The National Center For Voice And Speech lists common medications and their effects on the voice on their website. They’ll end up feeling like rubber bands left on the dashboard of a car in the Sahara Desert.īefore you use a bronchial inhaler, over-the-counter meds, vitamins, and herbs, or a nasal spray, find out how they’ll affect your voice. Those cold meds in your medicine cabinet might make your symptoms easier to tolerate, but they’ll diminish the elasticity in your vocal cords. Many will actually make your voice worse.Īntihistamines and decongestants dry out your vocal cords. But before you take an over-the-counter medication or herb, do some research. If you have a performance, the first thing you need to do is decrease the inflammation and irritation levels in your body. When they're swollen and irritated, it negatively impacts your sound. And when you cough, the vocal cords literally slam together, creating even more irritation and swelling.Īnd then there are your sinuses. When irritated or filled with mucus, inhalation is a struggle. Sufficient air supply is essential for creating and maintaining tone, volume, and intensity. Your lungs are another vital part of your instrument. When you're sick, and they're dried out, covered with thick mucus, or irritated by postnasal drip, they thicken up and lose the elasticity they need to function well. The vocal cords are made up of five different layers that need to stretch, contract, and vibrate when you sing. In this blog post, you'll learn how to stay healthy during the cold and flu season, what to do when you're sick, and how to decide when it's time to cancel a performance.įirst, let's take a look at what happens to your voice when you catch a cold or flu. Other musicians get sick too, but their instruments don't wheeze or get clogged up with mucus when attacked by an infection. It's not easy when your body is your instrument. You don't want to cancel, but you also don't want to show up and not sing your best - or worse, harm your voice. All of this on top of a jam-packed schedule. You've rehearsed, created marketing materials, sent out a press release, newsletter, and posted on social media. You've worked for months on this upcoming performance. The tickle turns to scratchiness, the floodgates open behind your nose, and the coughing begins. You try and ignore it, hoping it will go away once you've downed your first cup of coffee. And then you notice a tickle in the back of your throat. I've got that show coming up, and I'm so frickin' tired. You hit the snooze button, and think, Oh my god, just a few more minutes. It's morning, and your alarm clock has just yanked you out of a deep sleep.
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