How to Clear Your Throat and Protect You Voice - Professional Voice Care Center

[@AmandaJYoungs]

Thank you, this is useful, actionable content, and I will make sure I don't let it go unactioned! Much appreciated. I have subscribed.

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

Fantastic! Taking action is the key to making progress 👍

[@aviiamo]

I WILL STOP STOP STOP CLEARING MY THROAT

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

Yay! Or at least use safe throat clearing methods!

[@flyondawall4518]

Thank You

[@kamanarai7569]

Mucus is whats holding me back

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

So many people I've worked with have a similar complaint. Combining the safe throat clearing methods with steaming, use of nebulized saline, and increased water intake can really help. Also, talk to your doctor about whether you should take mucolytic agents like Mucinex to help thin the mucus. Best of luck!

[@rubyfirefly2582]

Subscribed! Thank you for great tips. I've been a lifelong throat clearer just because I don't know what else to do in the moment. I'm a cantor at my church and I want to find good ways to clear my constant mucus without doing hard to my vocal chords.It shows up even while I'm singing and that's deadly. Will try all your tips and try to get new habits. Hope it helps!

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

Sounds like a good strategy! Remember, there are many quick ways to clear the cords. Hum, huff, sniff, hard swallow, sip and swallow, etc. It's certainly a nuisance when it happens while we're talking or singing. We singers are notorious for multiple hard throat clears, but it's definitely not good for us! Always stay hydrated (1/2 your body weight in ounces of water as a rule of thumb) and breathe steam or nebulized saline. Here's a link to our new affiliated product, the Vocal Mist voice nebulizer. myvocalmist.com?afmc=VOICECARE&VOICECARE& Sign up here for our mailing list for a special surprise related to Vocal Mist. eepurl.com/drgphn

[@AmandaJYoungs]

@@VoiceCareWithKaren This is good to know because I just purchased a VocalMist nebuliser a couple of days back! I hope it arrives soon because I'm keen to start using it.

[@ErikaMenjivarMonterroza]

Thank you for these tips!!!!

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

So glad they're helpful!

[@nicholasvladd]

Thank you!

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

You're most welcome!

[@elvonette]

My chords and I thank you!

[@karensussman9703]

You're very welcome! Glad this helped!

[@jimwilliams6827]

I am a voice actor and have a hard time getting a good voice for my work. I need a good, resonant voice for reading copy and recording it. I often feel something is on the throat, even after drinking throat coat tea and snorting Flonase.

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

In addition to fluids, try inhaling steam with a sipping motion, or use nebulized saline from a portable nebulizer. Then as the mucus loosens, use our safe throat clearing methods, including a sip and a tight swallow (scrunch your chin down to your neck when you swallow).

[@prekshapujara787]

The "hurrm, ahrrm hrrrm" kind of throat clearing mostly backfires and brings in more mucus in my throat and aggravates my voice quaver in certain situations, especially when I have washed my hair or it's in a hairstyle where lots of hair are concentrated on my nape area. This is probably due to the hair's static electricity attracting the phlegm in my throat as it's a paramagnetic fluid. Eventually I am compelled to speak through the mucus in an embarrassingly quavering voice and avoid any kind of clearing altogether due to fear of further aggravation of the problem. Light kind of clearings don't work and when I finish my talk, I need to do repeated harsh clearings. But it hurts. So I many times I still avoid clearing and let the phlegm stand in my throat This has changed my voice permanently, its now husky and heavy especially while talking in a low pitch as some phlegm as drued up

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

Just remember to steam or breathe nebulized saline, hydrate well, and use the gentler forms of throat-clearing, to prevent injury and further aggravation to your voice. Also, as this problem seems to be persisting and is affecting quality of life, make sure to consult a fellowship-trained laryngologist, as well as perhaps an allergist or nutritionist, to see why there is so much mucus.

[@johnnydoggs]

Does this help laryngitis and do you have to be standing to do this?

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

HI! You don't have to be standing to employ safe throat clearing. I find it helpful to take a good abdominal breath first, so just make sure you're in a good position to take a proper breath. It's not that this procedure helps laryngitis, which is an inflammation of the larynx. Safe throat clearing may help to prevent vocal fold irritation and injury, so it's good practice to use safe throat clearing any time you feel the need to clear your throat. Certainly if you have laryngitis, you wouldn't want to further inflame the vocal folds by using a forceful throat clear. Any laryngitis that persists longer than 1-2 weeks, especially if you haven't been ill, should be examined by a fellowship-trained laryngologist. Hope this helps!

[@johnnydoggs]

@@VoiceCareWithKaren thanks it has very much. How bout those 5 massages for the larynx that you do must you be standing for those?

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

@@johnnydoggs No, standing isn't necessary; I often do laryngeal massage sitting. Just make sure to use good seated posture: chest up, chin tucked and relaxed, shoulders back.

[@johnnydoggs]

@@VoiceCareWithKaren ok thanks so much 👍

[@PhiiRob]

This is super helpful thanks!

[@lanal3996]

#2 works! 👏👏👏👍👍👍

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

Awesome!

[@jaspreetsingh8434]

Is it okay if we don't clear it at all if I have the willpower to not clear it? Or is it good to have it cleared before singing?

[@karensussman9703]

It is absolutely OK not to clear at all! That's fantastic! If you can avoid this behavior, by all means, do so. But if you must clear some mucus off your cords, the huff of air, the hard swallow, or gentle humming are safe ways to clear.

[@nowandaround312]

I've tried all these for months and they don't work for me. I have severe allergies and the post nasal drip is non-stop even with prescription medication. Is gentle coughing at least less damaging than regular throat clearing? At least I'm not a professional singer, but I want to get back into singing as a hobby and have been really struggling and all the phlegm isn't making it any easier. My voice was never strong to begin with. It probably would have been if I had been allowed to develop my natural voice instead of being forced to try to sing outside my range for years which I'm sure caused permanent damage. So. Much. Straining. Ironically one time when we were doing warmups and I was in the middle of my comfortable range when my teacher stopped and told us never to sing beyond that point because it would damage our voices. I also developed more bad habits and pitch problems which I didn't even notice because I started singing really quietly after repeatedly being humiliated by a teacher in front of the entire class. When I did finally notice I stopped singing. If you're a chorus/choir teacher don't assign parts based on genitalia!

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

So sorry to hear this. No educator should ever humiliate a student. And no student should be forced to sing outside their range. Your voice/allergy issues sound like they need a strong team effort from you, your ENT or laryngologist, allergist, voice therapist, qualified voice teacher, etc. And gentle throat clearing/coughing would be preferable to forceful methods. Don't give up on singing; look for the people qualified to help you. American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA.org) is a good resource to find speech language pathologists who belong to their Division 3 Voice and Voice Disorders group. Best of luck!

[@juneguts]

I'm just starting this, and it's going to be hard to break the habit.. After the air hocking I felt great, and one beat later I habitually cleared my throat as if to feel for the mucus. Oops!

[@VoiceCareWithKaren]

Go easy on yourself and be patient. You will get better and better at breaking this habit. You got it to work once, and you'll be able to do it again and again.