Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Voice
- One simple word.......WATER
The vocal cords vibrate against each other to produce sound - and they vibrate extremely fast. To do this properly, they need to be lubricated. In order to produce enough thin mucus for this lubrication, the body needs water. Vocal hydration is extremely important, so drink lots of water. Be sure to drink room temperature water before, during and after singing. Drinking anything but room temperature water shocks the vocal cords: cold water tenses the muscles (like jumping in a cold swimming pool does to your whole body) and drinking warm water or substance relaxes the muscles. It is also important to note that water must be absorbed by the body before being redistributed to your voice organ, so drink water all day long.
Caffeine and alcohol pull water out of your system and deplete the vocal folds of needed lubrication. Caffeinated drinks include coffee, tea, and soft drinks. Small amounts of these beverages are acceptable but must be counterbalanced by drinking more water.
Another factor that can affect lubrication is a dry air environment. The cause can be from gas furnaces, air conditioners, and climates with a low amount of moisture in the air. Using a humidifier at night can help to obtain what speech therapists refer to as external hydration. Also, turning your shower to extremely hot water and stepping to the side to inhale the water vapor without getting burned can be very helpful in this regard.
How much water? Many doctors have different opinions. Some say 64 ounces per day. But most experts will agree on this: the more the better. So learn to like it - it will be your best friend for life if you want a healthy voice.
Very Important: As professional users of the voice, it's hard to do EVERY SINGLE THING just right. But here is an important rule of thumb: When the vocal cords are well lubricated, they can take more abuse when we neglect to do everything just right. And when we do occasionally abuse them unknowingly, they will heal and recover faster when they are well watered.
- Throat Clearing
This is a common problem with many professional voice users. It is often seen in people with excessive mucus or GERD (reflux disease). Your doctor will give you medications to help treat these conditions, but it is important that this habit be eliminated. Throat clearing is extremely traumatic to the vocal cords, leading to excessive wear and tear. When you feel the need to clear your throat you should try the following strategies: swallow, have a sip of water, or clear your throat silently without allowing your vocal cords to touch (your doctor or one of our speech therapists/pathologists will be glad to demonstrate this). - Vocal Abuse/Overuse
When we use our voice professionally, this puts a lot of demand on the vocal cords. If you haven't watched any of the videos referenced on my other pages, take this opportunity to do so now. You will see on the pictures and videos that the vocal cords are very delicate. You must take care of them. If you do not take care of them and practice good vocal hygiene, you WILL develop some type of vocal problem or disorder.
Just a few tips....
(A) After you finish using your voice (auctioneering, singing, lecturing, etc...), give it some rest. You don't have to sit around the house at night using sign language, but give it some down time to recover. And remember to drink water before and after you use it.
(B) Avoid shouting and screaming. There are much better ways to get people's attention, and these methods will not traumatize the vocal cords as screaming will.
(C) Be careful of Antihistamines/Decongestants: These drugs are commonly found in cold preparations and allergy medications. They will result in a drying effect on the vocal cords which is detrimental. Sometimes we have to take these because we are sick, but remember to be careful with them. Drink more water when you do take them, and be very careful not to strain or overuse your voice during that period. If we do have to take them, remember it's best to do so temporarily.
(D) Self-Destructive Behaviors: Avoid smoking cigarettes. They are bad for the heart, lungs, and vocal tract. Also, avoid other irritant inhalant substances and mind-altering drugs. Tobacco and marijuana are irritants to the vocal tract. Smoking is disastrous for the speaking and singing voice.
(E) Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): This is quite common among professional voice users. Although the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus and throat commonly leads to heartburn, many of our patients never experience this symptom. So, just because you're not having heartburn, that does not mean you are safe from the effects of acid reflux on your vocal cords. Treatment of this condition involves changes in your diet and lifestyle, as well as medications to reduce the acid production from your stomach. (See point # 4 below for more infomation..)
- Beware of Acid Reflux
Simply put, acid reflux is the backward flow of acid out of the stomach into the esophagus and/or throat. When and if the reflux makes its way up into the throat, it is referred to as LPRD (Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease). The larynx, vocal cords, and lungs are extremely sensitive to such acid.
