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Caring for vocal health

Singers make a living with their voice. Hence, they take great care of their voice. For example, they avoid consuming too much of dairy products. They also drink a lot of water and avoid alcohol. Lastly, they try not to smoke.

Dairy products are normally more difficult to digest and as a result the body will produce a lot of mucus. This mucus enters our vocal chords and can negatively affect a singer’s voice. The additional phlegm will also irritate the throat causing the singer to cough and sneeze - and this can cause trauma to the vocal cords. In fact,singers are usually told to swallow their phlegm rather than to clear their throats.

It is important that a singer drinks enough water. Drinking water keeps the body hydrated and the vocal cords, lubricated. This reduces the amount of friction in a singer’s vocal cords and prevents them from  becoming inflamed.

A professional singer should drink more than 8 glasses of water everyday. She should not drink hot water: hot water causes blood vessels in the throat to swell, negatively affecting her vocal chords. When a singer drinks cold water, her blood vessels contract and the her throat becomes dry. Lukewarm water is most appropriate for singers.