Your voice is one of your greatest assets. That’s why it’s extremely important to protect it as the weather begins to cool down. Keeping your voice healthy is crucial for singers and non-singers alike. Almost everything you do requires the use of your voice. Whether that involves going about your daily routines or you’re at work or school. The more often you’re speaking the heavier the demand is on your voice, especially during the winter. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one of the keys to having a healthy voice. Sometimes though, we make mistakes and have to suffer the consequences. So let’s discuss some of the ways cold weather and unhealthy habits can affect our voices, as well as talk about how we can work on protecting our voices.

What outside factors have an effect on your vocal quality?

Maintaining a healthy voice can be challenging during the winter. There are so many outside factors that could have a negative effect on your voice. Staying healthy and hydrated is one of the best ways to protect your vocal cords. While nobody wants to feel under the weather, sometimes it’s hard to stay away from those unhealthy habits. Here are some factors that could have a negative impact on your voice during the holiday season:

• Caffeine and Alcohol
  • Both caffeine and alcohol are beverages that dehydrate you. It’s important that you consume just as much water as you do caffeine and alcohol to help rehydrate yourself.
  • If you are someone who has to use their voice more often, it’s suggested to drink an extra glass of water beforehand if you know you’ll be having some caffeine or alcohol.
• Stress
  • Constantly being stressed out can lead you to experience muscle tension in your neck and shoulders.
  • If you don’t try to relax and relieve yourself from stress the quality of your voice could be affected.
• Smoking
  • In general, smoking can serious ramifications for your overall health and voice. Avoiding entirely is recommended.

How can you protect your voice during the colder months?

As we enter the winter months, we become more susceptible to sickness. While nobody ever wants to be sick, people who rely on their voices especially don’t want to. The cold weather not only slows us down but can do some damage to our voices if we go untreated. Luckily we’re going to list a few tips to help protect your voice in the cold:

• Eat healthy to keep your immune system strong
• Always wash your hands after being in a public place
• If you’re coming down with a cold contact a doctor
• Be well rested
• Run a vaporizer at night to ward off sickness
• Try to not excessively use over-the-counter medications
• Visit a specialist if you’re looking for some extra warm-up care

How can the Professional Voice Care Center help:

If you are someone who relies heavily on their voice, seeking out the help of a specialist at the Professional Voice Care Center could be beneficial. We provide a variety of services including singing lessons, voice therapy, speech training, and speech pathology to those who need it. Our voice therapy program is perfect for people who are feeling the effects of those cold winter months. When you meet with our team, we’ll start by evaluating your vocal function. From there we’ll be able to formulate the best program for your rehabilitation needs! 

If you’re looking to take that extra step to protect your voice this holiday season, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today for more information!