Latest / The Vocal Hack Podcast / #13 Vocal Hygiene Series: Hydration is Key
Transcript
- Joana Lisboa: Hi everyone, my name is Joana. Assumpta: And I'm Assumpta. Joana Lisboa: Welcome back to the VocalHack Podcast where we explore the science, habits and mindset behind a healthy, confident voice. Whether you speak professionally, sing, teach, lead meetings or simply want to communicate better, this podcast is here to help you understand your voice and make the most of it. Today, we're talking about something that sounds incredibly simple, but it's often Underestimated. Hydration. We all know we're supposed to drink water, but have you wondered what staying hydrated actually does for your voice? Or why vocal coaches keep reminding people to bring water bottle everywhere they go? Assumpta: It's funny because hydration is probably the least glamorous vocal advice we can give. People often expect us to reveal magical warm ups or secret exercises that transform their voice overnight and instead we tell them things like Have you been drinking water enough? How much sleep did you get? Did you hum today before you start speaking? It's really funny if you have listened to some of our episodes so far. We often have tips that are really, really small compared to what you expect. But although it sounds basic, hydration affects almost everything your voice does. It influences how efficiently your vocal folds vibrate and close. How comfortably speaking feels, and even how quickly your voice recovers after a long day of talking. Joana Lisboa: One thing many people don't realize is that water doesn't directly wash your vocal folds when you drink it. The water goes into your digestive system, not into your vocal folds. Hydration works from the inside out. Your body absorbs the water and gradually supplies the moisture to all your tissues, including... the vocal cords and everything that is involved in vocal production. That's why drinking one large glass of water five minutes before an important presentation or meeting won't suddenly solve a dry voice. Good vocal hydration is something you build throughout the day and really throughout your lifestyle. Assumpta: Exactly. Think of it like watering a plant. If you forget to water it for weeks and then you pour two liters on it at the last minute, that will not bring it immediately back to life. Your voice works in a similar way. Consistent hydration keeps the vocal fold supple and flexible. Allowing them to vibrate with less effort. When they're well lubricated, speaking feels easy, your voice tires less quickly, and you reduce unnecessary strain. Joana Lisboa: And let's clear up another common misconception. If your throat feels dry, it doesn't mean automatically that your vocal folds are dry. Sometimes it's the air around you, the allergies, the medication, the stress, or simply breathing through your mouth like this that creates that sensation. Many people constantly clear their throat because it feels dry or scratchy. Ironically, that repeatedly throat clearing often creates even more irritation than the original problem. It's like when you have something, imagine like a bug that bites you and you keep scratching. So it gets worse every time you scratch. Assumpta: That's a great analogy. I actually really like it. I think for me I just hopped off a plane and I always complain about the airplane air because the AC in first in the airport and then in the plane is always so rough on your vocal folds. So There are actually tools that some singers that have to perform on a really high level use during that time and right after. It's like a nebulizer because it hydrates all the mucous membranes that you have and it helps a lot to get the hydration back quicker. it's very soothing. And For the clearing of your throat, instead of doing that over and over and over, sometimes just taking a sip of water or swallowing gently, or one of our favorite things that you will hear us say all the time is a soft hum. Those options are much kinder to your voice and have the same effect than clearing your throat. And if you're someone who speaks for hours every day, like a teacher, a trainer, a salesperson, lawyers, coaches, and so on, you probably notice that your voice becomes tired towards the end of the day. Hydration won't solve every vocal problem, but it definitely gives your voice much better working conditions. Joana Lisboa: People often ask us how much water should I drink? Unfortunately, we don't have a magic formula for this or a magic number that fits everyone. It depends really on your body, your activity level, the climate, whether you've been exercising or even whether you have coffee or alcohol. The best habit is obsessing over liters. of water, it's making hydration something regular in your daily life. Small amounts throughout the day are generally much more effective than drinking huge quantities all at once. In my case, I have like a number, but it's just a number and sometimes I do it less, sometimes I do it more. It depends. on the heat surrounding me or how is my activity level. But I have this eight cups of water. it could be more, it could be less, depends on what you feel that is good for you. Assumpta: I have something similar, but cups for me is really difficult because then I'm like, was it now five or six? Or was it three? Like Joana Lisboa: you Assumpta: I get very confused. So I use bottles. Like I have like a really, really big jar and I know that one is like I think 1.5 liters and I know I have to drink it twice a day. If I have that, that's great. And so when I don't have a bottle or like this big jar or whatever, it's really difficult for me to know how much I drank because I get confused by cups. So everyone is different. As you can see, even just between the two of us, we have different strategies. Joana Lisboa: Yes. it's a very nice strategy if you see all the water that you want to drink. Imagine one litre and a half. I think it could be enough. In your case, you drink three litres because you go double. But for a lot of people, one litre and a half is enough. but depends always on the person and what works for them. Assumpta: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And also speaking of coffee, we've already dedicated an entire episode to that topic, so scroll back to the earlier episodes if you're interested in that. if you're drinking several coffees and almost no water, your body and your voice will definitely notice. Joana Lisboa: Another factor we often forget is our environment. Air conditioning, heating, long flights, dry office spaces, they all reduce the moisture around us. And so our tissues they also suffer with this. That's why many people feel their voice becoming dry after traveling or after spending the whole day indoors, like you said before, with your plane travels. If you know you're going to have a heavy voice day, start hydrating earlier, not just when your throat starts feeling uncomfortable, so prepare before. Assumpta: And here's something reassuring. Hydration isn't only about performance, it's also about prevention. A healthy voice is usually the result of many small habits repeated constantly, not one miracle solution. That Makes it quite comforting, at least for me, because that means if I have a lot of little habits, it's way, way more easy to integrate that in my life. We sometimes focus so much on sounding better that we forget the goal is also to keep our voice healthy for to come. Whether you're 25 or 65, your voice deserves the same care as the rest of your body. Joana Lisboa: So if there's one takeaway from today's episode, let it be this. Don't wait until your voice feels tired before thinking about hydration. water part of your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth or getting enough sleep. Your voice works incredibly hard every single day. Giving it the conditions it needs to function well is one of the simplest acts of self-care Assumpta: And let me just say this again, a healthy voice isn't built by one perfect habit. It's a combination of many small choices. Breathing well, sleeping enough, managing stress, warming up before high stake situations, and yes, drinking enough water. Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone whose voice works as hard as they do. And don't forget to follow the Vocal Hack podcast so you never miss an episode. And let us know what your hydration habits are, because we would love to hear that from you. Joana Lisboa: Yes, for sure. See you next week.