system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How exactly does “losing” your voice work? What causes it/what is it?
gpt
The body’s response to damage includes inflammation and swelling. Your vocal cords are thin membranes and are very easily damaged by overuse (either too much or too vigorously- screaming a few times or talking loudly all day long). When they get damaged they swell, and the swelling causes them to become thicker and less flexible, meaning the don’t vibrate as well or make contact with each other correctly, and you’ve “lost your voice.” Illnesses can also cause them to swell.