Why Inhaling Gases Like Helium or Sulfur Hexafluoride Alters Your Voice

How Certain Gases Can Make Your Voice Sound Deeper

Have you ever noticed your voice sounds much deeper and raspier after inhaling helium from a balloon? This silly voice change highlights how the gases we breathe can affect the pitch of our voice. Certain heavier-than-air gases can actually make your voice box vibrate at a lower frequency, resulting in a deeper vocal tone.

While inhaling helium temporarily gives you a funny high-pitched squeak, breathing in more dense gases like sulfur hexafluoride, xenon, or even nitrous oxide from whipped cream cans produces the opposite effect. Let's explore why some gases alter your voice and the science behind how they can temporarily make you sound like Barry White!

How the Voice Works

First, it helps to understand the basic mechanics behind vocal tone production. Your voice originates from vibrations created by air flowing across your vocal folds, which are two bands of tissue located in your larynx (voice box) just above the trachea.

When you exhale, it creates air pressure that forces the vocal folds to come together. As air passes through the narrow opening between the folds, they begin rapidly vibrating, or oscillating. This vibration creates sound waves that resonate in your throat, mouth and nasal cavities, giving your unique voice tone.

The pitch of your voice depends on the size of your vocal folds and how quickly they vibrate. Vocal folds can oscillate between 100 to 1000 times per second! Faster vibration equals higher pitch. Slower vibration produces a lower pitch.

How Helium Changes Your Voice

Breathing in helium causes your vocal folds to vibrate much faster, resulting in a comically high-pitched, squeaky voice. This happens because helium atoms are very small and light. When you inhale helium, it replaces the normal air in your lungs.

Since helium is much less dense than air, it creates less drag resistance as it passes through your vocal folds. Less resistance allows your vocal folds to vibrate extremely fast, even up to 1150 hertz compared to just 200 hertz with regular air. This significantly raises the pitch of your voice.

Gases That Lower Your Voice

While helium gives you a temporary Mickey Mouse voice, other gases have the opposite effect. Breathing in gases that are denser than air lowers the frequency of your vocal fold vibration, making your voice box resonate at a much deeper baritone pitch.

Some gases known to produce a temporarily deeper voice include:

• Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) - An inert, nontoxic, colorless, odorless gas frequently used in electrical equipment that is over 5 times heavier than air. Inhaling SF6 will make your voice incredibly deep for a short time before you exhale it and breathe normally again.
• Xenon - A noble gas found in tiny traces in Earth's atmosphere. Since xenon is over 4 times denser than air, breathing it in briefly drops your voice pitch significantly.
• Nitrous oxide (N2O) - Also known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is commonly used as anesthesia or recreational inhalant. With a density nearly twice that of air, inhaling nitrous oxide will briefly deepen your voice.

The Science Behind the Deep Voice Effect

Gases like SF6 and xenon are much denser than the oxygen and nitrogen mixture we normally breathe. When you inhale a heavier gas, it slows down the speed of vibration of your vocal folds.

These dense gases create more drag and resistance as they pass through your larynx. Your vocal folds can't vibrate as freely and oscillate at a much slower rate, lowering the pitch of sound waves. This effect will persist for a short time until you exhale the heavy gas from your lungs.

The deeper your voice registers naturally, the more dramatic the effect will be when inhaling an inert heavy gas. Higher voices won't drop as significantly in pitch. But for most people, breathing in SF6 or xenon will provide a temporary bass tone similar to Barry White's deep vibrato.

Dangers of Inhaling Gases

While inhaling small amounts of heavy gases for short periods may not be harmful for most healthy adults, knowingly inhaling any concentrated vapors can be extremely dangerous. Here are some of the risks:

• Asphyxiation from lack of oxygen - Purposely breathing in gases such as helium, nitrogen, propane, butane, etc. in enclosed spaces or for extended periods can fatally deprive your body of oxygen.
• Frostbite or breathing damage - Very cold gases like helium and nitrous oxide can damage lung tissue and airways.
• Unconsciousness - High doses of nitrous oxide slows brain activity leading to sudden loss of consciousness, which can result in injury.
• Suffocation - Inhaling gases like helium causes your exhalation gases to be denser than air. This means they sit closest to the ground and you can rebreathe them, gradually displacing oxygen.

Intentionally inhaling common gases found in household or commercial products for the purpose of getting high or temporarily changing your voice is extremely dangerous and can lead to permanent brain damage or death in minutes. Never try huffing or inhaling gases for recreational use.

