Are you a singer, actor, teacher? Does your job require a lot of talking? You will want to read on if you use your voice a lot.
The vocal folds need to be coated with a thin layer of mucus in order to vibrate effectively. Drinking water is the best way to achieve this.
When you drink water, the throat is moistened, but the liquid never touches the vocal folds, otherwise you’d choke or gag.
The water we drink goes down the esophagus and then has to be digested for the thin layer of mucus to be produced on vocal chords.
If you become dehydrated, the mucus on your vocal chords thickens which causes irritation making you want to clear your throat.
Here are some tips to keep your delicate chords hydrated-
-drink a lot of water!!
-use a humidifier especially in the winter months
-caffeine & alcohol dehydrate so drinking less is best
-eat foods high in water content such as lettuce, grapes, cucumbers and others.
-add lemon into your diet which helps your body produce the thin mucous
-cold and allergy meds often have a drying effect on chords so going for natural anti histamines and cold meds is best.
I personally LOVE Watermelon @LaCroix and drink it in addition to my normal water.
Above all, listen to your body. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water because at that point you’re already dehydrated. Keep a water bottle with you whenever you can.
