Breathing is one of the most basic functions of life. It is necessary to obtain oxygen so that our bodies can function. It is also necessary for us to be able to speak. Speaking requires air to pass through our vocal cords to produce sound. Therefore breathing problems often play a role in voice disorders. Conversely, breathing requires proper vocal cord functioning. Abnormal opening of the vocal cords can affect airflow to the lungs. In order to understand certain airway and voice disorders, it is important to have a basic understanding of how we breathe.
Breathing is initiated in the chest. Nerve impulses from the brain trigger contraction of the diaphragm and various muscles in the chest wall (mostly rib muscles). This leads to expansion of the chest cavity. Since the lungs are attached to the inside of the chest cavity, they expand as well, drawing in air through the nose or mouth, throat, larynx, and trachea. Air then fills the lungs, which extract the oxygen. Carbon dioxide is released from the lungs and exhaled. The process of exhalation is typically passive. The muscles of the diaphragm and chest well relax, partially collapsing the chest wall and lungs. This causes outflow of the air through the trachea, and back out through the larynx, throat and nose or mouth.
Blockage of the air passages in the nose, mouth, throat, larynx, or trachea can lead to airway obstruction, which can result in patients feeling short of breath. Patients with airway obstruction often have noisy breathing. This occurs because air is being forced through a narrow opening.
It is important to note that normal breathing occurs through the nose. The nose is designed to humidify and warm the air before it reaches the lungs. Warm, moist air is better tolerated by the lungs, and leads to better oxygen exchange. It is also necessary to keep the throat moist. Breathing through the mouth can lead to a chronically dry throat, since the mouth does not efficiently moisturize the air as it passes to the throat.
As mentioned above, breathing is an important component of speaking. Often, problems with speech or voice require patients to undergo breathing exercises, which are designed to improve breathing efficiency and to help coordinate breathing with speaking. The speech team of New York voice doctors at NYU Voice Center, under the direction of Dr. Milan Amin, is expert in evaluating such problems.
