Home  Patient Education Voice Care Instructions
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Avoid Voice Strain. Avoid yelling, screaming, and loud talking; talking over background noises or talking at inappropriately high or low pitches. Avoid singing at pitches or loudness levels outside your comfortable range. Avoid odd vocal sounds such as animal or truck noises. Do not whisper.
Avoid persistent coughing or throat clearing. Take a sip of water when you feel like clearing your throat. Try to blow air across your vocal cords (haaah), without actually allowing them to contact each other. Suck on lemon drops or hard candy but do not use medicated throat lozenges except for temporary pain from colds or sore throats. If you must cough, use a soft gentle cough with your breath instead of a hard forceful cough with your voice. Break the habit of persistent throat clearing.
Drink plenty of water. Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day. Use of steam or humidification systems cleaned daily can also help.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Maximum of two servings per day total.
Stop smoking. Avoid second hand smoke as well.
Rest your voice. Voice rest can be helpful when your voice is tired or strained.
Take care of acid reflux/heartburn. See your doctor and follow the instructions for changes in diet, eating habits, and medications.
Treat any colds or laryngitis seriously. Rest your voice. Use cough suppressants to control the cough, but do not use medicated lozenges as a crutch to allow you to talk or sing. If you cannot talk or sing comfortably without the lozenges, you should not be talking or singing much at all.
Watch for interactions between medications and voice. Some medications can have side effects that influence the voice. One of the most common side effects is that of drying. Talk to your doctor about your mediations.
Stay healthy. Your voice responds your overall physical and emotional health. Be sure you are taking care of all aspects of your health.
Do not ignore changes in your voice. If you experience hoarseness, pain, difficulty swallowing, or any other changes in you voice that persists for more than two weeks, you should see an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) for an evaluation.
Use good speaking techniques. In general, speaking with a relaxed voice and using good breath support produces the best sounding and healthiest voice. Your speech pathologist can help you learn these techniques.
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