Phlegm

[Gemini9]

I'm a vocalist. I sing karaoke, record my own sings, and just joined a band so I'm going to be putting in some pretty long hours on stage. I'm a decent lead vocalist for the most part, but I do have some issues I need to deal with since I'm going to be gigging. I don't smoke. Never have. But it seems I'm always battling phlegm in my throat/chest and this hampers my ability to sing. It decreases my range, decreases wind capacity and the constant clearing of my throat can even sometimes raw out my voicebox, making things even worse. I'm not sure what the problem is, if it's something I'm eating drinking, or just that I'm not drinking enough. I don't think it's allergies, because it's an all the time thing. Not just seasonal. And it doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing. I've tried robitussin chest decongestant before, but it doesn't seem to help much.

Any tips on trying to rid of this annoying problem?

[john]

do you suffer from indigestion/heart burn? that can cause a lot of phlegm and your vocal cords themselves. Do spend a lot of time in a dusty environment?

[FinnArild]

What you put in the mouth also matters a lot. Never drink milk or anything with milk in it before you sing. Also - ease up on the coffee ... When singing I only drink water.

[Cheryl]

I'm a vocalist. I sing karaoke, record my own sings, and just joined a band so I'm going to be putting in some pretty long hours on stage. I'm a decent lead vocalist for the most part, but I do have some issues I need to deal with since I'm going to be gigging. I don't smoke. Never have. But it seems I'm always battling phlegm in my throat/chest and this hampers my ability to sing. It decreases my range, decreases wind capacity and the constant clearing of my throat can even sometimes raw out my voicebox, making things even worse. I'm not sure what the problem is, if it's something I'm eating drinking, or just that I'm not drinking enough. I don't think it's allergies, because it's an all the time thing. Not just seasonal. And it doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing. I've tried robitussin chest decongestant before, but it doesn't seem to help much.

Any tips on trying to rid of this annoying problem?

Watch your allergies.... Are you eating too much dairy? Drinking too much milk? These are phlegm creators. When I started singing more often, I cut down my dairy by 2/3rds and that did the trick. Another phlegm creator is dehydration - the folds create mucous as a form of self-protection. Therefore, watch your dehydrators like coffee, tea and alcohol and cut down on those, as well. Drink more water! ALSO IMPORTANT: Every time you clear your throat it is a sign of dehydration - this makes the vocal folds chafe and results in vocal mechanism damage. SO... instead of clearing your throat, you need to drink water. At first this is hard to do. Start carrying water around with you!

Edited July 27, 2010 by Cheryl

[Roosevelt]

I also have the same problem and I do drink little bit of more milk than others (3 glasses every day). I can't just stop drinking milk, my body needs it for growth and stuff. So, what can you do in this case?

[ToMoveOnIsToGrow]

I am 14 so I'm no good for advice but I am a heavy asthmatic and frequently get bronchitis and have been hospitalized twice with pneumonia and so I know how you feel with the phlegm situation, not fun

[presynaras]

Check your sinuses. Never have any thing extreme cold or extreme hot. You already don't smoke, never take up that habit in the future.Also do have some Tuberculosis tests. Nothing to fear, sometimes the starting stage of TB can cause these problems. Even if thats the case Tb aint a big deal, you can get cured of it in a few months. So nothing to worry, good luck with ur singing career.

[BlackhawkFan]

Not that my vote matters much, but I second the "stay away from milk" and cardio advise. Running also strengthens the diaphram, so it's a two-fer.

[BlackhawkFan]

I might add that if you suffer from heartburn and you've verified that it isn't symptomatic of heart disease, put a little vinegar in a glass with water and drink it maybe twice a day. Your heartburn could well disappear.

[farouk2music]

I sometimes have that problem when I sing for a while. That's why I try to drink a lot of water when I don't sing, and I drink TONS when I'm practicing or recording.

running is good, too. I didn't know it that had much of a positive effect on a singing voice, so that is reassuring.

[swimstar4712]

This isn't the best for your teeth because of the acid, but drinking a little lemon juice helps. Doesn't taste the best, but put it in a little bit of water and you'll be fine. I wouldn't recommend it all the time, but it helps every once in a while when you need to clear it up quickly.

[panaka]

Stay away from caffeine before singing as well! I also drink just a tiny bit of vinegar about half hour before a show, and it seems to help.

[AnaMZ]

- Ease up on the dairy, particularly on the day of a gig

- Minimise caffeine (I also find that orange juice makes me quite phlegmy, yuck)

- It's great that you don't smoke, but do consider whether you're often taking in second hand smoke through the venues that you're performing at/working in - if it's getting to be problematic, consider relocating to a smoke-free environment

- If this is coming coupled with other symptoms, speak to your doctor about allergies

- Coke can be surprisingly effective at clearing up phlegm - the beverage, that is!

[Mahesh]

- Coke can be surprisingly effective at clearing up phlegm - the beverage, that is!

really? that seems quite absurd.lol anyone else thinks the same? very curious

[AnaMZ]

really? that seems quite absurd.lol anyone else thinks the same? very curious

I agree, and I don't usually do it! But my singing teacher seems to find that it works for her, and on occasion it's been helpful for me too. It's so individual really, we just have to experiment until we find what works for us. For example, I'm quite fine to have dairy before a performance, but orange juice puts me in a bad way!

[DogmaticRock]

When I drink Diet Mtn Dew, it makes me less likely to clear my throat of phlegm.