How to Sing with Allergies
Itchy throat, stuffy nose, drainage- spring allergies can be tough on everyone! As the flora turns green and blossoms, pollen populates our nostrils and can really be frustrating for singers to have to sing through! If you’re a performer with tours and gigs you have to find a way to get through the schedule. Choirs, rehearsal schedules, or maybe you simply love to sing every single day and your allergies are making it hard to do this. What do we do? Stuffy noses create mouth breathers and mouth breathers create dry mouth. Allergy medicines help to clear you up but they also dry you out! I recommend increasing your water intake to offset these issues, especially if you can’t stop taking these allergy medicines but obviously that’s not enough! The following is a list of options to help you get through allergy issues and maintain your best singing voice:
HYDRATE. yes, I just said it and it bears repeating! Hydration is super important, especially for those that have to take allergy medications such as antihistamines that dry us out. Drink water throughout the day and remember that even if you take allergy medicine once per day, your body will experience a continual dehydration throughout the day.
NETI POT. For those that have a gig tonight, this will be your quickest form of relief. The Neti Pot clears out your sinus with a water/salt solution, great for relieving sinus pressure.
AVOID MEDICATION THAT DRIES YOU OUT IF POSSIBLE. Understandably, this is not always an option for everyone but if you can avoid medicines that dry you out it is best in my opinion. When medications dry you out, the mucosal lining around the folds can be affected and less mucous leads to more friction and more friction will lead to inflammation of the folds.
VOCAL EXERCISES. Certain vocal exercises can be very beneficial for swollen and irritated folds. Probably the most important one would be lightly humming to encourage a good seal on the folds and to thin them down. If you’re looking for vocal exercises that can help with this, SUBSCRIBE HERE where you can find vocal damage exercises and so much more! Subscribers can make content requests and its a convenient way to work on your voice for an affordable price.
Allergies can come and go but vocal health is important no matter how you feel! You don’t need to stop singing, you just need to take care of yourself! As always, sign up for LESSONS today to get your voice in shape and to maintain your best possible singing voice!
-Missy MacQuarrie
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