5 Tips to Maintain Voice Health for Voiceover actors

What ‘special’ steps should you take to keep your voice strong and healthy for performances and auditions? These five tips will help you produce your best vocal rendition:

1. Support your Breathing.

Belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing enables your stomach to fill out with every

inhalation. This is the natural way to breathe. Incorrect breathing is when you breathe using your chest or shoulders. Belly breathing creates easy and full breaths. This helps produce sounds with no strain or effort.

2. Eat a Nutritious Diet.

In order to have a good voice, it is important to be healthy. This means keeping

your throat hydrated by drinking lots of water and eating wholesome, nutritious food. Avoid smoking. The smoke can irritate your vocal cords. Avoid eccessive use of alcohol, as it eventually leads to acid reflux (GERD), a true vocal cords killer.

3. Reduce Speaking in Loud Environments

In a noisy environment, such as a crowded pub or a busy lobby, the noise level is usually higher than normal. If you try to speak in such conditions, it puts a lot of strain on your vocal cords. It may damage them as well. Protect your voice by

speaking less in such environments.

4. Warm-up your Vocal Cords

Every morning, practice gentle cooing or humming sounds. Perform tongue or lip trills. This enhances the use of breath and airflow and warms up your voice. It is a good practice for voiceover artists.

5. Take Medications with Care

There are certain medications that can cause dryness in the throat such as antihistamines,

antidepressants, and decongestants. Over-the-counter anesthetic medications for the throat can cause numbness. Before taking any medications, speak to your doctors about their side effects on your throat.

If you want to protect your voiceover career, you must maintain your voice health with these tips.