13 remedies for aphonia (how to regain your voice when you become hoarse)

One of the most important biological feats in human evolutionary history is, without a doubt, the development of our speech apparatus, the one that allows us to generate sounds complex enough to make possible the existence of what is the pillar of our species and the differential key with other animals: verbal communication.

This human vocal system is the set of structures and tissues capable of generating and amplifying sounds. so that, thanks to both the organs of respiration (pharynx, larynx, trachea, lungs and diaphragm) and those of speech (larynx, vocal cords, pharynx, nasal cavity and oral cavity), as well as those of articulation (glottis , palate, tongue, teeth and lips), we have a voice that allows us to communicate.

It goes without saying that voice generation is an incredibly complex process when it comes to physiology. We only have to look at the diversity of bodies that participate in the process. So it is not surprising that injuries or problems in these respiratory, phonation and articulation structures can cause problems in it, including their partial or total loss.

We are talking about aphonia, a clinical concept that designates the loss of voice. It is, in more colloquial terms, "staying hoarse". We have all lost our voice at times for a longer or shorter time, but since there are times when it is necessary to recover it as soon as possible, in today's article we have prepared a selection of the best remedies to combat aphonia. Let's go there.

What is aphonia and why do we become hoarse?

Aphonia is a medical concept that designates a partial or total loss of voice. In the event that the person has partial aphonia, they will present hoarseness, but if this aphonia is total, they will only be able to speak by generating whispers. It is a loss of the ability to generate sounds that appears suddenly or gradually, depending on the cause.

And it is now when we must understand why we remain hoarse. The aphonia is linked to dysfunctions in the vocal cords or alterations in its structure, in muscular coordination problems due to damage to the nerves in the region and even psychological disorders.

Either way, the causes behind this aphonia are usually an overexertion of the voice (hence it affects both singers and teachers), excessively cold, excessive use of air conditioning, suffering from gastroesophageal reflux, abusing substances that irritate the speech system (such as alcohol and tobacco), suffering from respiratory disorders, having gone through a surgical intervention that has damaged the speech apparatus, suffer from inflammation of the larynx, suffer allergic reactions at the respiratory level, appearance of nodules or polyps on the vocal cords, go through sudden changes in temperature ...

As we can see, the diversity of causes behind aphonia are many and varied (and we have not even gone into talking about neurological and psychological causes, which also exist), hence practically all of us become hoarse with greater or lesser frequency. And for that very reason we have to know how to combat it.

How can I regain my voice after losing my voice?

As we have seen, whatever the cause (which are many), aphonia generally always appears, with the exception of neurological or psychological triggers, due to injuries, damages, alterations or problems in some component of the speech apparatus, especially the vocal cords and the larynx.

Thus, to combat aphonia, we will have to do everything in our power to improve their health, stimulate their recovery and encourage them to function normally again. And although not all the tips presented below are totally effective on their own, combined with each other they can help you a lot to regain your voice when you have become hoarse or hoarse.

1. Rest your voice

Just as when a footballer is injured he has to spend some time without playing football, with aphonia exactly the same thing happens. And if the advice to rest your voice is the first, it is because it really is the most important.

To combat aphonia and recover our voice sooner, it is essential that we rest it. In fact, when it appears, we should try to talk as little as possible for about 2-3 days and, in case it is absolutely necessary, we should do it at a very low volume. In this way, the recovery of our speech apparatus will be accelerated.

2. Get plenty of hydration

Staying hydrated is absolutely important at all times. But when we have a problem in the respiratory tract, even more so. And damage to the larynx or vocal cords that lead to aphonia require proper hydration. When we are hoarse, we have to drink a lot of water to keep this speech apparatus highly hydrated and thus achieve both a minimization of damage and an acceleration of recovery.

3. Avoid coughing

Coughing and clearing is a natural reaction of the body when there is damage to the respiratory system. And although aphonia is sometimes accompanied (depending on the cause) of the need to cough, it is important that, as far as possible, we repress this impulse. Coughing will only increase the damage to the speech system. We always have the option of taking antitussives.

