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Temporarily ruin your voice safely and quickly with our simple guide
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It's totally possible to lose your voice fast without resorting to smoking or getting a cold—you just need to strain or dry out your vocal cords. Exert your voice by screaming, singing, whispering, coughing, clearing your throat, or attending sports events or loud concerts. Eat and drink things that can diminish your voice (e.g. acidic, salty, and fatty foods, or caffeine or alcohol). Expose yourself to heat, cold, and loud ambient noise. To help break all of this down, we spoke to internationally-recognized voice and speech coach, Patrick Muñoz.
How to Lose Your Voice Easily
- Scream, sing, growl, or whisper to put pressure on your larynx and lose your voice quickly.
- Consume acidic, alcoholic, or caffeinated items to dry out your voice box.
- Run a dehumidifier or turn the heat on to reduce moisture and dry out your throat.
Steps
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Scream into a pillow. Muñoz explains that screaming at the top of your lungs is the most effective way to lose your voice. Find a thick pillow to scream into to muffle the bulk of the noise, preferably when no one else is close enough to hear it and be concerned. Continue until your voice feels raspy, and stop if you experience pain. [1] X Expert Source Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.- If you don’t feel like screaming, growl. This will make your throat sore and your voice raspy.
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Whisper as much as possible. While whispering might seem like a method of preserving one's voice, it actually puts much more strain on your vocal chords than speaking normally does. Whispering also has a drying effect that can cause voice loss. Take every opportunity to whisper instead of talking at a regular volume by pretending that you need to be discreet during conversations, or by starting discussions in quiet places (e.g. a library). [2] X Research sourceAdvertisement
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Sing karaoke. While professional singers generally warm up their voices before performing, amateur singers have a tendency to wear out their voices by singing too loudly and out of pitch. Spend an evening doing karaoke with friends to enjoy yourself while trying to lose your voice. The act of projecting your voice to fill a room or hall is very likely to cause bruising or swelling of your vocal cords, resulting in temporary laryngitis. [3] X Research source
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Clear your throat or cough repeatedly. Coughing or clearing your throat can put a strain on your larynx, diminishing your voice. Excessive coughing commonly causes laryngitis, either in the short-term or long-term. To lose your voice fast, prompt yourself to cough, or clear your voice repetitively until it becomes hoarse and raspy. [4] X Research source
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Attend a concert, go to a sports event, or hit the club. Muñoz says that one of the best ways to lose your voice is to just go have fun. He says, “go out to a bar, drink all night and talk over the music.” [5] X Expert Source Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach Expert Interview. 12 November 2019. If you’re going to lose your voice, you might as well have fun doing it, right? Get into the action and cheer, sing along, or scream as much as possible. [6] X Expert Source Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.- Visiting a dance club, attending a demonstration, or going go karting are also options for loud activities that encourage voice exertion.
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Gargle vinegar and lemon juice. To cause irritation to the vocal cords and promote voice loss, make a mixture of white vinegar and lemon juice. Add 1/4 cup vinegar (2 oz.) and 1/4 cup lemon juice (2 oz.) to a glass, then stir. Gargle with the mixture for about 30 seconds, then spit it out and repeat if desired. [7] X Research source
- If the mixture is too potent for you, add 1/4 cup water (2 oz.) to dilute it.
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Drink caffeinated drinks or alcohol. Caffeine and alcohol can have a dehydrating effect on the body, leaving your throat dry and raspy. Healthy vocal folds need moisture to vibrate and close properly, otherwise your voice will get breathy and hoarse. Spend a fun night out with friends at a cafe or bar and consume plenty of caffeinated or alcoholic drinks to lose your voice fast. [8] X Research source
- Don’t drink to the point of actual dehydration. Have fun, but be safe and responsible!
