How Do You Deal With Sore Throats?

[JackLias]

I'm interested in becoming a vocalist, but there's one catch: I wake up with a sore throat more often than I don't. Now, I could huff down some cough drops like candy, but that doesn't sound very effective for a singer, and I imagine that a singer wouldn't let their voice dictate their singing schedules (unless they've actually lost their voice, in which case I'd imagine there's nothing they could do about that). Is there anything you could recommend to at least make it not hurt to speak, if not completely take away your sore throat?

[Retrosaurus Rex]

Since you're apparently not coming down with something, I'd say you're dehydrated. Drink water and ease off the caffeine. Pay attention to your diet and how that affects the situation. If you live in a very dry climate buy a humidifier for your bedroom. I'm writing from the perspective of someone learning to sing, and dealing with dry throat and phlegm.

Check this thread:

Cheryl in particular has good advice...

[john]

Hmmmm. Is there a known reason for your sore throat? Strep? Acid reflux? Coughing? Speaking too loudly? Snoring (granted more soft palate than throat but hey)? Smoking?

Some sore throats are caused by a more environmental reason, such as sleeping in the same room as an ashtray that has some stubs in it.

For obvious reasons, if you have an undiagnosed medical reasons, you should consult a doctor to get to the bottom of this.

I used to suffer from both a strep throat and from acid reflux. Each needed different treatment. When my throat was inflamed for whatever reason I would gargle with warm, salted water for 5 minutes (large mug). That worked wonders. I also avoided alchohol at a time when I was singing (it dries out your vocal chords) and I drank pineapple juice. Other than that I made sure I was properly hydrated with simple water. That last one can make a big difference.

At the other end of things working through a set of warm up exercises helps reduce throat strain.

[JackLias]

I used to suffer from strep throat, but I don't anymore. I know I do snore, and I probably sleep with my mouth open. Considering it could only be dehydration, the effects of the sore throat last way longer than I would expect them to.

[john]

not counting coffee or tea you should be drinking between about a pint and a half and two pints of untainted water a day.

i guess it also depends what you consider a realistic period of time that lack of hydration would still be having an effect. i am not a medical guy but i would guess the symptoms wouldnt instantly vanish. i would also guess that an inflamation caused by lack of hydration could feasibly cause an infection.

[vocalcoachkentaylor]

I agree with John. Dehydration doesn't immediately go away when your cords come into contact with water. Your vocal cords might feel temporary relief when you take a swig, but after a minute or so, they'll return to that old, dry feeling.

When dealing with dehydration and the effects of it, consistent water intake becomes extremely important. I don't know how true this is, but it was once explained to me that your vocal cords become hydrated not at contact with water, but more so when there's enough water within your blood stream. So, in order to "rehydrate," it's not so much about drinking a bottle of water before you sing, but maintaining a consistent habit of drinking plenty of water each day (and potentially limiting your caffeine/alcohol intake).

I'm a professional vocal coach, so I sing more hours a day than most would argue is healthy. In efforts to ensure I'm performing to the peak of my abilities, I mostly drink water (albeit carbonated water, b/c I enjoy the bite of the carbonation). I easily drink 100ozs a day. Now don't get me wrong, I still drink a little bit of coffee for a caffeine boost, but I'll easily drink 3 or 4 cans of soda water for every cup of coffee. This is likely more extreme than what you'd need to do, but this is something I do as a singer who uses his voice day in and day out, when sick or when well... for what it's worth.

[analogic10]

that's exactly the question I asked myself when seriously considered a music career, as my too-often-sore throat was a real pain in my... throat

of course you can still be a singer, it's only a routine/discipline you develop in time if you listen to your body. the main idea is to keep your throat moist, because a dry throat gets irritated and it's easier attacked and made sick by bacteria normally living in there.

- drink (water best, tea (especially herbal) good, natural juices good, sodas bad, alcohol bad);

- have bonbons at hand when in dry, heated or AC spaces especially on planes, trains, cars - sweet, salty, menthol, sour, bitter, the more diverse the tastes, the better (sugar free if you care for your teeth). there are special (slimy ) ones for singers at the pharmacy, and they really work

- humidify the room you live and sleep in

- gurgle after brushing your teeth - mouth wash, salty water, even alcohol; alternating tastes (also in what you drink and eat - onions, chilly, lemon, spices) will work against a wider range of bacteria irritating your throat

- breath through your nose; as they hang together, keep your nose clean and moist too. oily drops and even nose showers are absolutely horrible but very efficient

- work on a proper singing technique that will take as much pressure off your throat as possible

and of course generally take care of your "instrument" paying attention to what you eat (more vitamins less carbs), exercising, a straight body position and correct breathing.

reading this I admit it sounds annoying, and I wouldn't follow this advice myself if I hadn't learned it the hard way.

[AnaMZ]

Oh boy, that's a pain! I agree with what everybody else has said about hydration - by the time you feel thirsty, your body will already be very dehydrated, so it's important to maintain hydration even on your "off-seasons" (days when you're not singing), drinking cool or slightly warm water. Carrying a drink-bottle around with you can be a massive help with remembering to stay hydrated. Ease off on the carbonated and/or caffeinated drinks too, if you're very fond of them.

Lemon + honey drinks are great for the throat, but on the whole I tend to avoid throat lozenges. They encourage salivation (yay) but mostly just numb the throat rather than contributing to its healing (boo). In an absolute pinch, if you had to perform in the next half hour for example, a VocalZone lozenge would do the trick for getting through the performance, but this is really only for emergencies - it'll dry out your throat, don't be fooled by the fact that your throat will cease to hurt for a while!

[wilmot]

For the long  term, I agree with most of what's earlier in this thread. Dehydration is a bitch. I'd like to underline that a humidifier can be the bee's knees. Also, you should take a look at your indoor environment, especially in the bedroom - Don't keep it too warm and, preferably don't use fan type heaters that don't rehumidify the air.

 

In the short term (for recording or performing), some sort of hot beverage can do the trick  - But make sure that it's not counter productive, so no coffee and no alcohol (sorry). Milk based is also bad, but for different reasons. Onion soup is a classic - Before I went veggie, I also used a somewhat spicy chinese soup that cleared head and throat even better.

 

/Niclas