Winter is here. It’s that time of year again, where the seasons change and the need to keep our vocal health in check becomes even more apparent! I feel like one of those infomercials “Help I have lost my voice!! Oh no, I am sick! I have to sing tonight but my throat is sore – what do I do? Have you come across some of these things in your vocal journey?” Ha! Yes, we all have had sickness creep up on us and surprise us at the most inconvenient time right?! There is hope for the sickly! There are ways we can help ourselves get back on track, and keep us in good vocal health across this chilly time of year!
As the voice itself is effected by so many elements it’s no surprise season changes mean we need to keep our sickness at bay! So how do we work around these impacts when you are singing regularly on team? Or needing your voice for so much of your job, communication and adulting…
Keeping your voice in its sweet spot depends on how well you look after yourself in the day to day. Our struggle comes with the incremental habits that pile up, but if we take a little time to work on these areas within our week to week we can maintain our voice despite weather, sickness or our environments.
With winter’s introduction of cold here are my top 5 winter solutions:
- Rug Up – It is easy to now leave the house not sure of what the weather will do today. We become more susceptible to illness when we are unprepared for a cold snap or are exposed to long bouts of being out in the cold. Combine that with the germs floating around and there is your recipe for coming down with something! plus you can look fabulous in a scarf and jacket, boots and layers! Look fabulous and feel better!
- Rest / Sleep – for me when I get sick or I begin to have vocal fatigue that is the first red flag sign for me I’m pushing my limits. So where you can rest as much as you possibly can. Being a mum of two mini’s I find this the most challenging aspect of being a vocalist. Busyness can catch us off guard when we least expect it. Make space in your week to week to decompress and physically stop. Your voice is your whole body so naturally when you are exhausted, so will your voice! Grab as many Z’s as you can – our voice is a muscle group when we sleep we allow it to repair itself too.
- Keep your ears, nose and throat clear and in check.
- Grab yourself some saline nose spray for those times when you go to bed and your nose is blocked or regular intervals throughout the day to clear excess mucus.
- Vix Vapour Rub is awesome if sickness is starting, stuck or in recovery! Whilst its smell is less than desired, using it on your pillow case or chest can help clear any ongoing nasal congestion over night.
- Gargle with salt water – I do this every morning with 1 teaspoon of salt in warm (not too hot) water, it clears any excess mucus and activates a gentle warmup.
- Boost your immune system with vitamins like Horseradish, Garlic and Vit C, iron, magnesium.
- Get off the caffeine – Stripping your hot beverage ritual back from the high coffee life is a real challenge. However when we are sick we are more inclined to want more of the comfort found in a coffee! Make the switch to herbal teas or let honey and lemon in warm water become your new best friend. Honey soothes and the lemon strips away any excess mucus; where as coffee draws water out of your muscles and the milk creates more mucus.
- If you’re sick don’t use your voice – when the vocal chords are already inflamed whispering, shouting even speaking puts pressure on their delicate connection and wears them out faster! So sweet one as hard as it is, if you’re sick rest your voice, rest your body. If you feel fatigue setting in but can still speak try having a vocal free day (or part thereof) and let everyone know about it.
Keep warm and stay well throughout this winter songbirds…
Until next time… xox