Recently Senator Cory Booker made headlines when he spoke for over 25 consecutive hours on the senate floor. Twenty-five hours!
I have been getting a lot of voice referrals lately. There are a number of variables that could explain this, but a strong possibility is Utah’s poor air quality along with recent wildfires that make a voice problem even worse. While my clients are not preparing for 25-hour voice marathons, they are engaged in activities such as public-speaking, customer service over-the-phone, and reading to children.
For those who experience symptoms like a scratchy voice, painful throat, and vocal fatigue by the end of the day, here’s some things to try.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I know, the phrase itself is a broken record, but hydration is critical for healthy vocal folds.
- Take vocal rests. Just as a you rest muscles after a workout, your laryngeal muscles involved in speaking require rest.
- Are you a mouth breather? If you’re not sure, take a few moments and observe. Mouth-breathing contributes to dry mouth which contributes to voice problems (among other things). Make a conscious effort to reprogram your brain to breathe through your nose.
- Control environmental factors where possible. You can’t go extinguish fires, but you can manage other factors such as smells or foods that trigger coughing or throat-clearing (both enemies of good voice).
- Reduce intake of alcohol and caffeinated beverages. They dry your vocal folds out.
- Massage your neck and face. This relaxes the muscles associated with speaking which reduces muscle tension.
- Manage reflux. There are several over-the-counter medications that can make a big difference.
- Participate in yoga and meditation. It does wonders for stress and teaches good breath support. Speaking of breath . . .
- Google diaphragmatic breathing and start doing it NOW.
- If the problem persists, talk to your doctor. When I receive a referral for voice problems, I insist on an ENT evaluation to rule out pathologies such as polyps, cancer, vocal fold paralysis, etc.
If you are a resident of Utah interested in voice therapy, shoot me a text at (801) 420-4083 or e-mail at jackie@livewellspeechtherapy.com. Let’s get your voice back!
