the 1 bad habit holding back your voice
Clearing your throat or coughing habitually
Why are you clearing your throat? The two most common causes of chronic throat clearing are reflux and allergies.
When you have either reflux or allergies your body produces excess mucus (the sticky kind) to help protect and heal your throat. Unfortunately that sticky mucus also comes to rest on your vocal cords.
When you get the sensation of needing to clear your throat, it’s because your vocal cords feel something “weighing” on them, and they want to get it off. So you clear your throat (read: slam your vocal cords together) and blow that mucus off. BUT with the way our larynx (air tube) is shaped, the mucus can’t escape. Instead it hits the walls and slowly but surely settles right back down on your vocal cords… leaving you with the urge to clear your throat again. This sensation is sometimes referred to as post nasal drip.
So how do we break the cycle?
First and foremost. Stop clearing your throat. I know… it sounds impossible because the sensation doesn’t go away, but there’s a few strategies you can try instead.
TUCK YOUR CHIN + SWALLOW: tucking the chin and swallowing helps clear the mucous out of the airway and off the vocal folds.
SWALLOW, HARD: Pretend as though you have a ping-pong ball in your mouth, and swallow HARD using maximum effort to clear the mucous.
MAKE HEALTHY VOICE CHANGES: Quick behavioral changes like reducing the amount of caffeine you drink, increasing your hydration, and reducing/stopping smoking are great tools for eliminating reflux.
MANAGE YOUR REFLUX: Check out this list of foods that cause reflux, and eliminate/reduce them from your diet. If you experience excessive reflux, try elevating your head to 30% when sleeping, and lying on your left side when you sleep helps reduce reflux episodes.
TALK TO YOUR DOC: Allergies are a b*tch and they’re not something you have a lot of control over. Talk to your doctor about how to best manage your allergies!
Another less commonly known cause of throat clearing is tension in the larynx and in the throat. If you feel tension or fatigue in your voice, try incorporating a daily vocal warm-up into your routine and stretching the larynx!