One thing that makes LPRD unique is that patients often have no symptoms of heartburn. So much damage can be occuring and the patient may have no symptoms of what people commonly refer to as acid reflux.
What are are the symptoms of LPRD? Hoarseness, chronic coughing, feeling of a lump in the throat, frequent throat clearing, bitter taste in mouth when first waking up, and other possible symptoms. There are many suggestions for treating acid reflux. Diet changes include eating low fat foods, baked foods instead of fried foods, avoiding choclate and caffeine, avoiding carbonated drinks, eating smaller meals, and not eating at least 3 hours prior to bedtime. Other suggestions include elevating the head of the bed with blocks 4-6 inches, not exercising for at least one hour after eating, not bending over immediately after eating, and not laying down soon after eating.
Medications to treat acid reflux include Nexium, Prevacid, Protonix, and many over the counter drugs. Prilosec has become quite popular among people who want to use something that doesn't require a prescription. Your physician can assist you in prescribing or recommending the right medicine.
- Breathing
You MUST breathe properly while using your voice. If you use improper breathing techniques, this puts extra strain on the vocal cords and muscles of the larynx. This extra strain over a period of time leads to nodules, vocal fatigue, and other problems.
The key to this is breathing from the diaphragm. Here is an exercise to make you aware of proper breathing:
Stand in front of a mirror that shows you at least down to the waist. Take a deep breath. Did your shoulders rise up? If they did, you are probably breathing only with the top part of your lungs. Now try holding your shoulders down as you breathe in and concentrate on feeling your lower rib-cage expand. Now the air is getting down there where it will do the most good. One good thing you can do is place your hand on your stomach as you professionally use your voice. You should feel your stomach going in and out.
A second thing to remember, especially for auctioneers, is when to take that breath. Don't let yourself get worn down between numbers. When we wear down, we start pulling air from the throat and not the stomach. This creates extra strain and tension in the vocal cords. Place your hand on your stomach when your selling; when your stomach flattens out, it's time to breathe. Don't worry about the two hands in the air of bidders trying to get in - take your breath and they will still be there.
- General Tips to Remember for Maintaining a Healthy Voice
- Good physical health - Try your best to eat healthy and remember to excercise regularly.
- Avoid all shouting or screaming.
- Use amplification equipment instead of speaking loudly so as not to strain your voice.
- Use proper breath support when speaking, singing, or auctioneering.
- Make a conscious effort to relax the muscles of the face, jaw and neck.
- If you are a professional voice user, remember to give yourself periods of vocal rest during the day. Perhaps you can let others do the talking for brief periods.
- Vocal athletes are like other physical athletes - you must warm up the voice in order to keep it healthy for years to come.
- Avoid calling from room to room, learn to speak softer when you possibly can - especially when the voice is tired or fatigued.
- Get plenty of rest.
- When your voice is tired or hoarse, be careful of whispering. Many voice professionals agree that whispering is as bad as talking on strained vocal cords.
- Beware of inhaling chemicals in the air such as household cleaning agents. These can damage the vocal cords.
- Be careful of too many milk products, espeically before using the voice professionally. Milk products tend to make you need to clear your throat, which is extremely hard on the vocal cords.
- If you are already hoarse, do not try and talk in a noisy enviroment. This puts much extra stress on the vocal folds, and only strains them further.
- If you are already hoarse, limit your talking on the telphone. Most of us tend to talk much louder when we are on the phone, which strains an already hoarse voice even more.
- Abstain from smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, as these tend to dry out the vocal cords.
- Be careful of using antihistamines, they dry out the vocal cords and make them more vulnerable to injury.
And my number one suggestion that usually gets forgotten is this:
* Even if you are not having any voice problems, visit your local otolaryngologist at least once a year for a checkup. A simple in-office laryngoscopy only takes about two minutes, and your doctor can see clearly the condition of your vocal cords. It's easy to take the voice for granted, and if you don't learn to protet your voice, you may very well look back with regrets in the future. (Visit my procedures page to become familiar with the methods of examining the vocal cords.)