Hoarseness is Never Normal...

February 3, 2020

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Hoarseness is Never Normal...

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Dysphonia (hoarseness) is any impairment or change in voice quality that affects the ability to speak or sing. It results in an interruption of the ability of the vocal folds to vibrate normally during exhalation, which affects voice quality. Dysphonia is when the voice involuntarily sounds breathy, raspy, or strained, or is softer in volume or lower/higher in pitch. Any of these factors can significantly impact your life if you rely on your VOICE to COMMUNICATE (read: this is ALL OF US!) AND especially if you are an occupational voice user (read: you use your VOICE for your JOB). Occupational voice users put higher demands on their voices & therefore are at higher risk of vocal injury than non-occupational voice users. #fitpro #teacher #singer #performer #fitnessinstructor #callcenterrepresentative #lawyer #emcee #broadcaster #announcer #auctioneer #clergy #publicspeaker #motivationalspeaker #salesrepresentative …THE LIST GOES ON…

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Dysphonia may cause you (as an occupational voice user ) to reduce voice use & therefore reduce the IMPACT you desire to make on others. It may cause you to miss work resulting in loss of money &/or may even lead you to give up on your passion/dream & change occupations. Stay tuned for more on this topic of occupational voice users that is a HUGE passion of mine…but for today, we are focusing on the important TRUTH that HOARSENESS IS NEVER NORMAL.

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A 2012 study done by Da Costa et al. found that of 237 teachers that completed a 43-item survey, 30% BELIEVED HOARSENESS WAS A NORMAL PART OF TEACHING. Hoarseness is NEVER normal, & neither is vocal fatigue after your class or after a long day or even after a long week.

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LISTEN to your body—when you are sore, you STRETCH. When you are tired or sick, you REST. When you feel sad or “stuck”, maybe you realize you NEED to MOVE (#movementismedicine). When/IF you are hoarse, you must also LISTEN to your VOICE. It is “telling” you vocal hygiene, vocal use patterns, &/or vocal demands may be sub-optimal. There are many ways to HEAL, retrain, re-coordinate, & rebalance your VOICE if you notice a change in the FEEL (strain, effort) or SOUND (hoarseness, raspiness, etc.) of your voice. Listen & ACT. OR maybe don’t even let it get to the point of dysphonia & instead educate yourself on the HUGE importance of voice care, training, efficiency, strengthening, & hoarseness prevention. EDUCATION IS POWER. Prioritize your VOICE & LIVE the life you want to live, creating an impact on others & using your beautiful vocal INSTRUMENT to do it!