Ways to prevent Laryngitis

Laryngitis is a term used to indicate infection or inflammation of the larynx. It may be caused by infection (virus, bacteria); irritation of the throat because of excessive smoking, singing or shouting; allergies and postnasal drip or gastroesophageal reflux disorder. There is no one definite way to prevent laryngitis,but following steps may help to prevent laryngitis.

Wash hands: Use of soap and water to wash your hands frequently can reduce the risk of getting laryngitis caused by infections. Hand washing is considered as one of the best way to prevent many common infections. If soap and water is not available you can use alcohol-based sanitizer to clean hands. The sanitizer must have at least 60 per cent alcohol. Hand sanitizers are as good as soap and water to remove germs from your hands. But if your hands appear dirty, use soap and water to clean it. Besides washing hands remember not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth as infection may spread this way.

Avoid people with cough and cold: Many people develop laryngitis following a cough and cold. If possible avoid contact with people who have cough and cold as this decreases your risk of getting infected. Similarly if you have cough and cold then stay at home at least for a day after your fever subsides. This can help to prevent spread of infection to other healthy people at school or work place.

Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze: Risk of transmission of laryngitis from you to other healthy people because of infection can be reduced by using tissue to cover the nose and mouth whenever you cough or sneeze. The dirty tissue should be disposed in waste bin. If you do not have tissue, sneeze into your sleeve. Many virus and bacteria causing infection are transmitted from infected person to a healthy person by droplet (the germ is present in infected person's sneeze or cough).

Rest your voice: Many people develop laryngitis after overuse their voice, such as professional singers or teachers, shouting at a sports event.  Rest to voice is especially important for people with chronic laryngitis as it often occurs in people who overuse their voice and are not able to give proper rest to voice.

Avoid smoking and alcohol: Irritants, such as smoke and alcohol increase the risk of laryngitis particularly if you have a cold or other respiratory infection.

Raise head end of your bed: This is useful in people who have laryngitis because of gastroesophageal reflux disorder as this helps to protect your larynx from any acid reflux from the stomach during sleep. You can use pillows to raise your head while sleeping.