Losing your voice is considered disastrous whenever you have to prepare for an upcoming gig. Generally unavoidable, voice lost is caused by variable factors including infection caused by common cold virus, strain on vocal cords caused by excessive yelling, and reflux caused by stomach acid. For more on possible causes, refer to the post on Few Things that Could Harm Your Singing Voice. Fortunately, there are always remedies, but you cannot rely on any as quick fix. In any situation, whether you have an upcoming performance or periods of rest, here are some tips on restoring your singing voice:
Rest without whisper: Having more rest is not only necessary to recover from sickness, fatigue or any ailments, but it also lets your vocal cords to recover from any damage. During this time, you should refrain from using your voice, including avoiding any conversation, skipping vocal practice, and whispering. Whispering can be as worse as shouting, but if you have to talk, do so normally and briefly.
Hydrate to lubricate: Drinking plenty of room-temperature water is good enough to consistently lubricate your throat and water can flush any unwanted toxin out of your system. Additionally, you can treat yourself to some herbal tea and fruit juices. While they might be helpful, you want to watch for and avoid drinks that can cause acid reflux.
Eat with care: Just like drinks, you also want to avoid or minimize spicy food intake, since it can not only cause acid reflux, but can also burn your throat, which makes it difficult to sing higher notes. Minimizing the effects of discomfort food, avoid going to bed not long after you have your dinner or avoid eating late entirely. For more about healthy consumption and healthy diet, check out Important Nutrition to Maintain Vocal Health.
Relax with therapy: While you are resting at home, get yourself a bowl and fill it with hot water. Then sit back and relax as you breathe the steam out of that bowl. Another relaxing therapy is taking a hot shower, which is also a good opportunity to soothe your vocal cords.
Warm up gently: If you have to prepare for an upcoming show, gently warm up your voice by doing simple humming and lip rolls. When you find your voice weakening or tightening, take a break and repeat the process again without forcing yourself. Then, an hour before the performance, practice the simple vocal exercises again by gradually running through the scales.
Whichever remedies you rely on, it generally takes time for you to recover your vocal strength. For certain vocal health issues, you may want to consult a specialized doctor (ENT) just to be sure. Consulting with a vocal coach/singing teacher like Brett Manning in Singing Success is considered the best source since he/she can relay an experience of having to perform under sickness. If your voice is not cooperating with you even after simple vocal exercises, it's better to call off your appointment right away. Then, get yourself comfortable and recover with a twist.
Almost every singer would experience any vocal ailments whether it's due to abuse or misuse, exposure to climate variances, certain food & drinks, or other factors. Vocal ailments like hoarseness, laryngitis, and vocal nodules are unfortunately part of your learning process to become a better singer. As long as you try to improve your vocal range, perform in many gigs, or practice any routines, you will somehow experience some vocal discomfort. Like anything else, this can certainly be prevented. Going along with the idea of prevention, let's take a look at few things that could harm your singing voice:
Alcoholic beverages: Alcohol is a type of drugs that will impact your judgment, if it is not consumed in moderation. Just like the case of driving under its influence, too much of it can numb your senses and it will contribute to the bleeding of your vocal cords. Therefore, an advice of any vocal teachers still hold: Never drink alcohol before any singing performances or you'll be reckless and sorry.
Cough cough: Coughing is unavoidable when you are sick or have a cold, but too much of it will contribute to damaging effect if you don't treat it promptly. Treating it, get an over the counter cough suppressant and take it with some water to soothe your throat. You may also want to consult with an experienced vocal coach about an effective cough treatment.
Relief medication: Relying on aspirin, antihistamines, and other over the counter products to relief allergies, bodily aches or cold can easily cause dryness and other damage on your throat. Instead, consult with a doctor or a vocal coach for a better alternative in anticipation of a singing performance. Otherwise, it is best to keep yourself and your voice a rest.
Acid reflux: This refers to the back flow of stomach contents up to the esophagus or throat, which can often leave bitter taste in your mouth. It would make it difficult for you to hit high notes as you might have to cope with other discomfort like hoarseness, frequent coughing, and persistent throat clearing. Treating it requires changes in lifestyle and avoidance of food and drink that might cause heartburn and difficulty in swallowing, such as caffeine, spicy food, and dairy products.
