Your voice is one of the most important parts of yourself that make you unique. Your voice makes gives you an identity to most persons who know you, and even to those who don’t. Your voice is also your key to communicating with others, which is something we all know no one can live without.
There are, however, people who suffer problems with their voices, such as when they lose their natural quality. This is due to some unusual condition in the vocal chords, which could be caused by so many reasons, like straining your throat. Yes, your voice can get abused.
Learning how to take care of your voice and keeping it from getting overworked is as important as any practice of hygiene, especially for those who pursue careers in singing, and theatrical and other productions.
Your voice needs rest. After all, it functions on muscles, just like all your other body parts. And like all other body parts, those vocal chords need rest as well. For one thing, don’t overwork your voice. After long rehearsals or anything similar, take time to give your voice a rest. But if you already happened to strain your voice, then that’s all the more reason that you should give it a full rest. In fact, avoid using your voice, if at all; during this period until you feel that everything is back to normal. You don’t want to worsen the condition to the point where you have to be treated surgically.
Drink hot tea and stay hydrated. Fluids will really help unclog your vocal chords. Of course, you need to make sure they’re all at least warm. Hot tea is a good beverage to keep drinking at this state. Not only that but drinking lots of water will prevent most infections as well, speeding up your healing process.
Disinfect your throat. In other words, gargle. Use either anti-bacterial products or salt and warm water to further keep the bacteria that might exploit your throat away from it. It’s good for your tonsils too.
Give your throat a little workout. Warm up a little with some hums and buzzes. That way, you condition your chords a little bit before you talk. Sometimes it’s not possible to not talk at all, so you need to do prepare your chords a bit more each time you will try to talk at this state.
Avoid subjecting your voice to more harm. Quit smoking if you have to. It’s bad for your voice anyway. Between a vice and your career, it’s obviously a no-brainer. Also, avoid coughing to clear your throat. If you have phlegm problems, then swallow twice.
Remember to relax. It’s not the end of the world. If you just follow the simple guidelines above, then you and your voice will be back in shape in no time.