How Singers Deal with Common Cold?
For their livelihood, singers rely on their voices, and as such, a lot of singers will experience the common cold more than many other people. You need to try to bear in mind the various ways in which this can influence them, because for many singers it is not a minimal problem. We just rest up and drink hot water with lemon and cover up warm for most of us when we have a cold. If you are a singer visit an ENT doctor if you have to bring back the amazing voice soon.
Voice Alteration
One of the main facts about the common cold that we need to remember is that it can change our voices. Today, as a professional artist, this is extremely impactful because it can fully change the way you sound, and this is something you need to keep in mind. Now, there are a few things you need to keep in mind here, because that is something you need to make sure you are doing right.
Now, one of the side effects of a cold that some singers prefer to have is that it deepens their sound. Owing to discomfort, vocal folds swell up, which makes them temporarily thicker and deepens the voice. When it comes to singing, this is something that people need to remember, and it may make your voice sound good for a while. You may want to make the most of this right now and try to play with your voice if you are not coughing and it is just your nose that is blocked.
It can make it really difficult to sing
Indeed, singing correctly, or even at all, may also find it very difficult. Basically, as a musician, there are two versions of the common cold that can influence you directly: one you should not sing with, and the other is good to sing with. You should be able to sing well with a little discomfort whether you have an infection or cold in your upper throat or sinuses. Without altering your voice, this will encourage you to sing and you will not have to cancel a performance.
In general, respiratory infections can affect the voice in three major ways:
Acute viral laryngitis (commonly referred to simply as "laryngitis") can directly affect the vocal cords, causing extreme hoarseness or even total loss of voice by causing the vocal cords to swell.
Swelling in this region can trigger anything from slight resonance/head voice issues, all the way up to a serious hyponasal voice. They can affect the nasal and sinus passages. On top of that, by requiring occasional throat clearing or coughing, postnasal drip can interfere with the vocal cords, and can directly cause mild vocal cord inflammation as well.
Lower respiratory problems such as bronchitis or pneumonia, which are thankfully less common, may be caused by them. Obviously, this impacts the voice enormously-if you have trouble breathing, then the voice will suffer. In addition, repetitive coughing can cause the vocal cords to become inflamed and swollen.
A lot of the time, with a little time, rest, hydration, and even OTC meds, the cold will improve. The easiest thing is to delay or cancel a show some of the time. But the infection is always there even, and the show must go on. In addition to all the above, prescription-only steroids are the last resort for rescuing the voice. They work by reducing the swelling of the vocal cords quickly, and they also usually help with nasal inflammation very quickly. Checking the vocal cords and making sure there are no other problems is always ideal for the prescribing doctor. In addition, steroids are a strong drug with possible side effects and can be extremely dangerous for different medical conditions. But they can save the day for a professional singer in these unusual instances.
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**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.