Q: What are some tips to help me protect my voice?

A: Nearly all of us depend on our voices to connect and communicate with others in our professional and personal lives. But most of us take the voice for granted and only get worried when someone else has trouble understanding us or notices that our voice is different, say after a bad cold. Taking care of the voice now is very important if you want to have a clear voice in five, 10 or 20 years because some voice problems take years to develop.

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One of the simplest things you can do to protect your voice is to drink a lot of water -- six to eight (8-ounce) glasses a day. This might mean more trips to the bathroom. But when you consider that the vocal cords vibrate at 100 to 400 times per second, they can get dried out very quickly. More water in our system keeps the mucus in our throats and our larynges (voice boxes) thin and clear, which helps lubricate the vocal cords.

By the same token, drinking caffeine actually dries our bodies out more quickly, so drinking a lot of it might make it harder for the vocal cords to work normally. Drinking or eating dairy products makes the mucus thicker so it's better not to have these before any public speaking. The old "lemon in hot water" remedy actually helps soothe the voice and can help clear thick mucus when you are sick with a cold or laryngitis, but only a small amount is necessary.

Another simple tip is give your voice and your vocal cords a break once in a while. For people who have to speak all day (like teachers), it is important to periodically give your voice at least 10-minute breaks a few times a day. Also try not to yell to be heard in crowds of people (even if it's a Steelers game -- I know this one is hard for most of us). We all can remember at least one occasion where we had no voice at the end of a game or a concert. Doing this repeatedly can permanently damage the vocal cords.

PRIYA KRISHNA, M.D.
Otolaryngology