Misuse of voice can lead to vocal disorders and negatively affect professional performance. Emphasizing the importance of protecting vocal health and using the voice correctly, Speech and Language Therapist Göksu Yılmaz recommended, “It is necessary to maintain adequate fluid intake to ensure systemic hydration of the vocal folds. For this, water should be drunk or sipped frequently, approximately every 30 minutes, consuming 8-10 glasses of water per day.” Yılmaz also warned against “exposure to irritating respiratory substances such as cigarette smoke, dirty and dusty air, and various chemical substances, especially cleaning materials.”
Research Assistant Göksu Yılmaz from the Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Speech and Language Therapy evaluated the issue of vocal health due to April 16th World Voice Day.
Voice is one of the most important tools that enable individuals to express themselves…
Research Assistant Göksu Yılmaz, stating that voice is one of the most important tools that enable individuals to express themselves, said, “Voice production occurs through the combination of respiration, phonation (the creation of sound), and resonance (the shaping of air passing through the mouth and nose during speech) processes in the human body. These processes enable the formation of voice and make it meaningful during speech. To fully understand the importance of vocal health, it is crucial to understand the mechanism of voice production. Therefore, the first step of client education regarding vocal health involves a clear anatomical and physiological definition of the voice production mechanism.”
How is a healthy voice produced?
Göksu Yılmaz, noting that, generally, when looking at the voice production mechanism, the primary source of voice production is the airflow from the lungs, said, “During exhalation, air moves upwards through the trachea (windpipe) and reaches the larynx (voice box) region. This airflow generates the primary energy that causes the vocal folds to vibrate. The vocal folds located within the larynx then vibrate with the airflow, creating the fundamental frequency of the voice. The raw sound emerging from the vocal folds is shaped by resonating in the throat, mouth, and nasal cavities, taking its final form that we hear. Therefore, to speak of a healthy voice, all underlying mechanisms that constitute the voice must also be healthy and robust.”
Most workers in the service sector are professional voice users
Research Assistant Göksu Yılmaz stated that professional voice users (singers, theater artists, teachers, lawyers, instructors, telephone/call center employees, religious officials, healthcare professionals, speech and language therapists) often need to meet demands such as using their voices for long periods and/or using them in a different manner than in their daily lives, and added, “In this context, considering that most employees in the service sector are professional voice users, vocal endurance can be considered an important phenomenon for the national economy. This is because deteriorations/reductions in vocal performance not only contribute to the impairment of the subjective perception of voice but can also limit individuals' professional working lives.”
Vocal folds touch each other more frequently in women than in men
Göksu Yılmaz explained that during voice production, the vocal folds touch each other on average 200-250 times per second in women and 100-150 times per second in men, and stated, “This contact results from the opening and closing cycle of the vocal folds. To explain with a more concrete example, clapping hands 200-250 times per second for women and 100-150 times per second for men can help us understand the burden on the vocal folds. Certain erroneous behaviors or habits during voice production can lead to voice misuse, causing an extra load on the vocal folds. This situation sets the stage for the occurrence of voice disorders.”
Frequent throat clearing habit affects the voice
Yılmaz also pointed out the misuse of voice and continued as follows:
“Some examples of voice misuse include; speaking loudly for long periods in noisy environments (in class, on noisy streets), speaking at excessively high or low pitch or volume, continuous speaking or singing for long durations, forced whispers, frequent throat clearing habits, shouting, smoking tobacco or tobacco products, exposure to external conditions that can irritate the voice (tobacco smoke, dust, dry air), consuming foods and drinks that trigger reflux (very hot or very cold foods or drinks, fried and/or spicy foods) and eating before bedtime, not consuming sufficient water, consuming liquids that can cause extra dehydration in our body (caffeine, tea), posture disorders and related extra muscle tensions, extra muscle tensions that may arise due to psychological or negative emotional factors.”
Water should be drunk and sipped every 30 minutes
Göksu Yılmaz also noted that it is very important to protect the health of the vocal folds and the voice production mechanism, which are already working with intense effort, and to use the voice correctly, and made the following recommendations for protecting vocal health:
“It is necessary to maintain adequate fluid intake to ensure systemic hydration of the vocal folds. For this, water should be drunk or sipped frequently, approximately every 30 minutes, and 8-10 glasses of water should be consumed daily,”
To protect the vocal folds by minimizing reflux triggers, all eating and drinking activities, except water, should be stopped at least 2-3 hours before bedtime, and excessively fatty, salty, spicy, acidic foods should be avoided.
Cigarette smoke, dirty and dusty air should be avoided
To avoid dehydration of the vocal folds (water loss), dry air conditions (prolonged exposure to air conditioning) should be avoided, and exposure to irritating respiratory substances (cigarette smoke, dirty and dusty air, various chemical substances, especially cleaning materials) should be prevented,
Proper positioning of the musculoskeletal system is another point to consider, as it directly affects conditions such as respiration and extra muscle tension. Therefore, advice can be given on maintaining proper posture while standing (such as balancing body weight on both feet, standing upright without bending or leaning back, keeping feet shoulder-width apart) and while sitting (such as appropriate lumbar/back support, adjusting chair height, holding the book at eye level if reading aloud).”
Pay attention to daily habits to protect your voice!
Göksu Yılmaz stated that one should pay attention to daily habits to protect the voice, and concluded her words by saying, “We must pay attention to vocal hygiene and benefit from professional support such as voice therapy when necessary. Protecting vocal health provides great benefits both individually and socially.”