Morning folks

As those with long memories will remember in the run up to Christmas last year I totally lost my voice. I used to sing regularly when at school/university but nearly every year on the run up to Christmas I'd get a bad cold and loose my voice. I pretty much gave up singing as a result. Loosing my voice with a cold is nothing to do with singing as it happens nearly every time I have a cold whether I'm singing or not.

Last year I helped form a chamber choir, true to form 2 weeks before the Christmas concert I caught a bad cold and bye bye voice. It came back just in time for the concert (though my range appeared shifted up a minor 3rd which I don't understand) but caused me a fair amount of stress.

Has anyone out there got any suggestions to avoid the same thing happening again? I'm drinking loads of water, taking an extra vitamin supplement along with trying to eat as sensibly as possible. I really enjoy singing in this choir and would love to get through the whole run up to Christmas without worrying about getting colds.

Thanks in advance

C

Have you tried tighting it?

Nothing can really stop you catching cold, but eating healthily and making sure you are not run down helps.
Ecchinechia once the symptoms appear may shorten it, but the thing is pace your singing so that you don't make yourself as suseptable to the virus in the first place.

(she says whilst on heavy meds to treat an exacerbation of Asthma and Bronchitis, due to a cold because she was very run-down)

Those things will help to avoid the bugs certainly. Make sure that you get enough sleep and don't get chilled either. An extra layer of clothing makes a lot of difference. Wear a hat and gloves too! It is far easier to avoid smokey places now but do keep away from any smokers, and keep the alcohol to a minium. I don't know if vitamin C tablets make any difference but I think that a multi vitamin tab daily could help to keep colds away. I tend to drink lots of pineapple juice and that seems to keep my voice heathly. Christmas is a very stressful time and if you can get preparations done in good time and not get into a last minute panic it will help also. Some folk take herbal remedies such as echinacea regularly and find it helpful. Try to avoid people with colds of course and don't take on too much extra singing work. Use your voice sparingly in rehearsals and keep plenty in reserve for final runs through and for performances. Good luck.

Jod and Petrat have both given great advice, which I'd wholeheartedly endorse.

The other things I'd suggest are:

Inhaling steam if your throat is feeling grotty

and

Stop using your voice altogether if it feels like it's beginning to go. So send an e-mail to colleagues saying that you'll be communicating by e-mail or notes or hand signals. Give any family members a similar note too.


Here's hoping you won't need to do any of these things this Christmas.

I agree with all the advice so far given.

Steam is excellent if your throat feels dry and tickly (it's the only way to hydrate the vocal folds directly)

Protect your voice as much as possible - keep warm (whilst being cold won't actually give you a cold, it may reduce your ability to fight any viruses you catch and let them take hold more easily)

Eat well, sleep well and drink plenty of fluids

Think of hand hygiene - wash your hands several times a day to reduce the likelihood of grotty stuff finding its way into you.

Remember that a cold won't necessarily reduce your ability to sing - you'll have a hard time singing m n and ng, but the rest shouldn't sound different or be more difficult as long as it remains a head cold. If it turns into a throat infection, it's trickier - a good rule of thumb is if it hurts to swallow, don't try to sing and don't whisper in an attempt to protect a fragile voice, it's the worst thing you can do.

Allan

I watched a variety show about a year ago, featuring one of Taiwan's most popular pop stars, Lee-Hom Wang.
He talked about how he treated sore throats just before a concert:

Mix hot water with honey and apple cider vinegar

Some benefits of apple cider vinegar:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38036.asp

I do know it is alternative medicine, and that many people cannot take vinegar without careful prescription.
It works very well for me and my mother, so if you are healthy, you might want to try it when you have a bad sore throat. This mixture provides almost instant relief.

Just a caution - echinacea is great to take when symptoms start - it really shortens the life of cold and other things. But it should not be taken regularly, and not for more than two weeks.

The problem with this is that the mixture cannot touch your vocal folds so if the infection is in there, it won't help at all. It will help to relax the pharyngeal space, but after that the epiglottis will stop it touching the actual phonation space. Caution, then - it may make you feel relieved, but it won't make singing on a sore throat any less dangerous.

For me, it's not so much catching the cold as what I do after I catch it that's the problem.

The only thing that really seems to help me is rest and lots of water.

Unfortunately because I'm a lecturer, that's a bit hard for me to achieve. My mouth always seems to be open, either teaching or singing!

Manuka Honey Manuka Honey Manuka Honey! Best cure for a sore throat!

Many thanks for all the great advice.

So far I'm doing ok - 1 mild cold which for once didn't knock the voice out. The suggestion of inhaling steam really helped both to unblock me and make singing through that cold more acheivable than usual. 2 weeks to go before the concert now so my fingers are firmly crossed.

Apart from keeping away from people with colds... which if you teach or are a parent is nigh on impossible, make sure you eat a good diet and plenty of sleep. Some people swear by eating loads of garlic...which may keep people who have colds at bay as they don't like the smell. Drink plenty of water, you may find hot water more soothing than cold water. Keep how you are singing in rehearsals in check, it is really easy to oversing and have no voice by the concert. The other one is try no to talk too much between rehearsals.

You may be at Christmas Parties, but having a skinful is vocal suicide, for every glass of wine or beer chase it with a glass of water.

hi cjb i have always eaten a good diet due to diabetes for the last 21 years but when i met my husband 6/7 years ago i started to eat alot more spices and garlic i can honestly say this has hepled i dont seem to suffer with colds the rest of the office coughs through the winter and i seem ok try a few good curries and mulled wine is a great help

good luck avoiding the germs monkey flute

Many thanks for all the advice before Christmas. I'm glad to say I managed to get through all of the Christmas performances with only 1 problem - I missed the top Bb in the final rendition of We Wish You a Merry Christmas, I was tired by that point so only a little dissapointed, then again as it's a note that has only been in my range for about 18 months I'm not complaining.

Now I've proved to myself it is possible to get through Christmas without loosing my voice I'll be able to look forward to future Christmas seasons with less anxiety.