Can throwing up make you lose your voice?

Have you ever experienced throwing up so hard that it felt like your voice box was going to come out? Or maybe, after a wild night of drinking and vomiting, you found yourself barely able to whisper? Well, fear not my brave soldier! In this article, we will explore whether or not throwing up can actually cause you to lose your voice. So grab some ginger ale and let’s get started!

The science behind our vocal cords

Before we delve into the world of vomit-induced laryngitis, let’s first understand how our vocal cords work. Our vocal cords are located in the larynx (commonly known as the “voice box”) and they oscillate back and forth when air is pushed through them from our lungs. This creates sound waves that travel through our throat, mouth, nose and ultimately give us the ability to speak.

Our vocal cords are sensitive little creatures though! Any irritation caused by allergies or inhaling harmful substances can make them inflamed (as if anyone needed another reason to quit smoking). When they become irritated, speaking becomes difficult or even painful.

What happens when we throw up?

Now here’s where things start getting interesting: what happens inside our bodies when we vomit? Vomiting is essentially an intense contraction of the stomach muscles pushing its contents out of our mouths. As all these abdominal muscles rapidly contract during heaving…

  • pressure rises in your chest
  • blood vessels swell
  • oxygen availability drops

…and bingo bango – gastric juices erupt from your GI tract at approximately lightspeed (ok just kidding but it sure feels like it right?!?)

Most people experience dry-heaving before regurgitating their food chunks & liquids which occur due to reverse contractions consisting only of air impacting against a closed esophagus.

How does this impact our vocal cords?

So now that we have a basic understanding of what happens when we vomit, let’s dive into the real question. Can all this intense pressure and involuntary muscle contraction actually cause us to lose our voices? The answer is not a straightforward yes or no. It largely depends on how often you throw up! (news flash: frequently making yourself throw up for weight loss leads to serious health issues!!)

When gentle stomach contractions end in taking an antacid or releasing gases regularly via belching.. that does NOT irritate your vocal cords!

However… It’s generally advised to stay away from letting the fire hose unleash unless absolutely necessary as its massive force can irritate various parts around our throat by causing inflammation affecting our voice box – aka Laryngitis. Those who suffer from acid reflux may be at higher risk for vocal cord damage after vomiting due to pre-existing irritation caused by stomach acid.

How can we prevent throwing up?

After learning about all the harm vomiting can potentially bring to your throats little buddy/ies, I’m sure many of you are wondering what measures we should take if we want to avoid this distressing situation altogether.

But first things first:

  1. Stay hydrated!
  2. Do not gobble down too much food at once
  3. Cut back on alcohol consumption

The above key points will help reduce instances when barfing seems like the only option.

Good news! We can easily keep ourselves healthy and free of additional conditions such as sore throats induced post-vomiting sprees when practicing preventive measures.

When should I see a doctor?

In most cases, losing your voice after vomiting isn’t anything majorly threatening (unless combined with other symptoms), but it could indicate that something’s off within your body system because strong gag reflexes strongly influence/inflame relevant muscles involved while weakening them overtime in certain individuals.

If after throwing up you notice signs such as:

  • lumps in your neck
  • Difficulty swallowing saliva
  • Swollen or painful glands

Call your health care provider to schedule an appointment for further evaluation.

And remember… the most important thing is to stay hydrated during this episode by drinking plenty, which helps move mucus and debris away from inflamed areas allowing you to recover more quickly.

Conclusion

So there we have it folks! Throwing up can cause inflammation of our vocal cords thus leading to irritation and loss of our sweet sweet voices though not always. However unnecessary vomit sessions can be quite harmful if done frequently so.. Be mindful, keep yourself healthy and practice preventive measures especially when engaging in activities that may induce nausea such as getting a tattoo or listening to Jedward try & sing!

Cheers, love! And here’s hoping you never lose the angelic voice that serenades people into sleeping (nope not biased at all lool) !

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