5 Ways to Maintain Vocal Health

When you hear someone talk about vocal health, you generally think that they are speaking of keeping the voice from hurting or going hoarse or the like. I would say yes, they are addressing those issues. However, these are just symptoms of the real issue: the health of your vocal cords.

So, from now on, when you hear of someone speaking about vocal health, keep in mind your vocal folds (not just the symptoms).

But for today, I am going to be speaking to those who don't care much for the details and just want to avoid the symptoms. I completely understand where you are coming from, friend, so I want to help you in the simplest way possible.

In terms of singing (and vocal health), here are 5 ways to maintain vocal health (or for those not interested in details, 5 ways to keep your voice feeling fresh!)

1) Sleep! Be sure that you catch plenty of Zzzs when you are taking a snooze. Sleeping is the natural way that the body repairs itself. In light of this, getting lots of sleep allows your body to repair any vocal damage you may have incurred during the day. This happens to be the easiest and best way for us to keep our vocal cords healthy, yet it is the hardest thing to do because we are so busy. Quite the misfortune, right?

2) Drink plenty of water. Moisture is the lifeblood of the vocal cords. In effect, water helps keep your vocal cords from getting dried out and rigid. That rigid feeling in your voice is not good...it gives you that grungy type sound. This is partly why those that smoke sound the way they do - the smoke sucks all the moisture right out of their vocal cords! So drink water, and drink it often.

3) If your voice starts to hurt when you sing, stop! Your vocal folds are extremely delicate to begin with, so you do not want to foster any sort of issue by singing when it hurts. If you find your voice hurting while you are singing, it's your vocal cords telling you (literally) to stop singing.

4) Massage your throat and jaw muscles every once in a while. Some people hold stress in their face (like me) and need to massage their throat and jaw area occasionally. This keeps your vocal cords from enduring extended periods of pressure and strain when you are stressed or tense.

5) Build in time to rest your voice. It is not good to practice all the time. Take days off from singing often and be gentle with your vocal cords. Give them extra time to rest and heal (apart from sleeping) in order to maximize durability and freshness.

That's all I have for today, folks. I do hope that you enjoyed the tips!

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