Few Things that Could Harm Your Singing Voice

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.