Having a hoarse voice doesn’t always also involve a sore throat. There are various reasons to experience hoarseness, including putting too much strain on the delicate mechanisms used for speaking or suffering from a severe cold.
Whatever the cause, having a croaky or non-existent voice can be unpleasant and a source of substantial inconvenience. It is only when it becomes a struggle to speak clearly that we realise how often we need our voice for work, home life and leisure activities. Even shopping can become tricky when your hoarse voice draws attention to you or makes it hard to be understood.
Treating a hoarse voice without medications
There are various natural things you can do to ease hoarseness. For example, breathing in warm moist air can help soothe the irritation and inflammation. You can do this while taking a hot shower, or by carefully breathing in steam from a bowl of hot water.
Sipping warm liquids, including ones containing honey, can help ease a sore throat and combat hoarseness too. Green tea and other drinks with antioxidants in them can add to the potential for natural healing.
Plenty of liquids, especially water, are a good idea generally, to keep you hydrated and help combat any infection you may have.
Keep in mind that alcohol and coffee can have a dehydrating effect though, and drinking them may actually make your issues worse. Smoking and vaping are definitely not to be recommended while your voice returns to normal.
Of course, the most important natural remedy for a hoarse voice is….time! Try to rest your voice and give yourself one or two days of rest, to let your voice mechanisms heal.
When natural remedies for hoarseness are not enough
It is important to stress that there comes a point when treating this issue yourself, with natural remedies, is not enough. You need a professional opinion on voice hoarseness, to diagnose the cause, and prevent it from worsening or returning.
This is especially true as prolonged or excessive hoarseness can be an indicator of a condition that requires medical attention. Getting an expert medical opinion swiftly makes early diagnosis more assured. Of course, the earlier conditions are treated, the better the outcome.
If you are concerned your voice hoarseness is not responding to your efforts to ease it or taking a long time to go away naturally, please don’t hesitate to contact us here at ENT Sheffield and book an appointment.