Top Vocal Care Tips –
Keeping a Healthy Voice
Regardless if you sing professionally or leisurely, it is important to take care of your voice. Meaning much tender loving care to your delicate vocal cords is essential.
Here are some tips to help you maintain optimal vocal health and how to look after your voice.
Plenty of these:
- Hydration! Hydration! Hydration!
Make it a habit to drink around 2 litres of fluid each day (not including coffee, alcohol or fizzy drinks). It can take 2–4 hours for the body to fully absorb and distribute the water you drink, so regular intake throughout the day is important.
Carry a bottle of water with you or keep a glass of water on your desk as a reminder to sip frequently. Consistent hydration helps keep the vocal cords well lubricated and prevents dehydration, which is essential for healthy voice production.
- Warm up
I frequently remind my students; they need to think of themselves as athletes. Athletes train almost every day by stretching and work on their muscles. As such, these factors apply to singers as well. Singers should be working out their voices daily.
A gentle warm-up loosens the vocal muscles, removes excess mucus and reduces the risk of injury. Avoid pushing the voice too hard though. Some gentle exercises such as humming are a good way to start.
One of the most popular warm-up exercises for singers is the lip bubble or lip trill, which is excellent for a quick vocal warm-up.
- Keeping the volume down
Avoid talking in noisy places, shouting over background noise or calling out from room to room. These habits can strain your voice.
Raising your voice suddenly can place a huge strain on your vocal cords if you haven’t warmed up. Of course, sometimes it is unavoidable — for example when warning a child of danger — but the key is to be mindful.
Walk over to the person you are calling, or turn down the television when having a conversation.
Consider using a microphone when appropriate. In relatively static environments such as exhibit areas, classrooms, or exercise rooms, a lightweight microphone and an amplifier-speaker system can be helpful.
- Steaming
This helps to introduce moisture into the vocal tract and helps keep the vocal folds hydrated.
Half fill a large bowl or sink with water that has just boiled. Sit comfortably and cover your head, shoulders and the bowl with a large towel. Breathe in and out through your mouth. Continue until the water stops steaming.
Try to do this twice daily or more often if your throat is especially irritated. For a quicker option when you are on the go or at work, fill a cup with steaming water.
- Get enough sleep
Lack of sleep can negatively affect your voice. Singers must sleep well in order to sing well.
Fatigue can cause the voice to sound hoarse and may lead to a loss of control and volume. Over time, this may cause strain or even damage. Adequate sleep — ideally around eight hours per night — helps your voice function at its best, especially before a performance.
- Take adequate breath when speaking
Make sure you take enough breath when speaking. Avoid speaking in sentences that are too long, which can force you to push out words with too little breath.
Take deeper breaths and shorten sentence length when necessary.
- Voice rest
If your voice feels tired or strained, rest it. This is your body’s way of telling you that your voice needs recovery time.
Find small opportunities during the day to rest your voice, such as during lunch or while driving.
If you experience any pain during speaking or singing which last for more than two weeks, I recommend seeking out an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) doctor.
Avoid these:
- Excessive throat clearing
Try not to clear your throat unnecessarily. Constant throat clearing puts strain on the vocal cords as they are repeatedly forced together. It can also stimulate more mucus production, leading to a cycle of repeated throat clearing.
Instead, try swallowing, taking a sip of water or sucking on a sugar-free sweet.
- Caffeine and alcohol
Avoid excessive coffee, fizzy drinks and alcohol as these will dehydrate your body and can dry out the vocal cords.
On performance days, try to drink room-temperature water. Cold drinks may cause the throat muscles to tighten, which is not ideal for singing.
- Smoking
Stop smoking. If quitting completely is difficult, try to reduce smoking as much as possible. Smoking irritates and damages the vocal folds.
- Irritants
Avoid chemical irritants and smoky, dry and dusty atmospheres as they may dry out the vocal cords.
Wear a dust mask if you are in a dusty environment. Solvent based glues, perfumes, felt tip pen fumes, chlorine, paint, varnishes, bleach and other cleaning products can contain strong chemical fumes. Always follow product advice on ventilation.
- Throat lozenges
Avoid medicated throat lozenges as they numb the throat, which may allow you to push the voice further and cause more damage. Menthol lozenges may also have a drying effect.
If needed, sucking on sugar-free sweets can help stimulate saliva and soothe the throat.
- Citrus and Dairy
Avoid citrus fruits or drinks and dairy products for at least 4 hours before singing.
Dairy can create thicker mucus that may make the throat feel overly coated, while citrus fruits and juices can increase acidity and potentially irritate the vocal tract.
- Gastric reflux
Reflux or indigestion can affect voice quality and may cause discomfort or a sensation of a lump in the throat.
Spicy or acidic foods may increase the likelihood of reflux, which can irritate the throat and cause hoarseness. Drinking plenty of water can help, and persistent symptoms should be discussed with a doctor who may prescribe appropriate medication.
- Overusing of voice
Take extra care while singing when you are sick or extremely fatigued. Voice overuse is often the main culprit to voice disorders e.g. Nodules, polyps, granulomas.
These are serious issues that need to be treated by ENT doctor, and some cases, surgery is required.
With good vocal technique, healthy habits and a little common sense, many vocal problems can be avoided, preventing discomfort and potential long-term damage.
We cannot replace our vocal folds, but with proper care and attention, they can serve us well for a lifetime.
