As we get older, most of us worry about grey hair, wrinkles and maintaining a youthful physique. But many ignore one of the biggest signs of age – our voice.
People often don’t realise the voice, like other muscles, needs looking after – as a result, a third of people over 65 suffer from voice problems, including hoarseness and weakness. Many are left sounding much older than they are.
The voice is made by many parts of the upper body. To form a sound, the muscles of the abdominal wall and rib cage squeeze the lungs, making them exhale the breath.
As the airflow comes up the windpipe, it passes through the vocal cords. These are not cords, but are two complex flaps of tissue stretched across the windpipe which open and close as the air passes through.
This causes them to vibrate, turning the air into a buzzing noise. At the same time, the larynx – or voice box – adjusts the length and tension of the cords, producing pitch.
The upper part of the throat and cavities in the lower skull refine the noise and make it louder, while the tongue, teeth and lips shape it into words. With age, the vocal cords and muscles in the larynx wear out.
‘The tissue gets tired so you can’t keep the same tension,’ says Andrew McCombe, an ear, nose and throat surgeon at Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey.
Lung capacity also declines – by the age of 80 it may be half the volume it was at age 20.
Messages from the brain to the voice box may not be as efficient and nerve endings to the area die. There is less blood supply and the number of lubricating glands decline, drying out the vocal cords.
Finally, the tongue, lips and teeth change, making it harder to form words. As a result, from middle age the voice starts to become thinner and wavering.
In the U.S. people are undergoing surgical voice lifts – injecting the vocal cords with fat or collagen from other body parts. This brings the flaps closer together so they vibrate better, producing a stronger voice.
The technique is available in the UK, but is mainly used to treat inaudible voices, rather than for cosmetic purposes.
‘There are other things you can do to keep your voice youthful,’ says Dr Ruth Epstein of the Royal National Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital in London.
‘Exercising will ensure lung capacity is high, helping to produce a strong sound. We should also treat the vocal cords – by singing and continuing to use the voice into old age.’
Here, with the help of the UK’s leading voice experts, we reveal how to keep your voice young.
DRINK MORE FLUID
‘Moisture for the larynx is like grease for a ball-bearing. You need it for the vocal folds to vibrate well,’ says John Rubin, an ENT surgeon and president elect of the British Voice Association.
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No liquids touch the vocal cords, but they are lubricated by a salivalike fluid made by nearby glands.
The body must be kept hydrated enough to make this lubrication. Sipping 1.5 litres of water a day at intervals of 15 minutes is vital, says speech therapist Dr Epstein.
AVOID SPICY FOOD
We may not feel or taste it, but a common cause of damage to the voice is acid reflux.
It irritates and dries out the throat, says Mr Rubin. The vagus nerve in the neck also reacts to the acid by making the lubricating saliva more sticky, meaning it is harder for the vocal cords to vibrate.
Signs of silent reflux are throat clearing, a croaky lower voice in the morning and the feeling of having a lump in the throat.
Mr Rubin advises avoiding foods with an irritating effect on the stomach, such as onions, chilli, fizzy drinks and chocolate: ‘Avoid eating two hours before bed to allow time for digestion.’
April 30, 2010
