> > Hmm...here's a question for all you scientific/doctorish people: Why is my voice usually really deep when I have a cold? I don't have a sore throat, if that helps any. I have no idea, and it's a nice question, so I thought I'd ask.
>
> I'm not a scientific/doctorish person by any means, but since no one's responded to you question yet, I'll take a wild stab at it.
>
> The same thing happens to me (and just about everyone else I know) when I have a cold. Why, I was just talking to a friend on the phone a few minutes ago, and he's just getting over a cold, and his voice sounds unusually deep.
>
> I think it has something to do with all the phlegm that accumulates in your sinuses / throat / lungs when you have a cold. My theory is, it not only muffles your voice and makes it sound funny, but where are your vocal chords? In your throat! I bet they get all clogged with phlegm too, and that's what makes your voice go deep.
>
> I hate having a cold, but I think it's kind of neat when I can sing several notes deeper on the musical scale than I normally do.
>

I think the phlegm does have something to do with it, but not entirely in the way you mention. Here's my peripheral theory about the phlegm: when you have a cold and your sinuses get congested, you lose the resonating cavities inside your head and your voice gets that stuffed-up "nasal" quality to it. Some mucous does run from the back of your nose down to your throat, and it coats the larynx. If the mucous gets harder and stiffer, the vibratory action of the vocal cords (vocal folds) becomes physically encumbered. Slower vibrations make your voice deeper.

But the nasality (is that a word?) and mucosal obstruction does not explain the actual hoarsening of one's voice. The latter is due to the body's inflammation response since the cold virus is attacking your respiratory system. You get a sore throat because certain throat tissues are swollen. This means that your vocal folds can be affected also. Swollen vocal folds are the main culprit in producing a deeper and huskier voice (yes, I suppose you can read that as "sexier," heh.)

The downside to this effect is that since the vocal folds are inflamed, you have to treat your voice with some care while you're ill. It might not be a good idea to sing when your voice sounds deeper, because the extra abuse on tissue that is already stressed can produce larger nodules and multiple wart-like growths on the folds themselves. Vocal tissue damage results in a gravelly hoarseness and discontinuous breaks in your normal speaking voice, even after you recover from the cold.

Wolf " / / / !" spirit