Vocal Health, Part I: My Voice Is Tired. What Do I Do?!
September is here, and so are endless hours of rehearsals for choirs, shows, recitals, and the like. It's also allergy season, that time when harmless-looking plants can make you feel as if you ran into a brick wall. And to top it all off, all of your lovely friends are bringing their germs with them to your school building or workplace, creating a veritable breeding ground for colds, sinus infections, the latest flu strain, and other maladies that can wreak havoc on your body and your voice.
In short, the fall can be a tough time for the voice. Even if you don't suffer from allergies and can avoid getting sick, it's still a time of heavy use for your voice if you're singing in chorus, your school's show, and practicing rep for your voice lessons all at once.
It's important to know how to take care of your voice, and to know when it is and is not safe to sing. While every singer and his/her circumstances are different, this post will offer some general guidelines on how to keep yourself from damaging your voice from overuse, either temporarily or permanently.
First of all, vocal health starts with overall body health. Healthy eating (which means not only what you eat but how often), a consistent sleep schedule of 7-8 hours a night, sufficient hydration, and regular exercise are all necessary for keeping your voice and body healthy.
There are also precautions you can take to avoid getting sick. Wash your hands a lot, especially before eating and after touching things like doorknobs in public places. Avoid touching your face if it's not necessary. Definitely avoid sticking your fingers in your mouth. Sanitize your phone/tablet/computer keyboard every few days (I'm not kidding. Those things are GERM MAGNETS). Avoid consuming large amounts of sugar, as this lowers the immune system. Don't hang out with sick friends. (Sorry, friends.) Take vitamin supplements or drink herbal teas.
However, even if you are taking care of your body and singing with healthy technique, it is still possible to overuse your voice to the point of losing it. Your vocal folds are incredily resilient and incredibly fragile muscles at the same time. Ideally, you want to do something about overuse before you end up with laryngitis (or worse), so you need to be able to recognize the warning signs of vocal fatigue:
1. Your speaking voice is hoarse, scratchy, or crackly.
2. Your singing voice is hoarse, scratchy, or crackly, or starts to "cut in and out."
3. You have difficulty singing something that is normally easy for you.
4. You feel abnormal physical tension in your throat or neck.
5. It doesn't "feel good" to sing, despite your best efforts to sing well.
These are the most common signals. You may find that there are some that are particular to your voice and your body.
Like any other muscle in your body, your vocal folds need rest when they are fatigued. Using an overly fatigued muscle causes strain or other damage. In the case of your vocal folds, that can mean swelling, laryngitis, or, if the overuse is prolonged, more serious problems like nodes or polyps. While a bit of swelling and an isolated case of laryngitis can heal fairly quickly with proper rest, nodes (which are callouses that can form on your vocal folds) often require extended vocal rest, speech therapy, and/or even surgery to correct.
When your voice is tired, the best thing you can do is stop using it. Take a day off from singing, if you can. If you absoultely can't, use your voice as little as possible: avoid talking, idle humming, or whispering. If you're in a choral rehearsal and you absolutely must sing, make sure that you sing with good posture and breath support. Avoid high notes if you can (seriously, just mouth it) and don't sing too loud. If you have a voice lesson scheduled, ask your teacher if you can do some non-vocal work that day.
Meanwhile, be sure to drink plenty of water, and maybe throw in some herbal tea with a bit of honey. (Don't go overboard with the tea though, since most tea is caffeinated and thus can dehydrate you.) Do some stretches to help your posture, and do some non-vocal breathing exercises. This will help to ensure that you are supporting your speaking voice properly.
Do some non-vocal practicing - work on memorizing your songs, practice your staging/blocking/choreography, or do some research or listening for a piece you're learning.
When you return to singing after a hiatus, it is best to proceed with caution. Don't try to do too much at once on your first day back - you'll likely set yourself back even further. Do some light warm-ups and see how things feel. Lip trills are a great place to start. Make sure that you are singing with good posture and breath support, and be sure to sing lightly and with "high placement" to keep from pressing on your vocal folds.
If the problem(s) persist, speak to your voice teacher about what you are experiencing. Perhaps just a technical adjustment is all you need. However, if your teacher thinks your symptoms are cause for concern, he or she may recommend that you see an ENT (voice doctor). The ENT will be able to look at your vocal folds and see exactly what is going on, and tell you what should be done about it. Do not ask your teacher to try to diagnose your problem. We know our vocal pedagogy, but we don't have the means to look at your vocal folds.
In short, vocal problems can seem scary, but can often be avoided just by using your voice sensibly and listening to your body. When in doubt, speak to your teacher and follow his or her recommendation.
Stay tuned for our next post, which will deal with singing while sick. (Everyone's favorite, yes?)
In the meantime, happy practicing!
