What is voice cracking? Why do we have broken voices?

Voice cracking can occur at any age or gender. Everyone has a voice – with rare exceptions – so anyone can have a voice crack. But why is that? Here is some information Master, Doctor Tran Thanh Long will provide to help you understand more about this. 

content

• 1. Structures that make up the voice
• 2. Causes of broken voice 
• 3. What can you do to solve this situation? 
• 4. Prevention
• 5. When should I see a doctor for a broken voice? 

1. Structures that make up the voice

The timbre and volume of the voice result from a combination of:  

• Air is pushed out from the lungs.
• The vibration of two parallel pieces of tissue called the vocal cords. 
• The movements of the muscles in and around the larynx, also known as the human voice box.

When you talk or sing and change pitch and pitch, the larynx muscles open and close as well as tighten and loosen the vocal cords. 

As your voice increases in pitch, the vocal cords push together and stretch. As your voice deepens, the vocal cords come apart and loosen. 

A ruptured voice occurs when these muscles suddenly tense, shorten, or tighten. Many causes can cause voice cracking. Read on to learn about these problems and what you can do to deal with them. 

2. Causes of broken voice 

Here's an overview of some of the more common causes of voice cracking. 

2.1 Puberty 

Puberty is the most common cause of voice cracking. 

This type of voice cracking is also completely normal. As boys (and girls, although less affected) go through puberty, hormone production increases dramatically that help the body grow and develop new traits, known as characteristics. sex point. 

These features include hair growth in locations such as the armpits and groin as well as breast and testicular development . 

A few things will also happen to the larynx during this stage, such as: 

• The larynx moves downward. 
• The vocal cords are larger and thicker.
• The muscles and ligaments around the larynx develop. 
• The vocal cord mucosa divides into several new layers. 

Sudden changes in size, shape, and thickness can destabilize the movement of your vocal cords as you speak. This makes the muscles more susceptible to sudden or uncontrollable spasms, leading to cracked or hissing voices. You will have to get used to this gradually as the larynx is developing. 

2.2 Raise your voice too high or too low

The pitch of the voice depends on the movement of certain muscles in the larynx. These muscles work best when worked slowly and with exercise. If you use your muscles too suddenly or don't warm up, they can become tight and difficult to move. 

If you try to sing high or low, or even increase or decrease the volume of the sound without practicing your voice first, the muscles will stretch or sag quickly. 

This causes vocal breaks because you move your muscles too quickly while trying to transition between singing high and singing low. This is a normal phenomenon when singing and needs practice to gradually overcome. 

2.3 Vocal cord injury 

Talking, singing, or shouting for long periods of time can irritate the vocal cords and even cause injury.

As these lesions heal, the vocal cords can harden, creating lesions called vocal cord nodules. This damage can also be caused by acid reflux, allergies, or sinusitis. 

Vocal cord grain can affect vocal cord flexibility. This leads to voice cracking because the vocal cords have difficulty producing normal sounds. 

2.4 Lack of water 

The reason for this is pretty obvious: Your vocal cords need to be kept moist for proper mobility. 

If you don't drink enough water, the vocal cords can't move smoothly and can change size or shape when you talk or sing. 

You are also more likely to become dehydrated when you drink coffee or alcohol. These drinks make you urinate a lot, or sweat a lot. All of these can lead to voice cracking or hoarseness. 

2.5 Laryngitis 

Laryngitis is inflammation of the vocal cords or muscles of the larynx. This condition is usually caused by a virus, but it can also appear if you use your voice too much. 

Laryngitis usually occurs for a short time if the cause is voice abuse or an infection. However, inflammation from long-term causes such as air pollution, smoking, or reflux, can cause chronic laryngitis, leading to irreversible damage of the larynx. 

2.6 Tension 

Anxiety or stress causes the muscles in the body to stretch. 

This also affects the muscles in the larynx. When muscles are tight or tight, they cannot move freely. This limits the movement of the vocal cords. It leads to a broken voice when you talk as the vocal cords try to work to change pitch and volume. 

3. What can you do to solve this situation? 

If your voice cracking is caused by puberty, you don't need to worry. Vocal cracks will likely stop by the time you reach your 20s, or even earlier. Everyone's development is different. Some people stabilize their voice at 17 or 18 years old, while some people still have their voice broken in their 20s. 

If voice cracking is due to other causes, here are some ways to reduce or stop it: 

• Drink a lot of water. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day to keep your throat moist and help you stay hydrated, especially if you live in a dry climate. If you sing or talk a lot, drink warm water, as cold water can limit vocal cord movement. 
• Avoid sudden volume changes.  Screaming or screaming is especially bad for the vocal cords. 
• Warm up the vocal cords with bar exercises. This will help if you plan to sing, speak in public, or speak for a long time. 
• Practice breathing exercises. These exercises can help you maintain control over volume, airflow, and lung capacity. 
• Use cough medicines, lozenges. This can help if a persistent cough or chronic laryngitis is causing discomfort in your throat. 

4. Prevention

To prevent voice cracking, you need to change some habits. Here are some preventions you can try: 

• Limit or stop smoking. The chemicals in tobacco or nicotine, as well as the heat from the tobacco, can damage your throat. 
• Reduce stress and anxiety. Is stress causing your voice to crack? Do everything you can to stay calm and relaxed before talking or singing. For example, meditate, listen to music, or practice yoga. 
• Meet voice experts.  You can prevent voice cracking simply by learning to control your voice. Speech-language therapists can spot your problems and bad habits when you talk. From there they can show you how to proactively use your voice safely. 
• Practice with the teacher. Vocal or voice teachers can help you sing or speak in public with professional skills. Skills can help protect your vocal cords. 

5. When should I see a doctor for a broken voice? 

If your voice cracks only occasionally, there's nothing to worry about, especially if you're young and in good health. 

If you break your voice too often, even with preventive measures, it's important to see your doctor to find out what's causing the vocal cords. Problems like vocal cord nodules or neuropathy can prevent you from talking or singing as you would like. 

The following are signs that remind you that you need to see a doctor: 

• Pain or tightness when talking or singing. 
• Prolonged cough.
• Cough, sore throat all day. 
• Coughing up blood or abnormally colored sputum. 
• Hoarseness lasts for weeks. 
• Feeling of a lump in the throat.
• Difficulty swallowing. 
• Loss of ability to talk or sing. 

Cracked voice can have many causes. You don't need to worry especially if you're going through puberty or talking too much. See your doctor if you have a persistent, broken voice too often. Your doctor will help you diagnose the disease and prescribe the best treatment.