As winter approaches, coughs and splutters are imminent for most of us, but it's the thought of waking up without a voice that is making people break in to a cold sweat.
The research shows that 75% of Brits would rather give up their favourite social pastimes than their voices. Of the 2,000 Brit's surveyed by Jakemans, one in three (37%) are willing to give up booze, with a further 35% stating they would give up Facebook rather than losing their voice.
When it comes to more intimate vices, almost a third (28%) of women would happily give up sex for a month to protect their vocal cords, more than double the number of men willing to abstain (13%). With eight out of ten people suffering from a hoarse throat up to three times a year, and 60% admitting it can last up to four days each time on average, Jakemans reveals the real impact losing our voice has on our day-to-day lives.
From work life to our home life, our voice plays an important role. 41% worry about the impact losing our voice has on our performance at work, with one in five (22%) being unable to give a speech or presentation, and nearly a quarter (22%) not performing on a job interview. And when it comes to our home life, one in five women (21%) fear that loss of voice will mean we can't nag our partners!
When we do lose our voices, we look to other means to allow us to communicate. Over half (52%) take to pen and paper, while some improvise with basic hand gestures (37%) or even turn to tech, with a third (33%) opting to text rather than talk. And it's not just winter bugs that are to blame, with over half of us (53%) attributing a sore throat to being run down.
Pain from a sore throat is our biggest bugbear (74%) followed by feeling miserable (60%) and lack of sleep (39%), perhaps why 78% turn to self-medicating, with throat sweets our go-to solution for combating a sore throat.
Liz Hughes-Gapper, Brand Manager for Jakemans comments "The research has revealed to us how debilitating many people find losing their voices, especially within a work capacity. Not only can it be painful, but it also affects people's frame of mind with six out of ten admitting to feeling miserable when they lose their voice. This doesn't have to be the case though; your voice is an important tool that you use both at home and at work, so tackling a sore throat quickly will pay dividends in the long run."
She continues "The new Jakemans Stick Pack is a handy way for people to soothe their sore throats while on-the-go - it's size makes it an essential for your pocket, bag and car. At Jakemans, we pride ourselves on not using any artificial colours or flavours either, so people can feel reassured that they're soothing their throats with the finest ingredients."
A tonsilit-list of the top treats Brits would forsake for their voices include:
1. Alcohol for a month - 37%
2. Social media / Facebook for a week - 35%
3. Chocolate for a month - 30%
4. Sex for a month - 21%
5. Drinking tea and coffee for a month - 21%
6. Mobile phone for a week - 16%
What will Brits give up to keep their voice?