Top Reasons You Might Lose Your Voice: Common Causes and Solutions

Losing your voice is usually caused by laryngitis from a cold, overuse, or acid reflux. Rest your voice and drink fluids.

Cause

Laryngitis: inflamed vocal cords.

Common reasons

• Colds and viral infections.
• Overuse, such as yelling.
• Acid reflux.
• Smoking.
• Allergies.

What helps

• Rest your voice. Avoid whispering.
• Drink warm fluids.
• Humidify the air.
• Avoid smoke.

Duration

Usually under 2 weeks.

See a doctor

If hoarseness lasts over 3 weeks, or with trouble breathing.

Mechanism

The voice is made when air from the lungs vibrates the vocal folds in the larynx, which move 100 to 250 times per second in speech. Inflammation (laryngitis) swells the folds and disrupts vibration, causing hoarseness or voice loss.

• Viral upper respiratory infections are the most common cause. Most acute laryngitis resolves within 1 to 2 weeks.
• Voice overuse, shouting, singing and reflux (laryngopharyngeal reflux) irritate the folds.
• Smoking, alcohol, allergies and dry air add to irritation.
• Vocal fold nodules, polyps, paralysis and cancer are less common causes of persistent hoarseness.

What helps and when to see a doctor

Rest the voice, stay hydrated, use humidified air and avoid whispering, which strains the folds, and avoid throat clearing. See a doctor if hoarseness lasts over 2 to 3 weeks (4 weeks in adults per guidelines), especially in smokers, or with difficulty swallowing, coughing blood, a neck lump or breathing problems. An ENT specialist can perform laryngoscopy.

Mechanism

Voice loss (laryngitis) happens when vocal folds swell, often from viral infection, overuse, reflux or smoking. Most cases clear in 1 to 2 weeks.

What helps and when to see a doctor

Rest the voice, drink water and avoid whispering. See a doctor if hoarseness lasts over 3 to 4 weeks, especially in smokers, or with trouble swallowing or breathing.

Common causes

Losing your voice (laryngitis) occurs when the vocal cords swell. Viral infections cause most cases and resolve in 1 to 2 weeks. Shouting, singing, acid reflux, smoking, allergies and dry air also cause it. Vocal cord nodules, polyps, paralysis or cancer are less common causes.

Self care and warning signs

Rest the voice, avoid whispering (it strains the cords), drink fluids, use a humidifier, and avoid smoking and throat clearing. Honey and warm tea soothe the throat but do not heal the cords. See a doctor if hoarseness lasts more than 2 to 3 weeks (4 weeks for children), or if there is trouble breathing or swallowing, coughing blood, or a lump in the neck. Smokers with persistent hoarseness need a laryngoscopy to rule out cancer.

Based on data from the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the Mayo Clinic