Winter weather offers its own unique challenges to vocalists. Brutally cold temperatures can constrict the vocal chords and winter viruses can compromise your voice as well as your overall health. Keeping your voice healthy this season doesn’t have to mean going into hibernation until spring. You can increase the odds of your staying healthy dramatically by just following a few tips.
Tips for keeping your voice healthy this winter
1. Take extra time to warm up your voice. Warming up should be a regular part of your vocal routine year-round, but it’s especially important in the colder months to warm up slowly and gently during the winter to avoid straining your already dry vocal chords.
2. Boost your overall immune system. It’s all, but impossible to avoid winter viruses. They lurk at the grocery store, at school and even in performance halls. A better plan is to make sure that your body is up to the challenges of fighting these germs quickly and efficiently so that you don’t get sick. This means eating a balanced diet sans junk food, getting sufficient rest and getting enough exercise.
3. Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water is important to a vocalist any time of year, but it’s especially critical during the dry, winter months. Make sure to drink at least six, eight-ounce glasses or water a day and avoid beverages that can dehydrate your system, such as coffee, tea and alcoholic drinks. Staying hydrated can also help to ward off winter germs.
4. Don’t smoke. Smoking is hard on your vocal chords in any season, but this is especially true in the winter. Smoking irritates your vocal chords and also can lower your immune response, making you more susceptible to viruses and germs.
Keeping your voice healthy during the winter doesn’t have to be an impossible task. Simply take extra time to warm up whenever you sing, take steps to boost your immune system and drink plenty of water.