2023.01.25 – 0755 – Why Your Evening Meal Could Be Killing Your Voice
Acid reflux[1]
This is when digestive juices (made up of strong acids and enzymes) find their way from the stomach into the oesophagus.
Known by doctors as GERD (‘gastro-esophageal reflux disease) or GOR (‘gastro-oesophageal reflux), symptoms include heartburn, indigestion, coughing, belching, general discomfort and a sour taste in the mouth.
For some people, these juices may even get into the trachea causing irritation to the larynx and vocal folds, and even into the mouth. This is known as LPR, laryngo-pharyngeal reflux, or ‘silent reflux’ as many people don’t have classic heartburn symptoms. This back-flow of fluids can affect your voice by causing:
A feeling of a lump in your throat (‘globus’) and so, throat clearing and coughing spasms
An unpleasant ‘acid’ or ‘bilious’ taste at the back of your mouth
A feeling of a build-up of mucus in your throat
Excessive burping, particularly during the day
A sore, dry or sensitive throat
Croakiness or hoarseness
Chronic coughing
Reflux can be affected by what you eat and drink:
Fatty food
Spicy food
Sugar
Acidic drinks such as fruit juices
Alcohol
Coffee
And your lifestyle:
Obesity or poor posture which can affect the valve that should stop this from happening
Eating heavy meals or late meals
Pregnancy
Smoking
How to make things better:
Avoiding those foods and drinks and changing your lifestyle
Losing weight and stopping smoking
Eating regular and smaller meals, eating more slowly, chewing each mouthful well and then chewing on gum afterwards to increase the flow of saliva which’ll cancel out the acid
Drinking more water
Reducing pressure on the valve by bending at the knees when you pick things up and wearing looser clothing around your waist
Some say sleeping on their left side and with the head elevated (raise the head of your bed a couple of inches) can help
Taking OTC remedies (‘over the counter’) for indigestion or heartburn before getting professional advice to find out exactly what is causing the symptoms, and to get the right treatment.
[1] Sources: https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/diet-nutrition; https://www.britishvoiceassociation.org.uk/voicecare_reflux-and-voice.htm; https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg184; https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng1; https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib176/chapter/summary
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