The respiratory system isn’t just essential for breathing. It’s also responsible for talking, singing, humming, burping and making any kind of sound with your voice. The larynx, sometimes called the voice box, sits above the trachea. When air is exhaled from the lungs, it comes through the trachea and larynx and vibrates the vocal cords, creating a sound. The volume and type of sound that is made depends on the amount of air that is exhaled. When you giggle, you let out your breath in short bursts, causing that “hehehehehe” sound. When you burp, you let air out from your stomach in one long go. You get hiccups when your diaphragm spasms and causes you to suddenly breathe in. That air hits your vocal cords when you’re not ready.
Which of these is the most likely happening when you lose your voice?
A
You are breathing harder than usual.
B
The vocal cords are not vibrating normally.
C
Air is inhaled too slowly to vibrate the vocal cords.
D
Air is exiting your trachea and larynx in quick spurts.
B
The vocal cords are not vibrating normally.