Vocal Hygiene for Professional Voice Users

Do you talk more often than a normal person? Is your voice your professional identity? Then you are one of them, a professional voice user. Professionals like singers, newsreaders, teachers, Public speakers, Radio Jockeys, beatboxers who often use their voice throughout the day as a part of their profession are called professional voice users. You tend to overuse their voice due to the demand or nature of their job. You often find yourself in the need of clearing your throat frequently or sipping on a warm beverage. Some Days your voice feels inadequate or not up to performance. It is in these scenarios that you need to consider your vocal hygiene. Vocal hygiene are simple habits you can adopt to secure your voice. These few lifestyle changes can ensure you maintain a healthy voice.

1. Keep yourself hydrated: drinking 8 glasses of water a day does more than giving your skin the glowing and boosting your metabolism. It aids in the lubrication that is required for your vocal folds as it vibrates all day as you speak.
2. Keep the environment clean and moist: Ensuring a dust free and smoke free
   environment will prevent your vocal folds from irritants and drying out. Using a humidifier during the cold climates can make a huge difference.
3. Avoid clenching your jaw, throat or neck as they tense your muscles in the respective areas. Adopting relaxation techniques like a few breathing exercises can help in these scenarios.
4. Do not speak without enough breath support. Avoid speaking when you are panting, coughing, crying or any other situations where you feel breathless.
5. Do not speak over noises, when you speak to someone in your home make sure you switch off the TV, Radio or any other gadgets causing noise in your house.
6. Use a microphone to address a public gathering. Speaking too loudly again is abusive to vocal folds.
7. Avoid frequent clearing of the throat. This is a tendency we develop when the mucous lining our vocal folds thickens due to an irritant, dryness or even cold weather. Drinking a few sips of water in this scenario will ensure that the mucous lining thin out and produce enough lubrication for the vocal folds.
8. Avoid smoking any substances and consuming any forms of tobacco.
9. Avoid consumption of alcohol in any form. Definitively avoid pairing alcohol and tobacco as the alcohol acts as solvent to enhance the properties tobacco which otherwise is not absorbed by our body.
10. Do not whisper or speak in a pitch that you are not comfortable in.
11. Spicy or Oily food, Citric fruits, Aerated Drinks should be avoided if you are a professional voice user (singers,teachers etc) as it develops phlegm or can lead to acid reflux.
12. Do not sleep soon after a meal.
13. Reduce caffeine intake as it is a dehydrating agent.
14. Seek professional assistance incase of change in voice.

Remember anyone who uses their voice for prolonged periods of time without care may strain their voice. Hence these tips can be adopted into your daily routines to build your own healthy vocal habits.