15 Ways to Prevent Voice Problems
An estimated 17.9 million adults in the U.S. report having had a problem with their voice within the past 12 months. Many people use their voices professionally.
Singers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, salespeople, consultants, public speakers, and athletes are among the few who use their voices extensively.
It is also known that people on the phone or video calls (Zoom meetings) talk more than four times as loud as they do during in-person conversations. This puts people who teleconference at risk of developing voice problems.
Sometimes voice problems can be avoided simply by taking care of your voice.
How to Take Care of Your Voice
Vocal hygiene is a term used to describe good habits that you can use to support a healthy and strong voice throughout your life. Just as brushing your teeth daily can help protect your teeth as you age, vocal hygiene can help you preserve the quality of your voice as you age. Hydration is of utmost importance.
Maintain good hydration. Drink 6-8 cups of water per day and minimize caffeine intake.
Take frequent voice breaks. Your voice needs 15 minutes of rest for every hour it is used.
No screaming or shouting.
Do not talk over background noise like the TV/radio. Instead, turn it off and then speak.
Do not yell from one room to another.
Eat well and sleep well.
Make sure you have regular “downtime”.
Avoid exposure to smoke, environmental allergens, and dust.
Talk with normal loudness, like you are telling someone something in confidence.
Use a slow speaking pace.
Instead of cheering, yelling, screaming, or shouting, use whistles, horns, clapping, jump up and down to show excitement, or touch someone’s arm to get their attention.
Avoid clearing your throat or coughing. Take a dry swallow or a sip of water instead.
When you have a sore throat, take cold medication or cough syrup as per the doctor’s advice, drink plenty of liquids, and get lots of rest.
Try to avoid whispering whenever possible. Instead, talk using a very soft and quiet voice.
Don’t talk when you are overtired. Go to bed instead!
If you have any questions or if you would like to learn more about how to restore your normal vocal quality, contact us!
About the Author
Allison Geller is a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and the owner of Connected Speech Pathology. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Florida in Speech-Language Pathology. Allison has practiced speech therapy in a number of settings including telepractice, acute care, outpatient rehabilitation, and private practice. She has worked extensively with individuals across the lifespan including toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, and adults. She specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a variety of communication disorders including receptive/expressive language disorders, articulation disorders, voice disorders, fluency disorders, brain injury, and swallowing disorders.
Allison served as the clinical coordinator of research in aphasia in the Neurological Institute at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. She is on the Board of Directors for the Corporate Speech Pathology Network (CORSPAN), a Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) certified clinician, and a proud Family Empowerment Scholarship/Step-Up For Students provider. Allison is passionate about delivering high quality-effective treatment remotely because it’s convenient and easy to access. What sets us apart from other online speech therapy options is—Allison takes great care to hire the very best SLPs from all over the country.
