Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice-Over Voice

2023.01.23 – 0753 – Hydration Oughta Be Water, But…

Where hydration comes from

Hydration oughta be water, plain, pure and at room temperature. But if you’re struggling to drink enough try:

·        Try flavouring your water with fruit

·        Drink caffeine-free tea like chamomile, ginger, or peppermint tea

·        Eat foods that contain more water, such as cucumbers or melons

o  Cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens and high fibre fruits contain good nutrients and vitamins, which help keep the voice healthy and lubricated

·        Keep a humidifier running in the place that you sleep, and also in the place where you work or are most often using your voice.

Essentially all fluids count, but it may be an idea to try and avoid:

·        Some people say dairy and chocolate affect their mucus levels, so you may want to monitor your intake and avoid them if you agree

·        Drinks from the machine: cold and fizzy or hot and caffeinated

o  Carbonated drinks will have the obvious result of causing burps and may affect breath support

o  Drinking caffeine (say in coffee) may increase your heart rate and make you more nervous you may have difficulty concentrating on the script or speak too fast. Caffeine can also speed up the production of extra-thick phlegm and that will mean you spend more time swallowing hard or coughing. A widely-held view that coffee will dehydrate you, is now thought not to be accurate, although it may affect some people in that way.

·        Alcohol can make you drowsy, slurred and contains sugar

Some medications  may also cause issues:

·        anti-histamines, decongestants and anti-depressants tend to cause dryness

·        over-the-counter local anaesthetic medication for the throat create numbness reducing our ability to know if we are damaging our voice further