It is imperative to take care of your vocal chords regularly, especially when your voice is your livelihood. It is also essential to prepare for a voice recording session at least a few days in advance. It’s beneficial to drink room temperature water when voice recording. Ever wonder why? Read on.
Water Temperature
Water temperature affects the vocal chords and larynx. Never drink icy cold water before or during recording a voiceover file for a client. If you plan to record within three hours, avoid cold water. Cold water tightens your vocal chords by causing them to contract. Also, refrain from hot water. To achieve full flexibility and elasticity, drink room temperature water before and during the recording.
Hydration
The idea is to have loose vocal chords before recording. Part of that is proper hydration. Drink several glasses of room temperature water each day and keep it readily on hand for drinking. Water helps your vocal chords remain lubricated. If you become dehydrated, then they cannot retain lubrication.
Avoid
To keep your vocal chords in top shape, liquids such as coffee, tea, and soda, should be consumed infrequently, and most definitely not within a few hours of recording. These are diuretics and effectively expel water from your system. Milk and alcohol should also be avoided. Carbonated drinks may cause burping at inopportune times. Coffee contains caffeine, which can irritate the vocal chords, stimulate mucous production, and cause tightness. Herbal teas are fine but don’t drink black tea. The other thing to avoid is high quantities of sugar.
Sore Throat
While sipping on room temperature water will help you keep your vocal chords hydrated; however, if your throat feels sore from a cold or simply over usage, then you can do a few things to relax and soothe them. Take a teaspoon of honey to coat your throat. It relieves sore and stressed vocal chords. You can also use lozenges with lemon, honey, or herbal varieties. Avoid using drops made with menthol since these can numb your throat.
The old tried-and-true method of gargling warm salt water is highly effective at soothing a sore throat. Put a teaspoon into a glass and gargle a few times throughout the day. You can mix warm water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar for added relief. It also supports overall health.
Additional Tips for Voice Recording
In addition to drinking plenty of room temperature water, you should eat food high in water content for hydration and energy. Select foods that are packed with nutrients and minerals that enable you to work at your best. If you have allergies, you may need to use a method of humidification to moisten your nasal passages.
Always be prepared with a large bottle of room temperature water. For example, if the voiceover recording is taking longer than expected, then you’ll have your water on hand to replenish the lost fluids.