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Consume fatty, spicy, or acidic food. Consuming food or drink that has a high acidic content can cause acid reflux, which in turn can irritate the vocal chords and trigger laryngitis. Fatty or spicy foods can have the same effect. [9] X Research source To lose your voice fast, try consuming: [10] X Research source
- Citrus fruits
- Tomatoes
- Fried foods
- Red meat
- Cheese
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Enjoy really salty, high-sodium foods. Eating food with high sodium content is bad for your voice because of the drying effect of the salt. To dry out your vocal cords enough to promote voice loss, go for bacon as an ultimate high-salt indulgence (which is also high in fat, another voice-diminishing element). [11] X Research source Some other sodium-rich foods to eat include: [12] X Research source
- Pretzels
- Salted nuts
- Soya sauce
- Instant soups
- Pickles
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Turn up the heat or run a dehumidifier. Heating systems absorb moisture from the air, leaving rooms dry. This dryness can dehydrate your body, including your throat and vocal cords. To lose your voice fast, turn up the heat in your home or run a dehumidifier to keep the air as dry as possible. [13] X Research source
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Expose yourself to cold, dry air. Cold, dry air can irritate the larynx and hinder the vocal cords, diminishing your voice. If you are living in a cold climate, get outside for prolonged winter activities (e.g. cross-country skiing) or go for a long walk outdoors. If you are living in a warm climate, crank up the air-conditioning as much as possible. [14] X Research source
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Increase ambient noise. Muñoz says that if you want to lose your voice fast, increase the ambient noise level in your home or workspace so that you automatically have to speak louder or yell to communicate. [15] X Expert Source Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach Expert Interview. 12 November 2019. People tend to naturally increase their voices by 3 decibels for every 10 decibel increase in ambient noise around them. Play loud music or movies in the background, or opt for instrumental scores if you need to concentrate without distractions. [16] X Research source
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat can I do if my parents or teachers ask me why I am so quiet and shy?Community AnswerPoint to your throat to indicate that you cannot talk. If they think you're lying, then try to talk. The result will be a raspy voice.
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QuestionCan I just scream outside my house as long as I can? Will that help?Community AnswerYou would likely disturb other people, and your neighbors might call the police if you do so; I suggest you do it into a pillow instead.
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QuestionWhy would anyone want to lose their voice?Community AnswerThere are certain songs that are great when you have a hoarse voice. And others just want to fake sick in their choir class!
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Tips
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Try pinching your throat gently and sing a few songs that are out of your range, like heavy metal or something high-pitched.
- Leave your mouth open for a long time to dry it out. This can work better than not drinking water for a while.
- Clear your throat harshly without taking a breath. If you do this for 5 minutes, you may lose your voice.
- Make sure to not overdo the symptoms. You may cause serious damage to your vocal cords.
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References
- ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
- ↑ https://utswmed.org/medblog/vocal-cords-care-qa/
- ↑ http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/prevention/dont-lose-it-8-ways-to-take-care-of-your-voice/
- ↑ http://www.enki-village.com/how-to-make-your-voice-raspy.html
- ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
- ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
- ↑ http://www.enki-village.com/how-to-make-your-voice-raspy.html
- ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ColdandFluNews/story?id=6082396&page=1
- ↑ https://www.drugs.com/health-guide/chronic-laryngitis.html
- ↑ http://www.eatthis.com/foods-and-acid-reflux
- ↑ https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/foods-for-voice
- ↑ https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/what-foods-high-sodium.php
- ↑ https://johnhenny.com/humidity-and-your-singing-voice/
- ↑ http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/prevention/dont-lose-it-8-ways-to-take-care-of-your-voice/
- ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
- ↑ http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/prevention/dont-lose-it-8-ways-to-take-care-of-your-voice/
About This Article
Article Summary
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To lose your voice quickly, first try whispering as much as possible, since it has a drying effect that strains your vocal chords. You can also try singing really loudly, which will wear out your voice. If those things don’t work, try gargling a mixture of equal parts vinegar and lemon juice, which will irritate your throat and make you raspy. For tips on what kind of foods to eat if you’re trying to lose your voice, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I altered between screaming into my pillow and whispering. You can feel your throat and voice box become hoarse. Thanks! I needed to maintain my sore throat for tomorrow when I go to school, I've missed a few days." ..." more
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"I altered between screaming into my pillow and whispering. You can feel your throat and voice box become hoarse. Thanks! I needed to maintain my sore throat for tomorrow when I go to school, I've missed a few days."
..."
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"Well I have a bad singing voice, so in choir it was my turn and the week before I read this article and screamed in my pillow each day! My voice got raspy and suddenly was gone and my turn was skipped."
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"I have a slam poetry presentation in front of my grade, 7, and grade 8. I want to lose my voice to get out of it, as I'm a shy person. I already have a sore throat from these methods."
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"I embarrassed myself in front of my class, so I didn't really feel like talking. I did most of the things here, like the screaming and the vinegar and lemon, and it worked!"
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"The one where you sing or talk while whispering helps a lot. I tried it to be excused for choir, and my choir teacher believed me, so thank you to whoever wrote that."
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