Protect Voice with Pampering when Hoarseness Occurs

WHAT TO DO IF YOU LOSE YOUR VOICE ?

REST YOUR VOICE ~ STOP SPEAKING & SINGING~ 

Hoarseness is one of the first, most easily discerned audible symptoms presented to a voice teacher that indicates the presence of a “vocal fault” in an otherwise physically healthy singer. The most common cause for vocal hoarseness is “hyper-functional phonation;” demanding too much from the voice, producing a sound that can be described by any one, or combination of the following adjectives: tight, tense, hard, edgy, strident, rasping, grating, rough, constricted or even strangulated. Hoarseness is a danger signal to you, the singer. If huskiness or soreness is a common result of your singing, then you should

1) stop singing, and if it persists,
2) see a laryngologist.

Observations and recommendations:
1. Screaming hard even once can do temporary damage to the voice. The voice has to recover in silence and with more than usual sleep. Give it more time than you think it needs.

2. Vomiting and the burning from stomach acids also require extended time to heal. Give your voice time. You should pay attention to resulting soreness as there are relatively few pain nerve endings in the throat! Give healing more time than you think it needs, and limit your voice use. Begin establishing the habit (if you don’t already have it) of gargling whenever you brush your teeth and after meals - rinsing out your throat with water.

3. Regularly speaking too high, or too low will often result in hoarseness. Please read my entry on “speaking” to help you find where you should speak without unnecessary tension.

4. Long-term misuse of the voice can permanently damage the voice. So, your concern is legitimate. A voice therapist or qualified voice teacher may be what you need to correct the problem.

5. The feeling of “a giant lump” in your throat is a definite indication of misuse. Stop singing. Give your voice more time than you think it needs to heal and recover.

6. Allergies do tend to exacerbate (aggravate) upper-respiratory and throat edema (swelling). So, allergies compounded with possible misuse of the voice would tend to make things feel worse, faster.

7. While this blog will give you great tips and tools to utilize to start working on your voice, you would benefit greatly by working with a reputable voice teacher. If you do not live in the North Bay San Francisco Area, which is where my studio is located, you can Download SKYPE and we can work together well, on-line.

REMEMBER TO REST YOUR VOICE WHEN YOU FEEL IT IS STRAINED AND HYDRATE OFTEN!!!