to drink a lot of water at your job, and also try to speak in lower tones, as they say that the higher your speaking range is, the more stress you're putting on it.

Answer 4

The reason your voice is giving way so quickly will be because you are not supporting your voice, and breathing correctly. It will be difficult for you to retrain your way of breathing by yourself, so I would highly recommend you see a speech therapist (via your GP) - before you do any serious damage to your vocal folds and develop nodules (hard lumps).

In the meantime, ensure that you are sitting in a supported and up-right way (but relaxed), so that you are giving enough space to your lungs and diaphragm (muscular wall below the rib cage and lungs) to enable them to work fully. Ensure you are not trying to talk without breathing fully first, and that you shoulders aren't raised.

To learn how to use your lungs to their full capacity, breath out as far as you can - really push the breath out - and then just relax.. your lungs work as a vacuum and will automatically suck in air when you breathe out completely. Think when you relax after breathing out, that your breath coming in is pushing into your lower back.. into the back of the chair.

You also need to relax your tongue, as I imagine that it is very tight at the back from the strain. Each evening, put the tip of your tongue behind your lower teeth, and then push the middle of your tongue forwards and out of your mouth - try and hold for 20 secs and repeat. This will stretch out your tongue and relieve tension.

Obviously alcohol and smoking will not help.. but I am sure you know that.

Finally - do not use any throat numbing sprays or lozenges - they will mask the problem and you will get worse and worse. Boiled sweets are as good as any lozenge, but natural honey sweets are the best. Also don't have drinks that are very very cold or hot.

Best of luck and give you voice time to rest.. and try to relax as much as possible.

Answer 5

well. I had the same problem ...try to speak quietly and in a low voice during ur work...the reason ur voice is affected is probably because u exhaus ur vocal cord...buy training ur self to speak with only the outer part of ur mouth u will not exhaust them. In addition to that u might find ways to avoid talking about somethings by hanging signs or typing instructions and photocopies and distributing them to whoever asks you.

Answer 6

Drink tea with honey....it will help. I talk on the phone all day too. You can also try sucking on some lozenges on and off during the day.....they make some decent ones with honey too. When you can, don't use your voice....like at home. Whisper and don't engage your vocal cords.

Answer 7

Talk to a voice coach about how to talk in a way that preserves your voice.

Answer 8

there are voice coaches who can help you learn to manage your voice differently so you can talk and project without getting the hoarseness. of course a wireless mike might work, too.

Answer 9

Drink lots and lots of water!

Answer 10

dirnk more water, your body will react better. You need to up your water intake to at least 3 liters a day.