Speak softly but do not whisper; whispering can bother your larynx more than speaking softly. Avoid talking on the telephone or trying to speak loudly. Drink plenty of water to keep your throat moist.
Swelling of the vocal cords muffles sound, and you are hoarse. When you try to talk, all that comes out is a whisper or squeak. Swelling of the voice box can be triggered by an infection, such as a cold, the flu, or bronchitis.
Laryngitis can also be caused, or made worse, by irritants to the vocal cords, such as alcohol, smoking, allergies, direct trauma, vocal overuse / misuse or reflux of stomach acid into the oesophagus and throat (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease - GORD).
Voice rest can be helpful for acute cases of laryngitis, when your vocal cords are swollen and need a few days to recover. Discomfort and swelling should resolve within 24-48 hours of starting voice rest. Long-term voice rest is not recommended, except for patients recovering from vocal cord surgery.
“Laryngitis itself is not contagious,” Peña said. “However, the viral upper respiratory infections that cause laryngitis can be.” As long as you don't have any other severe symptoms, you should be able to continue your daily activities while you have laryngitis.
Is Laryngitis Contagious? The viruses that laryngitis comes from aren't that contagious. The time laryngitis is most contagious is during the time frame when you have a fever. Bacterial and fungal infection-causing laryngitis is potentially contagious, but these occur less frequently.
Any hoarseness that does not resolve itself in 2-3 weeks should be evaluated by an ENT doctor, preferably someone who specializes in voice care. Your voice is just as important as the rest of your body, and making sure you get enough sleep will help ensure it stays as rested and healthy as the rest of you.
Loss of voice can accompany many conditions that affect the throat such as viral sore throat, laryngitis, or mononucleosis. All of these conditions can be associated with fatigue as well. Fatigue is a nonspecific symptom that can be present along with almost any type of illness.
Laryngitis often occurs along with a viral infection, such as a cold or flu. Hoarseness tends to appear later in the illness, after the sore throat, sneezing, coughing and other symptoms. Bacterial infections of the breathing tubes (bronchitis) or lung (pneumonia) also can infect the larynx and cause laryngitis.
Most of the time, you can tell if you have laryngitis because you develop symptoms such as hoarseness, a sore throat or a dry cough.
Most cases of acute laryngitis can be treated with home therapy including: Pain reliever/anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen. Warm, hydrating fluids. Vocal rest — use your voice as little as possible.
However, if you have laryngitis along with symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, you could pass the infection to others. Try to keep to yourself and consider wearing a mask when you're in public to help avoid spreading the infection.
“The treatment for that is complete voice rest with no speaking at all for a period of time. You don't want to speak through the hemorrhage because it can cause permanent scaring of the vocal cords.” If you got laryngitis from virus – or just from yelling to much during a sporting event or concert – don't worry.
Light exercise #1: Hum with hand over nose and mouth
This exercise creates gentle back pressure on your vocal folds, which relieves tension and improves efficiency of vocal function.
Notably, the omicron variant is prone to cause severe laryngitis, resulting in fatal upper airway stenosis.
If you only have laryngitis, you can likely be out and about without concern of getting others sick (just try to rest your voice). If you also have symptoms of a respiratory infection, however, you may be contagious and should stay home.
Risk factors for laryngitis include: Having a respiratory infection, such as a cold, bronchitis or sinusitis. Exposure to irritating substances, such as cigarette smoke, excessive alcohol intake, stomach acid or workplace chemicals. Overusing your voice, by speaking too much, speaking too loudly, shouting or singing.
Most cases of laryngitis get better without treatment within a week. To help your vocal cords heal, it's important not to smoke, to avoid smoky environments, drink plenty of fluids (particularly water) and try to rest your voice as much as possible.
Drinking warm water helps relieve pain and inflammation, and honey is a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory substance. By fighting inflammation, it may help reduce pain and discomfort in the throat. Honey can also act as a cough suppressant. People who find honey too sweet can add lemon juice to the hot water.
Symptoms and Signs
At times, laryngitis can be an indication of serious laryngeal cancer. The following symptoms definitely warrant a visit to a head, neck, and throat specialist: A sore throat accompanied by a fever. Coughing up yellow or green phlegm (possibly bacterial sinusitis or bronchitis)
Yes, stress (mental/emotional) is one of the more common causes of hoarseness.
Bacterial laryngitis is an infection of the vocal cord mucosa by bacteria (not a virus or fungal organism). During this infection, mucus produced in the larynx is usually colored yellow, green, or brown. This can occur in any person as an acute, self-limited infection.