Voice Care

Caring for your voice is a lifelong process, which requires vigilance to protect a very personal part of yourself from becoming seriously injured. Often called "Vocal Hygiene", caring for your voice means learning to pay attention to the signals that your voice gives you so that you take the necessary steps to avoid getting injured in the first place. It also requires that you think ahead, learning to change certain behaviours which might lead to an injured voice.

RULES FOR GOOD VOCAL HYGIENE:

1.    Avoid shouting, screaming, cheering, and excessive loud laughing.

2.    Cough, clear your throat or sneeze only when you must, and then do it gently.

3.    Avoid talking in noisy places.

4.    Drink plenty of water.

5.    Use your "confidential voice" when you have a cold or are hoarse.

6.    Warm up before you speak.

7.    Use a microphone when speaking to a group.

8.    Avoid caffeine, smoking, and alcohol.

9.    Talk at a moderately slow rate- do not rush.

Now let us look at these in more detail:

Your vocal folds require moisture to work effectively. Anything that dries them out, from various drugs to any number of drying environments, should be avoided. You have more than enough water for your system to handle, which guarantees that your vocal folds will be well "irrigated". How much water is that? Eight to ten glasses per day - is fine! Most people actually go around slightly dehydrated all the time. With the popularity of bottled waters on the rise, this has changed significantly in recent years, but you do not have to drink expensive water to be healthy. Make sure your water source is good

Beware the following "drying" irritants:

• caffeine
• chocolate
• alcohol
• antihistamines
• diuretics
• cocaine and similar drugs
• vitamin C (especially in large doses)
• cigarette smoke (active or passive) is another thing that affects the throat. 
  Although a lot of singers like the quality of voice that smoking gives them, evidence shows that it can cause a harsh voice, lower your pitch and the top end of your range suffers. Not only that, it affects your breathing and voice quality; and it can also lead to mouth and throat cancer. 
• Central heating can also dry your throat up.
• Certain medication will have the same effect.

You may be able to continue to use some of these items by drinking lots of water to compensate for their drying effects. Before a performance, or strenuous voice use, avoid them altogether.

Of course, smoking is highly dangerous both to the health of voice (your lungs and larynx and mouth and throat) and of your body (including your heart). As for the caffeine, some people have recommended in the past that voice users "avoid brown drinks", which would be a suggestion to avoid coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cola and beers because they tend to have caffeine in them. However, many non-brown drinks now have caffeine added to them, so you should be careful in choosing a "clear" drink over a brown one. By the way, decaffeinated coffee may have some caffeine in it so do check.

Some irritants are problems because they cause the creation of copious thick mucous. The best way to deal with mucous is to be hyper-hydrated so that the mucous remains thin, and can drain away.

Other things to watch out for:

• nuts
• dairy products
• hormones
• allergens & pollutants
• dust

The next group of things to watch out for tend to create upset stomach, which can cause gastric reflux. In this situation, the acids in the stomach rise up the oesophagus to irritate the tissues of the vocal folds.

Watch out for:

• spicy foods
• ‘fad’ diets
• Avoid milky drinks or drinks with milk products as these will produce excess phlegm in the throat which will in turn effect singing
• Avoid cold drinks
• Fatigue: when your body is tired, your voice is also. Pay attention to these cues!
• Stress:  Stress can have a major effect on your throat. You may feel tension, or tiredness or tightness. Each individual is affected differently. Deal with what's causing you stress and see or rather feel the difference.

 GOT A COLD?

It is possible to sing when you have a cold although you may just not feel up to it. As long as you do not have a sore throat as well, you can sing. In fact, with the right sort of training, many professionals find that they are able to have the technique to sing with a cold and can do so without too much difficulty. In fact some singers feel their voice sounds better with a cold as the production of mucus affects resonance. 

If you are going to be singing, do not stress yourself out. Sing what is comfortable and at a range that is comfortable. Keep drinking fluids so that mucus doesn't turn 'sticky' because it can be a bit of a nightmare trying to get of it! However, on the other hand, if you just do not feel up to it, listen to your body and do not sing!

SORE THROAT

If you have a sore throat, this could indicate a throat infection in which case you may need to see your doctor and rest your voice. It is very important that you do not sing with a sore throat. If you have persisting sore throats, this may be a sign that you are misusing your voice, that you have been experiencing some sort of stress, or that you have a medical problem which needs attending to. In this case, you should see the doctor

ENVIRONMENT

Many people injure their voices by working too hard - by trying to compete against the sounds of loud machinery, loud music or crowd noise. If that is the case, try to use amplification equipment if it is appropriate. As stated before, you want to avoid drying environments. Some industrial spaces, frequently rented for rehearsal space at low cost, are actually toxic - not just to your voice but to your whole body. They may also have been used for industries that carry lots of allergens.

   Avoid or use caution in spaces which are:

• noisy
• smoky
• outdoors
• cold
• dry
• dusty
• industrial

 Voice Remedies

Rehydrate your voice as best you can. Work in a humidified environment, if possible. Drink lots of water. Inhale steam - there are now portable steam inhalers available on the market, though the old technique still works well (and is great for your skin):

• boil a pot of water on the stove
• once boiling, remove the pot from the stove top
• place your head over the steam
• place a towel over your head and the pot
• breathe deeply

Teas & Drinks

Most of these just make you feel better. Warmth helps sooth the pain, lemon is an astringent - so only use it when you feel like you have tons of mucous.

• Lemon & hot water
• Herbal Teas
• Ginger juice & Ginger Tea

Cough Remedy (home made)

·        1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice mixed with 1 teaspoon each of honey and turmeric taken three times a day.

·        Gargle with hot salty water 3 times a day for sore throats.

Immune System Boosters

• Echinacea tincture
• Zinc
• Turmeric powder
• Fenugreek seeds
• Chopped fresh garlic taken in small amount once a night before dinner is said to repel colds especially head colds.

Essential Oils

• Eucalyptus
• Lavender
• Steam Inhalations
• Olbas tincture
• Frankincense Essential Oil

 THROAT FEELING TIGHT OR TENSE

The simplest way to release tension is to yawn. Just watch where you do it though - yawning during a performance is not a good idea! Chewing too releases tension in the jaws. Opening and closing your mouth. Let your closed jaw hang open. This will help ease tension in the jaws. Swallowing or drinking helps too. A gentle neck massage can help ease tension from your neck and otherwise relax you.

Sometimes physical tension is influenced by mental tension. So, find a way to relax yourself - be it music, meditation, swimming or yoga which ever one suits you best. Yoga and meditation can be helpful too. If possible, find a few minutes during the day when you relax yourself and this will contribute tremendously towards easing tension.

 GIVE YOUR VOICE A REST