Look after your voice
Sip water, rest your voice between sessions and stop shouting over noise, so a talking-heavy job doesn't wear out your vocal cords.
- How often
- Daily
- Time
- Through the day
- Recommended for
- 3 factors
How to do it
- Keep water within reach and sip it while you talk for long stretches.
- Use a microphone or headset when you speak to a room or for hours at a time.
- Cut the background noise instead of talking over it, or wait for quiet before you speak.
- Take short voice breaks between classes, calls or sets, and rest your voice on days off.
- Avoid clearing your throat hard or whispering when hoarse; both strain the cords.
Why it helps
Your vocal cords vibrate hundreds of times a second when you speak. Long hours of talking, raised volume and dry air can irritate and swell them, which shows up as hoarseness or a tired voice. Hydration and rest give the tissue a chance to recover.
Be careful
See a doctor, ideally an ear, nose and throat specialist, if hoarseness lasts more than three weeks or if you have pain or trouble swallowing.