When Voice Changes Indicate Health Issues

While breathing certain gases can immediately alter your vocal tone, gradual voice changes can sometimes signal an underlying medical condition requiring evaluation. Some symptoms to watch for include:

• Hoarseness - If you experience persistent hoarseness or a raspy voice for over two weeks, see your doctor to rule out causes like acid reflux, growths on the vocal cords, or nerve damage.
• Weak, breathy voice - A thin, weak, whispery voice that fatigues easily may indicate problems like paralysis of the vocal folds, muscle tension dysphonia, or vocal cord lesions.
• Voice tremors - Shaky changes in vocal pitch while speaking could point to issues like Parkinson's disease, neurological disorders, or spasmodic dysphonia.
• Pitch changes - A noticeable unexplained change in your usual vocal pitch, especially in men, can be a symptom of thyroid problems, testosterone deficiency, or a tumor pressing on the larynx.
• Pain when speaking - Consistent soreness, tightness, or pain when speaking may signal vocal strain, acid reflux, or vocal cord polyps.

In addition to changing your voice, respiratory infections, allergies, smoking, yelling, and airway obstruction can also cause hoarseness, pain, or voice fatigue. See an otolaryngologist if vocal changes persist to identify any underlying cause.

When to Seek Help for Voice Changes

You should make an appointment with your doctor if you experience any of the following:

• Hoarseness or voice changes lasting over two weeks
• Loss of your ability to hit high or low notes
• Abrupt, unexplained changes in vocal pitch or tone
• Discomfort, tightness or pain when speaking
• Increasing weakness, raspiness or loss of volume
• Voice problems interfering with communication

An otolaryngologist, also known as an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor, can examine your vocal cords and surrounding anatomy to determine if any abnormalities are contributing to voice changes. Depending on findings, they may recommend further testing like an endoscopy to visualize the larynx or vocal cord mass biopsy.

Voice therapy with a speech-language pathologist may help retrain your vocal cords and address improper voice use patterns. In some cases, medication or surgery can resolve issues like polyps, nodules, reflux, or paralysis affecting the voice.

When to Seek Emergency Care

Seek immediate medical attention if you are having difficulty breathing or experience:

• Stridor - high-pitched, noisy breathing
• Sudden loss of voice after yelling or trauma
• Coughing up blood
• Severe throat pain
• Difficulty swallowing
• Fever and purulent discharge

These symptoms can indicate a potentially life-threatening problem like a throat abscess, laryngeal fracture, vocal cord hemorrhage, or epiglottitis. Call 911 or go to the ER if you suspect a throat or airway emergency.

When Voice Problems Are Not Serious

In some cases, minor voice issues may arise with no serious cause. Some examples include:

• Voice overuse - Talking excessively, yelling, or singing loudly can strain and inflame vocal cords causing temporary hoarseness.
• Allergies - Postnasal drip from allergies can irritate the throat and vocal cords leading to hoarse, raspy voice changes.
• Common cold - Viruses associated with colds and upper respiratory infections can cause laryngitis.
• Irritants - Exposure to cigarette smoke, air pollution, or chemical fumes may temporarily inflame the vocal cords.

Severe vocal strain can cause vocal nodules or polyps to develop. With proper voice rest and good vocal hygiene, minor vocal irritations generally resolve within a week or two.

When a Deeper Voice Could Indicate a Problem in Men

While women often find their voice getting deeper naturally after puberty, a noticeable drop in vocal pitch can sometimes be a red flag for men. Some potential medical causes of acquired deeper voice in men include:

• Hypothyroidism - Underactive thyroid may be associated with unexplained deepening of the male voice due to hormonal imbalance.
• Laryngeal cancer - Tumors affecting the larynx can thicken and enlarge the vocal folds leading to voice pitch changes.
• Polyps or nodules - Growths on the vocal cords from overuse or smoking can alter voice pitch and cause hoarseness.
• Testosterone deficiency - Low testosterone, common in older men, is linked to loss of vocal fold elasticity and vibratory changes.

If a man notices their voice getting significantly deeper for no apparent reason, it should be evaluated by an ENT. Voice therapy may help restore muscular control and proper pitch. Underlying conditions would also need to be addressed.

Tips for Protecting Your Voice

To keep your voice healthy and maintain your normal vocal pitch and tone, aim to:

• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
• Avoid yelling, whispering, and throat clearing.
• Use amplification rather than straining your voice.
• Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke.
• Reduce consumption of caffeinated or alcoholic drinks.
• Treat allergies or sinus congestion.
• Don't talk loudly in noisy environments.
• Get enough rest when your voice feels strained or tired.
• Breathe through your nose instead of your mouth.
• Consume voice-friendly foods like fruits and vegetables.

Practicing good vocal hygiene can help prevent overuse injuries and keep your natural voice pitch and tone consistent. Learn proper voice techniques if you rely heavily on your voice professionally as a singer, broadcaster, or public speaker.

The Bottom Line

Inhaling dense gases like sulfur hexafluoride or xenon is an amusing party trick that deepens your voice temporarily by slowing vocal fold vibration. However, recreational gas inhalation is extremely dangerous and can be lethal. Skip the whippits and helium balloons.

Instead, protect your natural voice with good vocal hygiene habits. See an ENT specialist promptly if you experience concerning vocal changes like consistent hoarseness, airiness, loss of volume, voice tremors, or an unexplained shift in your pitch. Your voice provides important insights about your respiratory function and health.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.