Do I Need Vocal Rest?

Your voice is a muscle group you use everyday. You communicate by connecting the vocal flaps repetitively, though tiny they work very hard to get your message across. Your voice will adapt volume naturally to meet your environment and is also affected like any muscle group by training, rest and its environment. Your voice gets tired, and needs a break too.

For many years I didn’t value rest and suffered with vocal fatigue, vocal loss or abused my voice into sickness. So now after a vocally demanding day or a big Sunday, I’ve incorporated a vocal rest morning on Mondays. The importance of vocal rest is imperative to vocalists and leaders who use their voice to communicate.

If we were to look at it like an Olympian, they would train vigorously, then rest. They would have days where they allow their muscles to repair themselves, particularly after the lead up to a big race. Likewise they wouldn’t roll out of bed and sprint first thing without gradually warming up body and building up to the larger intervals of expenditure. They would also be having a period of cool down afterwards so the muscles are not overworked in their workout! All this applies to your vocal technique and can benefit the longevity of your voice!

So, here are some practical tips to help your voice recover from a demanding day/week/month:

• Simply. Don’t use it – rest completely, if and where you can. Otherwise limit the output of vocal contribution to conversations.
• Avoid caffeine while you rest it as it will further dry out your muscle membranes. Alternatively try rooibos tea (a caffeine free alternative for the coffee lovers around here!) or herbal options. Sometimes honey and a wedge of lemon in hot water is very refreshing first thing in the morning for your whole digestive tract as well as your throat.
• If you need to talk – find an app on your phone to speak for you, or type it out in an ongoing note on your phone, use body language or write what you need to say down. 
• Tell those around you when you’re on a vocal rest day so they know your responses will be different for that timeframe and can honour that.
• On days where you know you still have to keep going, try doing a few sirens (on “ng” with a dropped, relaxed jaw) starting on the lowest note comfortable and go to a small increment above. Return to starting pitch, then do the same interval for a few reps. Gradually increase your glissando, without allowing the tone to break or crack. This is a very gentle wake up and I would recommend it on the days you know you have to talk a lot or are vocally recovering from ill health.

Your voice is too precious a gift to neglect giving it some down time too.

Until next time… xox