I have often found that when I have a sore throat, my speech immediately becomes much worse. Bearing in mind that I believe that stuttering is caused by stress-sensitive vocal cords, I'm wondering if a sore throat can affect our vulnerable vocal cords.
If the vocal cords are indeed the source of our disorder, it would make sense that inflamed vocal cord muscles further reduce the vocal cords' ability to function normally. On the other hand it could also be that other factors which may accompany a sore throat (eg. a fever) impact on general stress levels which could in turn increase vocal cord tension. Then again, don't forget the possible effect of distraction - a sore throat may act as a distraction, thereby actually IMPROVING fluency temporarily ....
This could be an interesting research topic for clinicians interested in the cause of stuttering ...
Update August 2013: A person in the Stuttering Arena Facebook page mentioned that increased stuttering when having a cold or flu probably happens because airflow when speaking is reduced or interfered with due to the nasal cavities being blocked (the "blocked-up" feeling when you have a cold). That makes a lot of sense.
Results of my informal survey in 2011:
In an informal survey on this blog in 2011 I asked: "Is your speech worse when you have a sore throat?" 30 respondents took part, and the results were as follows:
13 respondents (33%) answered "Definitely"
8 respondents (20%) answered "No, I am more fluent"
18 respondents (46%) answered "Haven't noticed a difference"
New poll started 30 December 2012 - kindly participate - many thanks in advance:
best regards from Bosnia. How are U doing?
ReplyDeleteHi Chata, I am well, thank you. I hope you are too! I have been visiting your site with the aid of the Google translation service, it was very interesting. You and your friends are very active, congratulations. Best wishes, Peter
ReplyDeleteI alone maintain that site. Just one person :)
ReplyDeleteYou're doing a great job! Not only will you help others, you may have found that your own fluency improves thanks to your work. When I was younger I got involved with various self-help groups for PWSs, and this involvement did wonders for my fluency. For instance, I really learned to do public speaking in groups, whereas previously I always kept quiet... kind regards, Peter
ReplyDeletePerfect! Now i got it why my stuttering is increases from 3 to 4 days It's because of my sore throat. I have a fond of singing high pitch songs. It means i have to also quiet singing like weight lifting?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that you have to stop singing. But if your throat is sore, then yes maybe you should stop until your throat is better.
ReplyDeleteYes! Got better now. Is exercise like Push ups also Increases stress and tension on vocal cords?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that push-ups will affect your vocal cords. As far as I know, all exercises and sports except for weight-lifting are beneficial, as they decrease stress levels - though you shouldn't overdo it because excessive sports and exercises may result in distress. So as regards the vocal cords the only thing you have to watch out for is weight-lifting.
ReplyDeleteRight! I now quiet weight lifting. I read somewhere on Internet that exercise like Push-ups,Sit-ups, jogging etc decreases stress and weight.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about how a sore throat would affect my speech. Based on my experience, it has no effect whatsoever. Actually anytime there is something else to divert the attention away from my speech, helps me in a way. Strange but true in my case.
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