Tips for a Healthy Voice

The following steps are helpful for anyone who wants to keep their voice healthy, but are particularly important for people who have an occupation, such as Singers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, sales people, and public speakers are among those who make great demands on their voices. Unfortunately, these individuals are most prone to experiencing voice problems. It is believed that 7.5 million people have diseases or disorders of voice. Some of these disorders can be avoided by taking care of your voice.

• Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Vocal tissues are easily dehydrated. caffeine and alcohol dehydrate tissues. Hydration helps to keep thin secretions flowing to lubricate your vocal cords. Drink plenty (up to eight 8-ounce glasses is a good minimum target) of non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic beverages throughout the day.
  
• Moisture is good for your voice. Maintaining proper humidity in the home is also helpful. Use a humidifier in your home. This is especially important in winter or in dry climates. Thirty percent humidity is recommended.
  
• Don't smoke. Smoke is irritating to the throat and vocal tissues. In addition to being a potent risk factor for laryngeal (voice box) cancer, smoking also causes inflammation and polyps of the vocal cords that can make the voice very husky, hoarse, and weak.
  
• Warm up your voice before heavy use. Most people know that singers warm up their voices before a performance, yet many don't realize the need to warm up the speaking voice before heavy use, such as teaching a class, preaching, or giving a speech. Warm-ups can be simple, such as gently gliding from low to high tones on different vowel sounds, doing lip trills (like the motorboat sound that kids make), or tongue trills.
  
• Avoid vocal abuse and misuse: yelling, screaming, speaking at too low a pitch and speaking or singing too loudly or for too long can result in problems such as inflammation and swelling of the vocal cords.
  
• Use a microphone. When giving a speech or presentation, consider using a microphone to lessen the strain on your voice.
  
• Practice good breathing techniques when singing or talking. Breath flow is the power for voice. It is important to support your voice with deep breaths from the diaphragm, the wall that separates your chest and abdomen. Singers and speakers are often taught exercises that improve this breath control. Talking from the throat, without supporting breath, puts a great strain on the voice. Take time to fill your lungs before starting to talk, and don't wait until you are almost out of air before taking another breath to power your voice.
  
• Do not cradle the phone when talking. Cradling the phone between the head and shoulder for extended periods of time can cause muscle tension in the neck.
  
• Treat reflux: Heartburn, or esophageal reflux, is the regurgitation of stomach juices into the esophagus and throat. This irritates the larynx and can lead to coughing, burning, hoarseness, excessive mucus and excessive throat clearing. Over time, it can cause ulcers on the vocal cords.
  
• Include plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables in your diet. These foods contain vitamins A, E, and C. They also help keep the mucus membranes that line the throat healthy.
  
• Avoid eating spicy foods. Spicy foods can cause stomach acid to move into the throat or esophagus (reflux).
  
• Avoid talking in noisy places. Trying to talk above noise causes strain on the voice.
  
• Get enough rest. Physical fatigue has a negative effect on voice. Rest your voice for 15-minute intervals several times during the day, particularly if you use your voice.
  
• Wash your hands often to prevent colds and flu.
  
• Avoid mouthwash or gargles that contain alcohol or irritating chemicals. Halitosis (bad breath) may be the result of a problem that mouthwash can't cure, such as low grade infections in the nose, sinuses, tonsils, gums, or lungs, as well as from gastric reflux from the stomach. If gargling is necessary, use a salt water solution.
  
• Consider voice therapy. A speech-language pathologist who is experienced in treating voice problems can provide education on healthy use of the voice and instruction in proper voice techniques.
  
• Listen to your voice. When your voice is complaining to you, listen to it. Know that you need to modify and decrease your voice use if you become hoarse in order to allow your vocal cords to recover. Pushing your voice when it's already hoarse can lead to significant problems. If your voice is hoarse frequently, or for an extended period of time, you should be evaluated by an Otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose, and Throat physician.)

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