Vocal Health: Vocal Misuse and Vocal Overuse

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• on December 8, 2015
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VOCAL MISUSE & VOCAL OVERUSE

Vocal misuse is using the voice in a way that causes it to be injured. These behaviors can lead to vocal fold lesions (bumps or calluses on the vocal folds), and in some cases, can cause permanent damage to the voice.

Examples of vocal misuse include:

1. Yelling, screaming, and hollering (including cheerleading)
2. ƒThroat clearing and coughing
3. Loud talking
4. Talking in noisy situations (sporting events, restaurants, bars, parties, social gatherings, industrial settings)
5. ƒWhispering
6. Singing without warming up the voice or without singing training

Vocal overuse is using the voice too much so that it gets overly tired. This can lead to an increased risk of vocal fold injury. If your voice feels tired or gives out easily, you may be overusing your voice.

The vocal folds are made up of layers of delicate tissue. When you use your voice to make a sound, the vocal folds vibrate or come together. If they vibrate in an easy, gentle way, the voice works well, but if the vocal folds come together in a hard or forceful way, they can be injured. It’s like clapping your hands: if you clap them softly, you make a sound and your hands don’t hurt. If you clap your hands together hard, they will start to tingle, and then hurt, and will become red and irritated. If you continue this hard clapping, you might get blisters on your hands. Yelling, screaming, throat clearing, coughing, and even loud talking can all bring the vocal folds together in a hard and forceful way and can cause vocal fold injury.

Talking a lot can also hurt your vocal folds. Your vocal folds come together about 100-200 times per second when you are talking. That can add up to millions of times per day if you are talking for many hours! All of that contact can cause wear and tear on your vocal cords. If they don’t get a chance to rest and recover, they can become injured over time.

Many styles of singing bring the vocal folds together in a forceful way, too. Athletes and dancers carefully warm up their muscles to avoid injuring themselves, and they receive lots of training to learn to use their bodies without injuring themselves. Singing is the “athleticism” of voice use. Warming up your voice before singing and getting training in how to sing well can help you avoid injuring your voice.

HOW CAN I AVOID MISUSING OR OVERUSING MY VOICE?

1. Use a noise maker or gesture to gain someone’s attention instead of yelling or screaming.
2. ƒWalk over to the person you want to talk to or have them come to you instead of yelling across the room or from another room.
3. ƒUse easy, gentle throat-clearing.
4. Avoid talking in noisy situations.

If you are in a noisy situation:

1. Get close to the person you want to speak to.
2. Put an earplug in one ear so that you can monitor how loud your voice is.
3. ƒUse a microphone if you have to speak in a large room or in front of an audience or class.
4. ƒIf your job or social setting requires you to use your voice a lot, give yourself voice breaks or times when you don’t use your voice for a while to let your voice rest.
5. ƒUse a hands-free device or hold the receiver in your hand when you speak on the telephone instead of propping it between your ear and shoulder.
6. ƒAvoid speaking in stressful situations or when you are overly tense.
   ƒAvoid whispering.

THROAT CLEARING

Throat clearing is traumatic to the vocal folds and can contribute to a vocal injury. Oftentimes, people feel the need to clear their throat because of the feeling of too much mucus, when actually the mucus is just too thick. Increasing your intake of water should gradually improve this problem. Inform your doctor if you have any drainage from your nose or any burning sensation in your throat. Some medical conditions may also contribute to a problem with thick mucus. If your doctor recommends a medication to thin the mucus (i.e., Mucinex), drink plenty of water (six to eight glasses per day) so the medication will work properly.

Over time, throat clearing becomes habitual. The more you clear your throat, the more you will feel the need to do so. Suppressing the urge to clear your throat or clearing your throat very gently can help to break this cycle.

The following strategies will help to distract you from throat clearing and therefore, eliminate habitual throat clearing:

1. ƒDry swallow: Swallowing your saliva closes the vocal folds and can rid them of mucus.
2. ƒTake small sips of water.
3. ƒUse a gentle throat clear without forcing the breath. It will sound like a puff of air produced in the throat.
4. ƒPant lightly or laugh gently then swallow.
5. ƒHum lightly.
   ƒLaugh gently then swallow.
6. ƒTalk through the mucus. The natural vibration of the vocal folds may rid the folds of secretions.
7. ƒSingers may try to vocalize lightly on five-note scales in a comfortable range on “oo,” slide up an octave softly on “oo,” and crescendo (get louder).
8. Remember, the throat clear is automatic, so it will take time, awareness, and practice to eliminate it. The decrease in wear and tear on your vocal cords will make the effort worthwhile!