Keep Your Throat Healthy
A voice actor’s most important possession is his voice. Whether you are only a beginner or you are a professional, your voice is your paramount tool. Not drinking sweet or cold drinks, and not straining one’s vocal cords are two basic things that voice actors should know. However, these are not the only things that you should do to maintain the health of your vocal cords. Since the voice over industry is continuously developing, the opportunities, therefore, keep on coming. This means if you are a voice talent, you need to be ready to hit the record button all the time, because you never know when the client would request for an audition. You would not want to miss opportunities like that, just because your voice is not in shape at the moment.
What causes sore throat or dryness of the throat? What can I do to avoid them?
Colds, sore throat, and stuffy nose are not always to blame for your vocal cords to not function properly. Though these can make you sound different, there are a lot of other factors that can make your vocal cords unhealthy.
SUDDEN CHANGE IN WEATHER
Winter’s air can be really rough on your throat. What you need to do in order to avoid allergies in your throat is to stay warm wherever you go. Covering your throat with a scarf is a need to keep your throat warm.
CAFFEINATED DRINKS
Caffeinated drinks such as coffee can cause your larynx to dry. What if you are a coffee person? Guess you have to skip some of your coffee time in some days. Try to lessen your coffee consumption in order to not dry your larynx. Skipping your coffee fix for the day when you are about to audition, or record audio would be a great help. Another drink that can contribute to the drying of your throat is drinking alcohol. So, if you have a big audition for tomorrow, it is best to skip the alcohol tonight.
CIGARETTE SMOKING
Smoking is bad for your health in general, specifically, your mouth, lungs, and tongue. Even though you are not a smoker, second hand smoking is still dangerous to your vocal cords. Cigarette smoke causes irritation in your vocal cords. Some voice actors risk the health of their vocal cords by smoking cigarettes in order to achieve a low, and raspy voice. There are specific productions that are looking for this voice type. There are ways on how you can achieve that, just do not resort to smoking because it can cause long term health problems. In order to avoid cigarette smoke, you can use surgical mask when going outside. This can protect you from inhaling the smoke.
Too much? Not really. Maintaining your vocal cords healthy by avoiding the factors mentioned above is a must. It is better to prevent the sore throat from happening than to suffer the consequences later. You also need to remember that avoiding things that might harm your vocal cords is not enough. You should take care of your voice on a daily basis. Try practicing it for days, then it will become a routine for you.
What are the things that I can do everyday to keep my vocal cords healthy?
DRINK YOUR WATER. That is the first and most important rule. It is important that you are hydrated. It is not only beneficial for your throat, but it is also important for your general health. Drinking water is good for your skin, tummy, and liver. Drinking water will keep you healthy, and will make you get more voice acting projects. Secondly, you have to avoid straining your voice. It is best that you refrain from yelling, and whispering. Also, avoid clearing your throat as it irritates your throat. If you feel like your throat is dry, you can always drink water to lubricate it. In line with this, never ever talking from your throat. Remember to draw air from your diaphragm when talking because talking using your throat may stress your vocal cords. Also bear in mind that warming up your voice before recording is very important.
Voiceover Herald published an article about warm-up exercises that you can do before recording your voice. The exercises that you can do are breathing exercises, lip trills, kazoo buzz, jaw release, tongue trill, and humming. Do this everyday and it can do wonders for you!
Getting sick is something that no one wishes to have. But it is best that you take care of your voice, and body in general, everyday. Eat healthy, do your exercise, stay hydrated and keep practicing. Also, be mindful of your environment. If you are a type of voice actor who is always on the go, there’s no harm on thinking in advance. Always keep with you your surgical mask because pollution brought by cigarettes and cars is really harmful for your respiratory system. If you think you will be out late, bring your beanie and scarf with you, so when the night comes, you can protect your vocal cords from the cold air.
Being consistent is the key to make all of these happen. If you want to stay on top of the game, you have to be always present, and ready to record that script! Keep on reading tips here on The Voice Realm to get updated tips on how to keep you on top of the voice acting game.
How do you prevent sore throat? What are your daily routines to keep your throat healthy? Share it with us!
