Voice Breaks - Causes, Treatment, And Prevention
Author: Roselyn Mathew, Reg. CASLPO, Speech-Language Pathologist
Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Table of Contents
Medical conditions
Emotional or mental stress
Dehydration
Vocal fatigue
Tensing of muscles in the larynx and vocal folds
Hydration
Voice rest
Medications
Relaxation techniques
Introduction
Voice is produced when streams of air turn into puffs of air by the vibration of vocal folds when it passes though the vocal folds. These puffs of air become voice and speech based on the shape of the mouth and the position of different articulators in the mouth like hard palate, soft palate, tongue, teeth, lips, mandible, glottis etc. Voice is generally characterized by pitch, volume and quality. Generally, an average voice often has an appropriate pitch, good quality and an adequate amount of volume. Rapid changes in these often result in an unstable voice.
What are voice breaks?
Voice breaks or voice cracks are interruptions that cause a sudden shift in voice. The sudden shift could be a change in the pitch or quality of voice. These are unintentional and might cause embarrassment and frustration to the speaker. Voice breaks often make voice sound less confident and can affect the quality of life and career of a person, especially if they are a professional voice user. They can also highly affect singing as it is important to maintain a certain pitch and quality while singing.
Causes of voice breaks
Voice breaks are often caused when vocal folds do not vibrate smoothly. If there are any disruptions in vibrations, it can result in an abrupt shift in the amount of air passed through the vocal folds or change the frequency of their vibration. These changes affect the quality and pitch of the voice which can be heard as a sudden ‘crack’, where the voice might shift to a different pitch or become hoarse or entirely stop. These changes are sudden and the voice usually shifts back to the previous voice quickly.
Voice breaks are quite common especially when people who are assigned male at birth reach puberty. During puberty, the vocal folds grow longer and thicker, and since they are in the growing stage, there might be an instability in their movements which often result in sudden shifts in pitch and quality.
These changes are temporary and voice generally becomes stable once the vocal folds stop growing and become developed.
Some other common causes of voice breaks are:
Medical conditions
Medical conditions like vocal fold nodules, polyps, cysts, laryngitis or imbalances in hormones can cause abrupt changes in voice.
Emotional or mental stress
Mental or emotional stress are usually caused by strong feelings of sadness, anger, fear or anxiety. These can lead to voice breaks.
Dehydration
The movements of vocal folds are very fast and consistent. For example, the pitch of an average feminine voice is around 180-220 Hertz, which means the vocal folds touch each other around 180-220 times in 1 second. This process goes quite smoothly if the vocal folds are well hydrated. But if there is dryness or dehydration in the vocal folds, this frequent touching could cause an instability in the vocal folds' vibration, which might lead to voice breaks.
Vocal fatigue
Vocal fatigue means tiredness of muscles in the larynx or voice box. The muscles in the larynx, which includes vocal folds can get tired if we speak for a long time without taking a break or if we speak with a loud voice for some time. When we speak or sing with a loud voice, the vocal folds move with a lot of force and they ‘bang’ against each other which is often the reason why we are unable to speak or sing with a loud voice for a longer time without feeling tired. This prolonged movement of the laryngeal muscles while speaking for an extended amount of time or stressful vibration while speaking at a loud volume for a long time makes it difficult for the vocal folds to vibrate at their usual speed, which could result in voice breaks.
Tensing of muscles in the larynx and vocal folds
When someone tenses their throat, this could tighten the muscles in the larynx and vocal folds and could affect their cycle of vibration. People generally tense their throat when they are anxious or tensed. Sometimes, putting a lot of strain on the throat could also lead to tension. This can happen when a person uses a higher amount of throat resonance while speaking. A change in the vibration cycle of the vocal folds can cause an abrupt shift in voice, leading to voice breaks.
Difference between voice breaks and inflections in voice
I have observed that when voice breaks are explained, people often confuse them with vocal inflections as there is a shift in pitch in both. We will see the differences between a vocal inflection and a voice break.
Voice breaks, as mentioned before, are abrupt changes in voice quality and/or pitch. They happen unintentionally, which means they happen even if someone is focusing on maintaining a stable voice while speaking.
Vocal inflections, on the other hand, are changes in the pitch and tone of voice when we speak. These inflections give emotion to the speech. We change the pitch and tone of our voice based on our mood and based on the situation that we are in. Although, sometimes we do not entirely focus on the way our pitch changes, changes in the tone of voice and pitch can be done completely intentionally. We can change the pitch in our voice and make it go high or low, or can use a casual or formal tone in our speech when we focus on the way we speak.
The main differences between voice breaks and vocal inflections are:
The shift in voice is faster in voice breaks when compared to vocal inflections.
Voice breaks are unintentional whereas vocal inflections can be completely intentional
Tone of voice changes with vocal inflections but tone of voice does not change in voice breaks
Voice breaks are caused due to some issues in the vocal folds or muscles in the throat which need to be treated (except the natural voice breaks that happen during puberty). Vocal inflections are natural and are not due to any issues with the muscles in the throat or vocal folds.
Vocal inflections are necessary in speech because they add emotions to the voice and make speech sound natural and interesting to listen to. Voice breaks make speech sound less appealing and must be avoided.
Treating voice breaks
Getting the right treatment can help in reducing or completely eliminating voice breaks. It is important to get an assessment done, so that we can understand the cause and find the best way to treat voice breaks. Some of the common treatment approaches based on cause are:
Hydration
If there is dryness or dehydration, the best treatment would be to focus on hydration. Make sure that you drink plenty of fluids. Steam inhalation is also a good method to reduce dryness in the throat. You can use an apparatus for steam inhalation which would be convenient. Always make sure of your safety while doing steam inhalation.
Voice rest
If the cause of voice breaks is vocal fatigue, it would be the best to reduce the amount of speech and to completely avoid loud speech till you feel better. Voice rest is also a good solution to treat early stages of vocal nodules and polyps, as these are usually caused due to vocal abuse. Vocal nodules and polyps in the later stage might require surgical removal
Medications
Voice breaks caused due to infections like laryngitis usually go away after the infection is treated. Hormonal treatment would be effective if voice breaks are happening due to hormonal imbalances.
Relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, massages, shifting resonance etc. can help to relax tension in the throat.
If you have excessive emotional/mental stress or anxiety, it would be helpful to consult a professional and find ways to reduce anxiety and stress.
Preventing voice breaks
Some ways that would help to prevent voice breaks are:
Staying hydrated
Getting treated for medical conditions as soon as possible
Making sure to avoid vocal abuse- avoid speaking and singing with a loud voice as much as possible by not speaking near noisy areas, using an amplifier etc.
Understanding if you have a tendency to tense your throat and to avoid doing it
Reducing stress and anxiety
Doing vocal warm ups
Following vocal hygiene practices which helps in maintaining healthy vocal folds
Conclusion
Voice breaks happen when there is an abrupt change in the pitch or quality of voice, and are unintentional. They can cause embarrassment and can affect one’s quality of life. Voice breaks are different from vocal inflections. It is important to consult a professional to understand the cause of voice breaks and get it treated. Taking good care of the vocal folds can help in preventing voice breaks.
To speak with a psychotherapist or one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.
