SHOULD HOARSENESS BE YOUR BUSINESS?

Let’s talk about the ‘occasional’ hoarseness‘ – that grating, breathy unpleasantly unclear vocal sound which people have some of the time.
This unpleasant tone can and should be corrected.

Why?

Because this tonal disruption affects clarity of speech, is socially unacceptable, and its physical usage can create damage to the vocal mechanism.

Firstly, we need to understand – What causes a hoarse tone?

The principal reason for the ‘functional’ hoarseness is straining of the vocal cords during speech. The cords, also known as the ‘larynx’ are a set of muscular tissues which vibrate during speaking, emitting air to produce some sounds.

When strained with intense air flow, the cords rub vigorously against each other and can cause tissue irritation or swelling, thus affecting voice quality.

Actually, the hoarseness is a positive symptom warning the speaker to ‘correct’ his speaking manner through learning of proper breathing, and prescribing a dose of relaxation.

Habits of shallow breathing and poor breathing habits need to be remediated and discontinued.

The optimal diaphragmatic breathing method which increases air volume for speech should be learned.

The recommended remediation for hoarseness is known as ‘vocal rest’ – a period of limited speaking and healing, so chords can revert to optimal state.

Note– This article concerns only functional temporary hoarseness, barring any physical causes.

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