Tips For Vocal Health, Including Beating A Sore Throat

This time of year, who couldn’t use some tips for vocal health? As a voice talent, maintaining vocal health is pretty fundamental to my everyday life. Winter and Spring can be brutal on my vocal health, with the cold air and the germs flying about to early Spring allergies. But really anytime of year, as a voice actress, my voice can become overused and exhausted. I need to keep my throat healthy and ready for the next studio session. 

Even if you aren’t a voice talent, you may be surprised to find yourself with voice fatigue. Sore throats and vocal fatigue can impact anyone – moms and dads talking to their kids all day, professionals giving presentations, teachers and professors, coaches yelling from the sidelines, singers and musicians. You may not think of yourself as a vocal professional, but you probably use your voice more than you think. And voices that are overused can become stressed and 

Why Vocal Rest Is Key

Vocal rest is really the best tip I can offer to maintain your vocal health. No matter what you do for a living, when that vocal exhaustion kicks in, it’s time to give it a rest. 

We don’t need to get into all the science behind your voice, but basically the vocal cords, and muscles that control them, are susceptible to overexertion and stress. With constant overuse, vocal tissue can suffer damage. That’s why rest is crucial. 

If you are a voice performer, or use your voice professionally all day, you must stop periodically and just give your voice a break. That’s right. Sometimes, you need to just stop talking for a while. Another tip is to give yourself a periodic day “off” from using your voice. You may not be able to avoid talking all day, but not using it professionally and allowing yourself some quiet time will give your voice the rest it needs. 

 

What To Do When A Sore Throat Hits

Sometimes, as much as you work to protect your voice, a sore throat can still strike. Then what? As mentioned above, your voice needs rest. When your throat hurts, give it a break. Stop recording or speaking professionally for a time, if you can. When you take time to give your voice a break, take the time also to give your body a rest. 

But just resting isn’t always an option. Sometimes you need to take care of your vocal cords and heal up quickly, especially if others are relying on your voice talent. If you are suffering from a common cold or struggling with dry, cold air, you can take steps to soothe your throat and get back to work. There are two ways to approach healing your voice:

Coat Your Throat

When your throat is dry and irritated, you can soothe it with a coating of comfort. Through a variety of ingredients, they relax your vocal cords and offer relief. Options are limitless on the market, but I have a few tried and true favorites. Instead of the hundreds of chemical or sugar loaded cough drops on the market, I recommend the VocalZone pastilles. Their all-natural, vegan ingredients provide that soothing relief, and also tackle the mucus and sinus issues that accompany throat discomfort.

While we are on the throat coat topic, we have to talk about throat coating teas. Years ago, I would have said that I wasn’t a fan of these types of teas. Their distinctive herbal ingredients can have strong aromas and flavors that range from grassy to menthol. However, I recently found that my taste buds may have changed and they are very pleasant to me now. It’s a welcome discovery, as I use my voice for clients daily. Here’s a video from my YouTube channel to learn more about my favorite voice coating teas. 

Clear Your Sinuses

Sometimes, excess mucus in your throat accompanies or is the cause of your voice irritation. It may be a rather uncomfortable topic, but keeping your voice healthy means regulating the mucus build up in your sinuses and throat. The VocalZone lozenges mentioned above can provide this kind of support. In addition, you may want to consider the use of a neti pot for vocal health, especially if you’re experiencing sinus blockage or dripping into your throat. Post-nasal drip is a huge factor in throat irritation.

Avoid Overexerting Your Voice

When you are looking for cough drops, lozenges, and other medication to address a sore throat and irritation, make sure to avoid products that promise to numb your voice. You don’t want to just turn off the pain and move on with speaking. Numbing your voice means that you will not be able to feel your body’s natural message to slow down and take a break. And in the worst case, it will mean turning off the cue to stop when your vocal cords are damaged and inevitably in pain. 

Avoid the habit of clearing your throat or rough coughing throughout the day. This can be difficult in dry, cold air, but breaking the habit of the putting additional stress on your vocal cords can keep them from unnecessary strain. 

Preventing A Sore Throat

It’s true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In other words, take care of your vocal health before a problem pops up. As we talked about before, rest is best. 

If you are a voice actor, or other voice professional, you need to care for your vocal cords, just like any other muscles and tissue throughout your body. Just like stretching before a run, you need to warm your vocal cords to prepare them for a marathon recording session. Vocal exercises, such as singing scales, tongue twisters, and exercises outlined in the Vibrant Voice Technique, can prepare you for a voice acting session and reduce vocal fatigue.  

Ongoing care for your voice goes a long way in preventing a sore throat and keeping your voice healthy all year around. Drinking enough water and staying well hydrated is a critical component. I also love warm water with lemon and honey to support the hydration, and to warm and soothe your voice. It’s great for before and after studio recording sessions. 

While we are on the topic of what you should consume, you may want to avoid certain ingredients that can increase irritation. Those ingredients include caffeine, dairy, and those that cause acid reflux. 

So whether you are a voice professional like I am or not, keeping your voice healthy and strong all year long is a good practice. Remember just like any muscle or tissue group, you need to warm up, cool down, and take rests when necessary. Supporting your vocal cords with lots of hydration and natural ingredients can keep your voice ready to record, sing, present, or whatever you need it for, all year long.