Two muscles, or vocal cords, stretch across the larynx, kind of like rubber bands. When a person speaks, air rushes from the lungs and makes the vocal cords vibrate, which in turn produces the sound of the voice.
The pitch of the sound produced is controlled by how tightly the vocal cord muscles contract as the air from the lungs hits them. If you've ever plucked a small, thin rubber band, you've heard the high-pitched twang it makes when it's stretched.
A thicker rubber band makes a deeper, lower-pitched twang. It's the same process with vocal cords. Before a boy reaches puberty, his larynx is pretty small and his vocal cords are kind of small and thin.
That's why his voice is higher than an adult's. But as he goes through puberty, the larynx gets bigger and the vocal cords grow longer and become thicker. Also, the facial bones begin to grow. Cavities in the sinuses, the nose, and the back of the throat grow bigger, creating more space in the face — which gives the voice more room to resonate. As a boy's body adjusts to this changing equipment, his voice may "crack" or "break. Also called presbyphonia or presbylaryngeus, these issues can develop due to vocal cord atrophy, diminished lung power, and overall health decline.
Knowledge is power. And being proactive can help you keep your voice stronger in the long run. You may be surprised to learn that things like asthma , allergies , and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder COPD can affect your voice. Also try to keep the rest of your body in shape. Regular exercise helps increase overall stamina, build muscle tone, and improve posture -- all of which contribute to a healthier voice.
As you can imagine, how you treat your throat and larynx voice box affects your voice. The larynx should stay moist and flexible, so drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Limit caffeine and alcohol, which dry out your throat. Use a humidifier at home to keep the air moist. For older adults, the more you use your voice, the stronger it will become -- just like with any type of strength-building exercise.
Join a choir, sing in the shower, or read aloud. Be social and participate in conversation. The most common cause of a voice change later in life is aging of the voice box and the respiratory system that powers the voice. Aging may bring a loss of flexibility. The joints of the larynx may become stiff, and its cartilage may calcify. The vocal cords may lose muscle tone, flexibility and elasticity, and dry out.
Sometimes, the muscles of the larynx can atrophy, become thinner and weaker. Your ribs may become more calcified. Your torso may shrink, and your lungs may become smaller, stiffer and less pliable. A decline in overall health status. Sometimes, a voice change can herald a developing medical problem.
For example, chronic fatigue and neurological problems can cause a shaking, or tremor, in the voice. The voice can also change because of benign nodules, polyps or malignant lesions cancer , or if one of the vocal folds becomes paralyzed. This can lead to depression and affect overall health.
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