Loud shout: Shouting as a cheer or to get an attention in a basketball match is different than screaming or yelling in singing, but either one can hurt your vocal cords. The former should be avoided as much as possible and if you really need to get someone's attention from a distance, just use non-verbal cues like clapping, waving, or whistling. The latter requires practicing some techniques like making a scratchy sound, raising and lowering pitches repeatedly, and flexing your diaphragm.
The list is not exhaustive, but you should be well aware that too much of everything can generally be detrimental to your vocal health. Protecting it simply requires avoidance or moderation of certain consumption. Also, knowing and practicing proper singing techniques can lessen the damage to your vocal cords. Additionally, a doctor and a vocal coach like Brett Manning in Singing Success can offer advice on how to cope with any vocal discomfort. Whenever possible, they would advice that it's best to rest than to force it.
Water and plants are two elements of nature that should cover the basics of nutrition. This does not mean that aspiring singers should all become vegetarians. Even if you are a vegetarian, you still need proteins, vitamins, and fat, which most people can easily get from meat and poultry. Whether you eat meat or just veggies, proper nutrition with above elements is vital for your development as a better and stronger singer. So, let's take a look at some elements of important nutrition that can help you to maintain vocal health:
Water: Not many of us can follow the general recommendation of drinking 8-10 glasses every day, but you want to at least drink enough to hydrate your throat consistently. It depends on how much you utilize your voice other than singing. Other than water, drinking various herbal teas, fresh fruit-juices and any non-alcoholic & non-caffeinated beverages will help protect your vocal folds.
High temperatures/humidity during summer months won't deter anyone from participating in outdoor concerts/festivals or going on extended travel. Even with lots of joy and excitement, your health may be vulnerable due to variabilities of air quality, pollutants, and other environmental elements. Your body has to adjust to any environmental variabilities like room air conditioning, sun, and wind. Whether indoor or outdoor, any aspiring singers should not only practice to improve their vocal range, but should also exercise to maintain their vocal health. The following are some simple tips to help you maintain vocal health during summer months:
Eat healthy diet: Avoid the perception that you have to spend more money on preparing a healthy diet. Preparing food from scratch and eating more fresh fruits & vegetables actually can save you more. Consuming healthy or balanced diets helps you avoid fatigue, increase stamina, and recover from stress quickly among many benefits.
Drink plenty of water: You don't need to follow general recommendation of drinking 8-10 glasses a day. It depends on your summer activities and whether or not the heat exposure makes you rely more on water intake. Drinking at least few glasses of water can not only hydrate your throat, but it can also assist your body's immune system and fend off any hoarseness or scratchiness in your voice.
Exercise regularly: Not having enough time in your daily lives should never be an excuse for not exercising regularly. You can always do simple exercises like walking, jogging and practicing yoga. Exercising regularly will give you benefits like improving your mood, preventing diseases and illnesses, and managing your overall health.
Rest easily: You may try to work harder by having a very loaded schedule to meet ends meet. Whether engaging in any summer activities, working at two jobs, or having lots of important things going on in your life, you should not underestimate the importance of rest. Having proper and enough rest will cool down your stuffy head, cure any vocal ailments, and boost your immune system.
Take natural supplements: Getting used to following healthy routines like above, you don't need to be concerned about other things. Taking additional supplements like vitamins, protein, and herbs should be useful in promoting and boosting your health. In regards to maintaining vocal health, recommended supplements involve balm (to soothe and relieve soreness in the muscles), essential oil (to cool and refresh your body), and Prime Again (to combat cold and allergies).
You can certainly find other healthy tips on maintaining vocal health through Brett Manning's Singing Success. Brett Manning and other vocal coaches are there to assist you with not only improving your singing voice, but also maintaining your vocal health. Due to differences and variabilities in each season, you should follow any healthy tips all year long. Once you get into routines of exercising regularly, maintaining healthy diets, or resting easily, things will be easier during summer months. You will appreciate your healthy body and a solid voice.
