why do voices get deeper when people have a cold?
In: 6
deep voice = thicker vocal cords. think of a deep voice with vocal cords like a cello, and a high voice with vocal cords like a violin.
now picture you get a mosquito bite, what happens? your skin swells up. the same thing happens to your vocal cords when you get sick; they swell and get bigger and turn from a violin to a cello
Sound is made by vibrating matter.
The sound you hear is cause by vibrations leaving an object, rattling through air molecules, then hitting your eardrum like… Well… A drum! Each peak of a vibration is a beat on the drum.
When someone is sick, the vocal chords can become swollen, irritated, and lax. Because these all work together to make the vocal cords vibrate slower, a lower sound is given.
Further, higher pitches require more strain on the vocal cords, which is why some folks can get deep voiced and gravely even when tired. They literally don’t have the energy to tighten their throat.
Even further, this is what leads to “losing” your voice. The vocal cords become so irritated and swollen that they can no longer vibrate, so they can’t produce sound.
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