Vocal Health

Basics

    • 8 Hours

    • Sleep is when the voice is rejuvenated

    • Your voice should feel ‘reset’ in the morning

    • ~ 64 oz. per day

    • Clear pee

    • Sip while singing

    • ~ 24 hours to reach folds

    • Dosage (consider how much you’re talking)

    • Loud environments (don’t push over music, crowds, etc)

    • Vocal abuse (no screaming at concerts, amusement parks, or sporting events)

    • Sing well (avoid destructive singing)

    • Warm up before singing

    • Alcohol = diuretic (causes you to pee out a lot of water)

    • Refrain from drinking days leading up to & on gig days

    • If you do drink alcohol, have a cup of water with each drink to stay hydrated

    • Acid reflux (avoid foods that give you heartburn)

    • Stop eating 2-3 hours before bed

Illness

    • “Loss” of voice or inability to phonate

    • Voice lower than usual

    • Increased general effort

    • Reduced quality of head voice/falsetto

    • Delayed onsets

    • Rest voice, if possible

    • Sleep (and other vocal health basics)

    • Avoid alcohol (diuretic)

    • See a doctor (ENT)

    • Corticosteroid (reduce inflammation)

    • Antibiotics (when necessary)

    • Take Mucinex (Guaifenesin) for phlegm

    • Avoid NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin & ibuprofen

    • Tylenol for pain

    • Chew & swallow a clove of raw garlic (combine with honey) for sore throat

    • Risks

      • Exacerbated & prolonged inflammation

      • Vocal fold hemorrhage

    • Take steroid to reduce inflammation, lower risks, & improve singing ability

    • Easy, soothing warm up (straw) before gig

    • No talking before, during, or after the gig

    • Rest voice as much as possible before next gig

Home Remedies

    • Most of these remedies are designed to numb your symptoms & soothe you; they don’t actually make you better

    • As a singer, you don’t want to numb your symptoms, but rather fix them

    • Ignoring symptoms will make your voice worse

    • Placebo is an important element of these home remedies

    • Tea essentially soothes you; it will not save you from a hoarse voice (inflamed vocal folds)

    • Herbal properties, such as ginger & honey, are known to fight bacteria & boost the immune system

    • Garlic has anti-bacterial properties & helps to remedy a sore throat

    • Chew & swallow a clove of raw garlic

    • Combine with honey to cut the strong taste

    • Eat slowly (may upset stomach slightly

    • Vitamin C is a useful preventative

    • Take 1000mg of vitamin C per day

    • If sick, increase vitamin C to 4000mg per day to shorten the illness

    • If sick, take 15-30 mg of zinc per day to shorten the illness

    • Zinc as a preventative is speculative, but many recommend it

Pathologies

    • Callus like, benign masses on the vocal folds

    • Come in symmetrical pairs, one on each fold

    • Form when folds are habitually rubbed together with excessive force (poor technique, and/or behavioral vocal abuse)

    • Treatment is to change vocal behavior; reduce vocal abuse

    • Surgery is rarely necessary

    • A single, benign mass on a vocal fold

    • Develop after vocal fold hemorrhage

    • Not a sign of poor singing technique

    • Treatment involves medication (cortisone), & possibly surgical removal

    • A ruptured capillary on the vocal fold

    • Due to excessive voice use while vocal folds are inflamed

    • Some well known artists have hemorrhaged (Adele, Steven Tyler)

    • Visiting a laryngologist is required

    • Vocal rest will be part of treatment

    • May lead to polyp formation if left untreated