The specialist explained the reason for the loss of voice under stress

Loss of voice due to strong emotions is a real reaction of the body to stress. In the practice of phoniatry, such a malfunction was recorded as functional aphonia, when a person completely loses the ability to produce sound, or as functional dysphonia, in which the voice is weakened, poorly controlled and "fails" on individual vowels, sonorous and voiced consonants. Viktor Yemelyanov, a vocal teacher and candidate of pedagogical Sciences, told Izvestia about this on November 20.

"The term "functional" means that the vocal apparatus has no organic damage and diseases, for example, hemorrhages in the mucous membrane, its detachments, nodules and neoplasms. The problem is in the function, that is, in the brain," commented Yemelyanov.

As the expert noted, sometimes in everyday life they say "throat is caught", and this can be compared to the well-known "cramp" or tetanus of a muscle when it does not relax after contraction. Only, for example, with a calf muscle cramp, it feels like pain, and with a vocal tetanus, it is impossible to make a sound.

Men and women usually speak in the thoracic mode of the larynx, and functional dysphonia can manifest itself as an involuntary transition to a quiet, hoarse falsetto mode, which is subjectively perceived as loss of voice, the teacher added. Also, a sudden loss may occur with a sharp increase in the pace of speech if it is necessary to prove something, urgently convince of something in a conflict situation.

"With some sudden, dangerous, frightening action from the outside, an involuntary screaming or screeching reaction is most likely. After this, temporary aphonia is possible, since after such an action the voice needs rest. Prolonged intense cough is dangerous in case of any disease of the respiratory system. But it is also fraught with an organic disease of the vocal folds — hemorrhages of the mucous membrane," Yemelyanov warned.

In phonopedia, a defectological discipline dealing with non—medical methods of voice restoration and development, there are simple techniques to help with voice loss. If this is not related to the aforementioned cough, then a simple cough can cause the vocal folds to close and restore the ability to sound. The so—called inspiratory phonation helps - the sound on inspiration, when an imitation of the reaction of surprise on inspiration causes the folds to converge and a sound appears.

"And if you do this with your mouth closed — breathe through your nose with your voice on the inhale and exhale — then this will be an air massage of the vocal folds. It helps to make a "rumble", what is called a "strobass". These are free noise vibrations of the vocal folds in the flow of exhalation or inhalation. This is also a massage and fatigue relief," the specialist said.

Finally, the vocal teacher emphasized that the problem lies in the lack of awareness of one's own vocal function, the absence of any culture of speech taught to actors and vocalists. Vocal negativity also affects both speech and singing culture. Diversity does not allow us to form a standard for the sound of voice and speech in our minds from childhood, concluded Yemelyanov.

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