A sip of water every half hour is good for your vocal health
In order to talk about a healthy voice, all the sub-mechanisms that create the voice must be healthy. Incorrect voice use can cause voice disorders and negatively affect professional performance.
A sip of water every half hour is good for your vocal health
Speech and Language Therapist Res. Asst. Göksu Yılmaz made statements on the subject of voice health on the occasion of April 16 World Voice Day:
Voice is one of the most important tools that allow individuals to express themselves… Voice production occurs in the human body through the combination of the processes of respiration, phonation (the formation of sound) and resonance (the formation of air passing through the mouth and nose during speech). These processes allow the voice to be formed and to become meaningful during speech. In order to understand the importance of voice health, it is important to understand the mechanism of voice production well. Therefore, the first step of client training regarding voice health includes a good definition of the mechanism of voice production anatomically and physiologically.
How is a healthy voice formed?
When we look at the sound production mechanism in general, the main source of sound production is the air flow coming from the lungs. During exhalation, the air moves upwards through the trachea (windpipe) and reaches the larynx region. This air flow creates the basic energy that allows the vocal folds to vibrate. The vocal folds located in the larynx vibrate with the air flow and create the fundamental frequency of the sound. The raw sound coming out of the vocal folds is shaped by resonating in the throat, mouth and nasal cavities and takes its final form that we hear. Therefore, in order to talk about a healthy voice, all the sub-mechanisms that create the sound must also be healthy and robust.
What should professional audio users pay attention to?
Professional voice users (singers, theater artists, teachers, lawyers, educators, telephone/call center workers, religious officials, health workers, speech and language therapists) often have to meet demands such as using their voices for long periods of time and/or using their voices in a different way than in their daily lives. In this context, considering that most of the workers in the service sector are professional voice users, vocal endurance can be considered as an important phenomenon for the country’s economy. Because deteriorations/reductions in vocal performance not only contribute to the deterioration of the subjective perception of the voice, but can also limit the professional working lives of individuals.
The vocal folds come into contact with each other more in women than in men.
The vocal folds come into contact with each other an average of 200-250 times per second in women and 100-150 times per second in men during the production of sound. This contact occurs through the opening and closing cycle of the vocal folds. To explain with a more concrete example, clapping 200-250 times per second for women and 100-150 times per second for men can help us understand the load on the vocal folds. Some incorrect behaviors or habits during sound production can cause the voice to be used incorrectly, causing extra load on the vocal folds. This situation paves the way for voice disorders.
Misuse of voice
Some examples of incorrect use of the voice are; speaking loudly for a long time in noisy environments (classroom, noisy streets), speaking at an extremely high or low pitch or volume, speaking or singing continuously for long periods of time, forced whispering, frequent throat clearing, screaming, smoking tobacco or tobacco products, being exposed to external conditions that may irritate the voice (tobacco smoke, dust, dry air), consuming foods and drinks that will trigger reflux (very hot or very cold foods or drinks, fried and/or spicy foods) and eating before going to bed, not consuming enough water, consuming liquids that may cause additional dehydration in our body (caffeine, tea), posture disorders and additional muscle tensions that may occur as a result, and additional muscle tensions that may occur due to psychological or negative emotional factors.
Drink and sip water every 30 minutes
It is very important to protect the health of the vocal folds and voice production mechanism, which are already working with intense effort, and to use the voice correctly.
It is necessary to maintain adequate fluid intake to ensure systemic hydration of the vocal folds. To do this, drink 8-10 glasses of water per day by drinking or sipping water at frequent intervals approximately every 30 minutes.
To protect the vocal folds by minimizing the triggering of reflux, all eating and drinking activities, except water, should be stopped at least 2-3 hours before bedtime and excessively oily, salty, spicy and acidic foods should be avoided.
To avoid dehydration (water loss) of the vocal folds, avoid dry air conditions (exposure to air conditioning for long periods) and avoid exposure to irritating respiratory substances (cigarette smoke, dirty and dusty air, various chemicals, especially cleaning materials),
Proper positioning of the musculoskeletal system is another issue that needs to be taken into consideration, as it will directly affect conditions such as breathing and extra muscle tension. Therefore, recommendations can be given regarding maintaining proper posture while standing (balancing body weight on both feet, standing upright without bending or reaching backwards, keeping feet shoulder width apart) and sitting (appropriate lumbar/back support, adjusting chair height, holding the book at eye level while reading aloud, etc.).
Pay attention to daily habits to protect your voice!
To protect the voice, it is necessary to pay attention to daily habits. We should pay attention to voice hygiene and benefit from professional support such as voice therapy when necessary. Protecting voice health provides great benefits both individually and socially.