Super Bowl screaming can hurt voice

DENVER, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A Denver voice doctor is offering tips to fans liable to stress their vocal load -- yell and scream a lot -- during the Super Bowl.

Dr. Andre Reed, a neurolaryngologist at the Center for Voice and Swallowing Services in Denver, warns that humans are not biologically designed to be prolonged screamers.

"Prolonged screaming is the most physically intense use of the voice -- our screams are meant to be short -- to scare a beast away," Reed said in a statement. "Such stress on the vocal cords results in vocal fatigue, thus hoarseness, and can set people up for severe vocal injury."

Reed cautions sports fans who talk all day -- presidential candidates, political pundits, teachers, lawyers and telemarketers -- are at particular risk, because their vocal cords are already taxed before going to a game.

"Sports fans often don't realize how loud they are, especially when they are in stadium crowds," Reed said.

For those attending football games, Reed advises to: drink lots of water and rest voice the day of game; take two minutes off loud voice use, for every two minutes on and assume you are louder than you should be, and dial down the volume a notch.