AIR QUALITY, VOCAL REST, and MENTAL PRACTICE
Air quality can be an invisible factor in the health and quality of the voice. Allergies, pollution, fires, ozone levels, low humidity...all these environmental variables can affect our instrument-bodies and make our voices feel different from day to day. This can be frustrating when we are looking for consistency and reliability in our sound, and when practice aggravates an already irritated throat. Get in the habit of checking your local air quality and see if the AQI correlates with changes in your voice. If your voice and throat are feeling tight, scratchy, sore, or hoarse, take a break from singing, and if possible, limit speaking as well. The best thing we can do for inflamed vocal cords is to not use them. The good news is, we can still practice! Mental practice is an effective way to learn and reinforce technique and repertoire without aggravating irritated vocal folds. When we aren't worried about the voice and tone, we can better concentrate on rhythms, lyrics, dynamics, articulation markings, etc...This mental practice incorporates and sticks in your brain - when we go to sing again, the details you focused on silently will come to your voice with more ease. Try it out. Whether the weather is foul or fair, use mental practice to treat your voice with care.
COUGH DROPS, TEAS, and THROAT SPRAY
When we feel a sore throat coming on, or our throat is dry due to weather, allergies, or dehydration, we often look to soothe our instrument with some elixir - usually a cough drop, tea, or throat spray. For the most part there is nothing wrong with these aides - but keep in mind that you are topically soothing your mouth and throat above your vocal folds - the elixirs will never touch the vocal folds directly (unless we inhale on accident, which will just make you cough). If you find that these balms help you to worry less and let go of some tension, then they are helping you sing better simply by getting you to relax a bit.
However, a note of caution about menthol, clove, and any other drying or numbing agents: while we may feel soothed in the moment (and if this makes you relax, that is a benefit), these products can make us push through discomfort - a discomfort that is often our body's way of telling us to give our voice a rest. If your throat is feeling bad enough to need some soothing beyond a good warm up and being well-hydrated, consider vocal rest. Nothing soothes or heals a voice as well as rest. (And remember - whispering can be worse than speaking - rest means silence :)
When reaching for a tea, spray, or drop, avoid products whose ingredients include menthol and other peppermint oil ingredients or natural numbing agents like clove.
Menthol, derived from Mentha canadensis (peppermint etc...) or synthesized:
References
Kamatou, G.P.P., et al. Menthol: A simple monoterpene with remarkable biological properties. Phytochemistry (2013).
Pramoda, Kannissery, et al.Eugenol: A Natural Compound with Versatile Pharmacological Actions. NPC 2010; Vol. 5, no. 12.
Eccles, R. Menthol and related cooling compounds. J Pharm Pharmacol 1994;46:618-30.
Heng, MCY. Local necrosis and interstitial nephritis due to topical methyl salicylate and menthol. Cutis 1987;39:442-4.
However, a note of caution about menthol, clove, and any other drying or numbing agents: while we may feel soothed in the moment (and if this makes you relax, that is a benefit), these products can make us push through discomfort - a discomfort that is often our body's way of telling us to give our voice a rest. If your throat is feeling bad enough to need some soothing beyond a good warm up and being well-hydrated, consider vocal rest. Nothing soothes or heals a voice as well as rest. (And remember - whispering can be worse than speaking - rest means silence :)
When reaching for a tea, spray, or drop, avoid products whose ingredients include menthol and other peppermint oil ingredients or natural numbing agents like clove.
Menthol, derived from Mentha canadensis (peppermint etc...) or synthesized:
- Can cause inflammation, drying, and general skin irritation. Menthol causes trans-epidermal water loss (the water that evaporates from the outer layer of the skin) and thus contributes to drying out the skin (and affects the tissue in our mouth and throat...).
- Is one of the most effective terpenes used to enhance the dermal penetration of pharmaceuticals. This means it opens up your skin to the good as well as the bad.
- Is a natural anesthetic: it numbs nerve tissue.
References
Kamatou, G.P.P., et al. Menthol: A simple monoterpene with remarkable biological properties. Phytochemistry (2013).
Pramoda, Kannissery, et al.Eugenol: A Natural Compound with Versatile Pharmacological Actions. NPC 2010; Vol. 5, no. 12.
Eccles, R. Menthol and related cooling compounds. J Pharm Pharmacol 1994;46:618-30.
Heng, MCY. Local necrosis and interstitial nephritis due to topical methyl salicylate and menthol. Cutis 1987;39:442-4.
YOUR VOICE ON DRUGS
COMMON PAIN RELIEVERS
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are common pain relievers. Except for Tylenol, almost every pain medication (Ibuprofen, Aspirin, etc..) has NSAIDs as an ingredient. While these drugs are excellent for mitigating pain, one of the common side effects is an increased risk of bleeding.
For most singers, this is not a problem; however, some may have enlarged blood vessels in their vocal cords.
On the left: an enlarged blood vessel. On the right: a vocal hemorrhage where blood has leaked into the vocal cord from a burst blood vessel.
Normally these vessels don’t cause problems, but when the voice is used forcefully while NSAIDs are in use, hemorrhaging is a risk. The only way to know if you have enlarged blood vessels is to have a stroboscopy. Healthy use of the voice will prevent damage and reduce most risk factors of a preexisting enlarged blood vessel. That being said, Tylenol is the safest pain reliever for singers.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are common pain relievers. Except for Tylenol, almost every pain medication (Ibuprofen, Aspirin, etc..) has NSAIDs as an ingredient. While these drugs are excellent for mitigating pain, one of the common side effects is an increased risk of bleeding.
For most singers, this is not a problem; however, some may have enlarged blood vessels in their vocal cords.
On the left: an enlarged blood vessel. On the right: a vocal hemorrhage where blood has leaked into the vocal cord from a burst blood vessel.
Normally these vessels don’t cause problems, but when the voice is used forcefully while NSAIDs are in use, hemorrhaging is a risk. The only way to know if you have enlarged blood vessels is to have a stroboscopy. Healthy use of the voice will prevent damage and reduce most risk factors of a preexisting enlarged blood vessel. That being said, Tylenol is the safest pain reliever for singers.
ALLERGIES
Antihistamines can also affect the voice by drying out laryngeal mucosa. Stay away from fexofenadine (Allegra) and cetirizine (Zyrtec) if possible. Nasal steroid sprays (like Flonase and Nasonex) are less harmful and still target seasonal allergy symptoms. While it may cause more drowsiness, Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is far less drying – a better choice for singers if used occasionally.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Prescription drugs can sometimes affect your voice as well – consult your physician for alternative options if you experience vocal issues that you suspect are related to your medications. Your health and comfort come first, but there is often a voice-friendly solution that won’t sacrifice your physical wellbeing.
Antihistamines can also affect the voice by drying out laryngeal mucosa. Stay away from fexofenadine (Allegra) and cetirizine (Zyrtec) if possible. Nasal steroid sprays (like Flonase and Nasonex) are less harmful and still target seasonal allergy symptoms. While it may cause more drowsiness, Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is far less drying – a better choice for singers if used occasionally.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Prescription drugs can sometimes affect your voice as well – consult your physician for alternative options if you experience vocal issues that you suspect are related to your medications. Your health and comfort come first, but there is often a voice-friendly solution that won’t sacrifice your physical wellbeing.