Voice affected by cycling

[PeteXXX]

Do you breathe through your mouth or nose whilst riding?
Could that make a difference for you?

 

[Globalti]

If ever there was an example of what doctors call the "worried well", this is it!

All kinds of physiological changes happen when people exercise. As long as there's no pain and no long-term effect, stop worrying and carry on riding.

 

[MikeG]

If ever there was an example of what doctors call the "worried well", this is it!

All kinds of physiological changes happen when people exercise. As long as there's no pain and no long-term effect, stop worrying and carry on riding.

That's easy for you to say, but when I was riding every day it meant that I couldn't even answer the phone properly. I struggled to speak to my clients, let alone my wife. It had quite an impact on my life. But thanks for the empathy, anyway.

 

[MikeG]

Do you breathe through your mouth or nose whilst riding?
Could that make a difference for you?

Mouth. I've broken my nose at least half a dozen times, and it isn't up to the task when my breathing rate is increased.

 

[MikeG]

Right I get something similar, but only in the very cold. The very cold air up your nose - triggers a response to produce mucus, this then gets tangled in your vocal cords - (you might not have noticed anything at this point) then you find when talking you want to clear your throat - in turns this produces even more mucus you throat gets tight a sore......sound about right ?

Fixes
1.As has been suggested wear a buff over your nose and mouth especially for the first few miles
2.Suck a mint to stop the clear throat habit
3.Drink loads even when not cycling that thins the mucus - and stops the clear throat habit
4.Try a anti histamine to slown mucus products
5.Try a drink with blended oranges and ginger - and maybe garlic cloves for a bit of extra wallop !

It's not a mucus thing. Indeed, it's the opposite. It is a tightening/ constriction/ dryness thing. I "clear my throat" in an attempt to lubricate it enough to be able to speak.

 

[vickster]

Mouth. I've broken my nose at least half a dozen times, and it isn't up to the task when my breathing rate is increased.

Maybe that’s the reason as all the air is going straight down your throat unfiltered. Sucking a boiled sweet regularly might help

 

[MikeG]

Whoever arranged for food and air to go down the same tube made a fundamental design error, in my view. You might be right, vickster. When I get back on my bike I'll give it a try.

 

[vickster]

Whoever arranged for food and air to go down the same tube made a fundamental design error, in my view. You might be right, vickster. When I get back on my bike I'll give it a try.

We are technically designed for cool dry air to go in through the nose and warmed damp air back through the mouth I believe. When that's not an option as in your case, things can malfunction

 

[byegad]

Sounds a bit like re-flux. Before I was diagnosed and treated I lost my voice almost entirely. Even after the cause was treated I needed speech therapy to get my voice back to normal.

 

[Gasman]

I'd guess that it's because you're breathing more via your mouth during exertion and the air isn't being humidified as it would be if you breathed through your nose. Annoying but not life or health threatening.

Try the buff as suggested above, gargle occasionally or stop for a (nose) breather. If your nose is as blocked as you say then an ENT referral may be in order in case some internal rearrangement is needed.

 

[MikeG]

My nose isn't blocked so much as .....erm......complicated. The passageways are all nice and open, but following the various ad hoc re-arrangements they provide rather more tortuous a route for air than was the case when I was a youngster. ENT have suggested leaving well alone (they were looking at the anosma from which I suffer). I'm pretty much OK breathing through my nose generally, but up hills, or if the pace picks up a bit, my mouth opens. This isn't great in the summer with all those insects about.....

 

[mrandmrspoves]

My semi educated guess is Paradoxical Vocal Cord Dysfunction. It sometimes mimics asthma - but in your case you are not getting the full range of possible symptoms.
PVCD can be irritated be gastro osophageal reflux as mentioned by @byegad above.

Good news is (if my stab at a diagnosis is correct) it isn't serious and there are some things that you can do to help such as warm up breathing, breathing exercises and as already suggested breathing through a Buff.