How to Heal a Tired and Sore Voice

There’s nothing more frustrating than when you need to sing but your voice is just tired and sore. This is usually from illness, overuse, or a combination of the two. Below, I detail some of the things that really help me when my voice is tired and sore.

***It should be said that I am not a medical professional, and these are things that I do or that have been recommended to me. However, if you have ongoing issues, I highly recommend seeing an ENT or speech pathologist. If you’re in Melbourne, I highly recommend the Melbourne Voice Analysis Centre.

1. Vocal Rest

The most boring and, unfortunately, the best. Taking some time off from speaking and singing is probably the best thing you can do to heal a tired voice. Often, our voice is tired because the vocal cords are inflamed. Refraining from speaking and singing allows the inflamed cords a break and stops further irritation. Any amount of 

time you can rest your voice will help. If I have lost my voice very badly, I will usually try to have 24 hours of vocal rest. But even a 12-hour break (think your overnight sleep plus a few extra hours either side) will be really helpful for rehabilitating your voice.

2. Steaming

Inhaling steam is amazing for helping your voice recover or clearing thick mucus on the vocal folds. For years, I did this the old-fashioned way – pouring hot water into a heavy bowl, putting a towel over my head and inhaling (like this). But these days, I use this really inexpensive inhaler, which is a little bit more convenient. NB. if you are doing either of these be very careful with the hot water and always make sure you leave the water for a minute so it’s not freshly boiled when you’re inhaling it. There are also lots of electric steam inhalers on the market. I usually try to steam for about 10–15 minutes. Keep in mind that steam inhaling is best for recovery, and advice I’ve be given recommends you shouldn’t sing for about 30–45 minutes after steam inhaling.

3. Nebulising

This has become really popular in recent years, and for good reason. A nebuliser is a small device that creates a fine mist that you can inhale. This means it hydrating topically and quicker than drinking water because it is in vapour form. There are many different brands on the market, but I use this one. To use it, you need to add 0.9% saline solution (which you can buy online or from the chemist).

4. Straw Phonation

This is a great, gentle way to get back into vocalising after you’ve had some vocal rest (and it’s also a great warm-up). Straw phonation basically involves making a humming sound into a straw, either in or out of water. The back pressure this creates lowers your phonation threshold, or, in layman’s terms, makes your vocal cords come together with less effort. It’s also really soothing for a tired or sick voice.

5. Hydration and Special Drinks

There are actually a lot of misconceptions about drinks and helping your voice. In short, any liquid you swallow doesn’t touch your vocal cords (if it did, you would cough it up). So, anything you drink won’t immediately affect your sound. However, good hydration over time means that your vocal cords will be well lubricated and function more easily.

You may also have heard that pineapple juice is good for the voice. There is actually some evidence to support this. Pineapple juice contains the enzyme bromelain, which has actually been found to thin mucus and reduce vocal inflammation. However, this still won’t work immediately and is just something you can add to your bag of tricks when your voice isn’t in great shape.

6. Improving Projection

When your voice isn’t working at its best but you still need to talk or sing, changing your projection slightly can help to carry your voice further without extra effort. Adding a bit more brassiness to your sound (often known as ‘twang’) can do exactly this.

7. What to Avoid

Whispering – this actually strains the voice. If you do need to talk, you’re better off speaking in a clear, mid-range volume.

Cold and flu tablets – these can be great for soothing symptoms but some can dry out the vocal cords. In short, your vocal cords need a thin layer of mucus to function, and these tablets are designed to dry out mucus. So, if you take them, your cords have less hydration and it will be harder for them to operate.

Lozenges – similar to above, these can be really drying. In addition, they can numb parts of your mouth, which can alter your awareness of your singing and may make you strain your voice.

Loud environments – while your voice is recovering, it’s a really good idea to avoid loud environments where you’ll be likely to speak. We often don’t realise how much we raise our voice when we’re somewhere loud because we subconsciously increase our volume. This means that if you’re in a loud environment you might feel like you’re talking, but the way you are using your voice is likely closer to yelling. 

I hope this helps somewhat. As I’ve said, these are just ideas and concepts that I’ve picked up over the years that have really helped me. As I mentioned at the beginning, if you are concerned about regularly losing your voice or an ongoing issue, I strongly suggest seeing a voice specialist (like an ENT or speech pathologist). They are specially trained to diagnose voice issues and prescribe treatment. They are also able to use equipment to look directly at your vocal cords, so you can know exactly what is happening.

Last, but most certainly not least, be kind to yourself! It’s really frustrating when you lose your voice, especially if you have to cancel lessons or performances. But it happens to everyone, and it’s just one of those things that you get better at accepting or managing with time. Be gentle with yourself and know that the majority of the time, your voice will recover and be back to normal soon!

If you would like to book a lesson to talk about any of the above, or would like some tips on improving your singing so that you don’t strain your voice as often, click HERE to book a lesson.