# Help me get my voice back! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 19, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-my-voice-back/353342 "2006-04-19T19:04:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-my-voice-back/353342/1 "2006-04-19T19:04:24Z")
Recently I caught a cold, and consequently I have presently lost the ability to speak in any volume louder than a hoarse whisper. Are there any practical remedies to getting one’s voice back in this situation? Or am I stuck having to wait it out for several days? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-my-voice-back/353342/2 "2006-04-19T19:09:14Z")
My experience has been that the less you talk, the sooner it will come back. Variations on a theme of warm-honey-lemon-alcohol-tea (some combination thereof) have worked for most of the people I’ve talked to about this, but it’s different for everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-my-voice-back/353342/3 "2006-04-19T19:11:20Z")
Whisper. Seriously whisper if you have to communicate verbally at all (people start to whisper back at you too!) rather than forcing and straining things more. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-my-voice-back/353342/4 "2006-04-19T20:06:32Z")
Completely anecdotal information ahead! Whenever I have lost my voice, Green or Gensing tea sweetened with copious ammounts of honey have both worked wonders. I’m sure regular black tea would work as well, but those two specifically have been the ticket! Good Luck! ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-my-voice-back/353342/5 "2006-04-19T20:15:52Z")
I’m prone to laryngitis, and my doctor ordered me not to whisper at such a time, saying that it actually strains the vocal chords more. I don’t know if he was right or not, but silence is golden and will fix you up sooner than trying to talk in any way will. I know, it’s horrible–I spent over a week in near silence a couple of months ago–but you cannot speak with impunity. Gargling with warm salt water a few times a day will help along with the honey concoctions. It cleans out your throat and draws out some of the swelling. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-my-voice-back/353342/6 "2006-04-19T20:23:07Z")
IMHO hot honeyed drinks and ice creams sooth the pain but don’t actually cure the problem … you feel better just after consumption (and I’m never one to turn down a whisky mack or hot whisky) but you’re tempted to start trying to speak normally again and … ouch!