4. Don't breathe through your mouth

When we breathe through the mouth, we are introducing an air that is particularly cold and laden with harmful particles. On the other hand, when we inhale through the nose, the villi in the nostrils retain these harmful particles and heat (along with the fact that the air travel is greater) the air so that, when it reaches the throat area, it is cleaner and warmer. So, always (but especially when we are hoarse) we have to avoid inhaling through the mouth and doing it through the nose.

5. Avoid noisy environments

Noise does not affect the voice directly, but it does indirectly. As we have said, something essential to recover the voice after being hoarse is not to force it. What will happen if we are in an environment with a lot of noise? Exactly what will force us to speak louder. Therefore, as far as possible, we should avoid particularly noisy places.

6. Avoid irritants

Especially alcohol and tobacco, but also caffeine and spicy foods irritate and dehydrate the areas of the speech system. And this irritation and dehydration will only make things worse and slow down your recovery. So when you are trying to recover from aphonia, you should avoid all of these substances.

7. Don't eat hot, cold or spicy foods

We continue with the things to avoid. As we have said, spicy foods irritate (due to their capsaicin content) the structures of the speech apparatus, so in case of aphonia they are totally discouraged. But it is also that both very cold and very hot foods can also slow down recovery. So, temperate foods without spicy. That has to be our diet.

8. Try doing voice exercises

Speech therapy has proven to be very beneficial if it is started on the same day that aphonia appears. Obviously, these voice exercises with a specialist are usually only considered in the case of singers who need to quickly recover their voice. But if you, for whatever reason, also need it, you can contact a professional.

9. Try cool mist humidifiers

Cold mist humidifiers have been shown to be very positive in restoring the voice after being hoarse., as they favor the entry of air into the lungs, relieve discomfort in the speech apparatus, reduce irritation of the throat structures and keep the area more hydrated. For all this, they are a very good option.

10. Try lozenges

Lozenges to suck, such as Strepsils, are very positive for treating aphonia, because thanks to the substances they contain, in addition to having antiseptic action (which in this case we are not too interested in), they relieve throat discomfort. , hydrate the region and reduce inflammation of the structures of the speech apparatus.

11. Gargle with water and salt

Actually, an alternative to the previous point in case we do not want to buy the lozenges to suck. Gargle with water and a pinch of salt (or baking soda, it doesn't matter) it is a good natural remedy to soothe irritation of the vocal cords, soften the discomfort of the throat and promote the recovery of the voice.

12. Try natural remedies

We leave all natural remedies for last or, rather, “grandmother's remedies”. There is no scientific evidence that they are really totally effective ways to combat aphonia, but their traditional use and the opinions of many people suggest that they really are ways to recover your voice faster.

Here we have ginger infusions, chamomile infusions, onion and honey preparations, pineapple and honey preparations, sage infusions, honey, lemon and olive oil preparations, licorice, propolis, apple cider vinegar, onion syrup and sugar, rosemary ... As we say, we cannot guarantee its effectiveness and we will always recommend the use of the previous remedies that we have seen, but perhaps they are a good complement to them.

13. Consultation with the doctor

Finally and something that should only be considered in very recurrent and serious cases of aphonia that do not have a clear cause and that are not resolved with the remedies that we have seen, then we should go to the doctor. It is possible that the aphonia is due to a more serious problem beyond a simple throat irritation.

It may be that it is the manifestation of a psychological disorder, neurological damage to the nerves that coordinate the vocal cords, gastroesophageal reflux disease, the appearance of polyps in these vocal cords and even the development of a tumor in the throat area. Obviously, the treatment will depend on the exact cause, and a surgical intervention may be necessary, as you can guess.

But, as we say, the vast majority of cases of aphonia are due to irritations in the larynx or vocal cords that resolve without major complications after a few days of resting the voice and taking care, with hydration and substances that relieve them, to the structures of the speech apparatus.