Wearing high heels can damage your vocal chords

Getting ready for any event as a woman is difficult.

Whether it be going to work, to a party, on a night out drinking or on a date, there's a lot of prep to be done before you leave the front door. Be it makeup, hair, tan or even finding an outfit that you feel good in, many of us spend multiple hours to make ourselves presentable every day. There are enough drawbacks to wearing makeup or perfectly coiffing your hair in this humid, hot weather but one significant fact has emerged that affects every one of us and our sartorial choices, specifically in the area of footwear.

via Giphy

Many of us wear high heels on the daily but according to Glamour, wearing them has actually been proven to damage our voices. Voice and communication coach Helen Sewell in speaking to UK's House of Parliament has told that wearing heels increases your rate of breathing, which in turn damages the vocal chords. Arguing against the wearing of high heels, Helen told of how women wearing heels wouldn't strive in exuding a boss-like presence as well as others because their brains are subconsciously forced to balance the body in an unnatural stance.

Would you still wear high heels knowing that it was detrimental to your health?

— Her.ie (@Herdotie) July 21, 2016

Because women are standing in heels, Helen claimed it forces the brain to strain with more activity including the nature of a woman's breathing.

"[It] makes you think less clearly by adversely affecting your breathing pattern [and] prevents you from projecting your voice properly, forcing you to compensate in ways which risk causing vocal cord damage." "When standing, high heels knock you off balance, forcing part of your brain to concentrate on steadying yourself on tiptoes rather than communicating with others... "However comfortable you feel in heels, they make the balance part of your brain work overtime."

Aside from the disadvantages to a woman's health, Helen reported the wearing of high heels to work costs businesses over €300 million (£260 million) a year as women need to call in sick for injuries potentially caused by heels.