Health Tip: Protect Your Voice

(HealthDay News) -- The human voice is produced by two bands of muscle tissue called vocal folds. When you talk, the folds come together as the air from your lungs travels through them.

Air blows through the folds and causes them to vibrate, making sound waves that travel through your mouth, nose and throat.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health suggests these tips to keep your voice healthier:

• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. This helps keep the vocal folds moist.
• Limit caffeine and alcohol, which can dry the vocal folds and larynx.
• Avoid inhaling tobacco smoke, which can irritate the vocal folds.