This article was originally written in Turkish and has been translated into English with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The translation may contain errors; the original Turkish version is the authoritative text.
Almost all voice specialists agree that we do not take very good care of our voice. We watch our weight, we exercise, we look after our skin. But it never even crosses our minds to look after the voice we use so roughly all our lives. Only when our throat hurts or our voice goes hoarse do we realise we need to do something. To get better we drink linden tea, use other herbal remedies and gargle, and if none of this works we soon find ourselves at an ear, nose and throat specialist. Perhaps we behave this way because we cannot see the mechanism that produces our voice. Yet a beautiful voice is at least as important as our appearance. A pleasant voice leaves an extremely positive impression of its owner. The opposite inevitably puts people off.
Looking back to ancient times, we see that among the Greeks and the Romans voice training was part of general education. Every individual who aimed to contribute to public life was obliged to take lessons from a voice specialist in correct breathing, clear speech and singing. In this way these people increased their power to influence the individuals and communities they spoke to.
When we bring this subject to our own time, we see that because many of us have lost this awareness, lack the knowledge and cannot find the time, people face difficulties such as the breathing problems, lip laziness and speaking from the throat that I described in my earlier articles. That is why it would be wise to take seriously at least the recommendations of specialists on voice care.
- Just like the Greeks and the Romans, we should train our voice. This training, which today only professional singers and actors receive, aims at using the voice for a long time and in a healthy way. Like teachers, broadcasters, politicians and everyone who uses their voice in their profession, you too need this training for a healthy voice. You can do it too by choosing the right people to give it. But I will say it once more: to avoid losing your voice, it is essential to find someone who gives correct, well-informed training.
- Doctors recommend that people start the day with exercise for a healthy life. Just as athletes do warm-up exercises before a competition to warm up their bodies, the same applies to our voice. You can do the vocal warm-up exercises I recommended in earlier articles by yourself in the car on the way to work, while walking or while doing housework.
- After the warm-up, the roughness in your voice will have gone. Now, if you are going to speak a great deal that day, or if you are an actor or singer, or if you are going to school to teach for eight hours, you must do voice exercises. You will either do the exercises you have worked on with your voice teacher under their supervision, or try to do them yourself.
- Especially when speaking or singing, you should use your own natural voice. Speaking in a voice that is too high or too low puts great strain on the vocal cords and you may lose your voice. You should never try to imitate voices outside your own vocal range. With the help of voice teachers you can learn the nature of your voice.
- One of the greatest enemies of the vocal cords is smoking. Smoking irritates the mucous membrane of the vocal cords and reduces the capacity of the lungs, the number one factor in producing the voice. This significantly prevents us from getting the highest performance we should get from the vocal cords and, with them, from the lungs.
- Alcoholic drinks are another factor that affects the voice. First of all, they dilate the blood vessels and disrupt the secretion of the mucous membrane. Even when drunk in very small amounts, they can upset the tuning of the vocal cords and the muscles connected to them. A small amount of alcohol taken after dinner has less effect. People who have an important presentation, concert or performance should not drink alcohol on that day. Another harm of alcohol is that, because of certain substances it contains, it causes allergies in many people. Some drinks made from grapes and oats can cause allergies.
- Drug use harms many organs of our body, and it harms our voice too. It causes us to lose our perception and our ability to sing and speak well. Sometimes it can cause trauma and bleeding in the vocal cords even though we feel no pain.
- In noisy environments, especially group gatherings, weddings, bars, restaurants and similar places, we inevitably raise our voice to hear one another, and either speak higher than our natural voice or shout. The situation is not very different when we are very angry. At such times we forget our voice-care habits. In addition, talking excessively in cars and aeroplanes — bearing in mind that humidity drops on aeroplanes — dries out the mucous membrane and can damage the vocal cords.
- Eating a lot, especially late at night, strains the digestive system and therefore causes stomach acid to flow back into the throat when you lie down after eating (reflux). To prevent this situation, which is extremely dangerous for the vocal cords, we need to plan our mealtimes. And since being overweight makes the respiratory and abdominal muscles work harder, we should take care not to put on weight.
- Because the muscles relax during menstruation (and the vocal cords can be considered muscles), women should avoid sudden shouting and speaking loudly on those days. Women whose profession involves the voice (singers, actresses, broadcasters, etc.) should take this even more seriously.
- Medicines should be taken only on a doctor’s advice. The side effects of medicines taken on hearsay or a friend’s recommendation can be harmful to the vocal cords.
Even if it is a little difficult, if we keep the points mentioned above in mind, we can use our voice and our breath healthily for many years.