Phlegm when talking

Vocal cords enable you to talk when air held in your lungs is released and passes through the cords, causing them to vibrate and make sounds. In addition to affecting speech, vocal cord paralysis can cause coughing, a feeling of phlegm in the throat, difficulty swallowing and shortness of breath while talking.

1. Why does phlegm come up when I talk?
2. How do I get phlegm off my vocal cords?
3. Does phlegm affect speech?

Why does phlegm come up when I talk?

Why do I cough when I talk? If you feel a strong urge to cough when you talk, you may have laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), which is a kind of acid reflux. It's similar to GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), which irritates your esophagus, but LPR irritates your voice box, or larynx.

How do I get phlegm off my vocal cords?

Start by humming or speaking, carefully at first, and soon the rapid vibrations of the vocal cords will shake loose the excess mucous. There is another safe way of making excess mucous disappear. Closing your mouth and nasal passage (or block the nose) and at the same time suck inwards and swallow.

Does phlegm affect speech?

Phlegm (pronounced FLEM) is the secretions found in the throat including saliva, nasal secretions and sometimes acid secretions from the stomach. Phlegm becomes problematic if it interrupts voice production, breathing or swallowing. Too much phlegm may cause a “wet” or “gurgly” voice, or even difficulty swallowing.