Caffeine can have a negative effect on your performance – such as stimulating anxiety. Avoid green and black tea as these contain the highest levels of caffeine. However, you could avoid this by switching to decaffeinated tea if you typically get nervous on stage.
However tempting it may be to make up for lost sleep, singers should avoid caffeinated beverages — such as coffee, alcohol, and energy drinks — especially around performance time. “Caffeine and alcohol are abrasive and should be avoided,” warns Slotnick.
The caffeine in some teas can be more harmful to your voice than good. But drinking green and herbal teas with some honey or lemon is going to have major soothing benefits for your voice. Peppermint teas will naturally energize you while chamomile teas have a natural relaxing effect.
Caffeine messes with your mucus production and dries you out. In addition to that mess, it also tends to constrict your muscles — when your muscles are tight in your throat, it puts unnecessary, damaging stress on your vocal cords. You'll want to stay away from coffee and caffeinated teas before performances.
Green and black teas contain caffeine and can dehydrate your vocal cords, which can lead to sore throats, and worse, nodes.
What is the best tea for singers? The best tea for a voice and vocal cords won't include caffeine. Instead, choose teas for singers such as herbal and green teas. Alongside lemon and honey, these can help to soothe your vocal cords and could lead to improved singing performance.
The best drinks for your singing voice are water (especially room-temperature water, perhaps with a squeeze or two of lemon) and tea, but be careful about consuming too much caffeine, which can dehydrate you. You can find wonderful herbal teas designed for singers.
Chamomile, ginger, and peppermint are excellent choices for throat health. By incorporating these teas into your routine, you can support your vocal health and enjoy the soothing benefits they provide. Cheers to a healthy voice and happy singing!
The best drinks before singing are warm drinks without caffeine or milk, warm water and herbal teas containing manuka honey, lemon and ginger are ideal. Warm or room-temperature water will hydrate your vocal cords, making them more supple and less liable to injury.
Good Tea For Vocal Cords
Ginger tea is also a very popular choice amongst singers – it helps to balance your blood-sugar levels, and it doesn't contain caffeine. Ginger is also a natural antioxidant that will soothe an irritated throat caused by too much singing.
Earl Grey tea
Broadcasters with tired or scratchy voices swear by Earl Grey. The magic ingredient is oil extracted from the rind of bergamot oranges. It's WD40 for your vocal cords and it tastes good.
Honey can help singers recover quicker from strained, sore, and lost voices. But honey isn't just effective when you're ill; it can be used to prevent vocal problems too. Its thick, smooth consistency coats and lubricates the throat, providing relief to your vocal cords and voice after a strenuous performance.
A healthy voice requires a strong body with generally good muscle tone and endurance. So plan to eat a balance of protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans, and moderate amounts of healthy fats and oils.
There are certain foods to avoid before singing, ones that seem to impact a singer's voice more than others, including dairy, spicy foods, fried foods, and anything particularly fatty. Not only can they increase phlegm in your throat, but they can also cause vocal cord inflammation.
The best lubrication can be achieved by drinking plenty of water.” Bear in mind that, when we drink water, the throat is moistened, but the liquid doesn't contact the vocal folds. If it did, we'd gag. The water we drink has to be processed by the digestive system for that lubricating mucus to be produced.
Like other herbals, rooibos teas can help fight against infection and counteract hoarseness. Plus, it's a nice option to Chamomile and Peppermint. Conventional wisdom suggests sidestepping caffeine or milk before a singing performance or major speaking event.
Herbal teas like chamomile and green tea contain antioxidants that help reduce inflammation naturally. Warm herbal teas can also soothe the vocal cords and can also have the added benefit of being calming.
Herbal teas can be a great addition to a singer's routine for supporting and soothing the vocals. Some popular herbal teas for singers include slippery elm, marshmallow root, and licorice root. I'm a personal fan of oolong tea (even though there is more caffeine) and usually drink it in addition with water.
On top of drying you out, caffeine can also constrict your muscles. This will lead to an unnecessary amount of stress on your vocals that could leave a lasting effect for a few days. Unfortunately, this means no coffee or caffeinated tea before a vocal performance.
A raspy singing can also be caused by singing too softly in the higher register. Your vocal cords tend to need more air and power to sing higher notes. If you don't supply it, your voice will start to break up and become raspy. So be sure to breathe well and power your voice and never strain it reaching for a note.
We love DAIRY, but…
Milk creates phlegm and can definitely affect your speaking voice, making it difficult to deliver that seamless performance. There are several alternatives to dairy products. High in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, soy milk may be an acceptable substitute for your palate.
Avoid using the extremes of your vocal range, such as screaming or whispering. Talking too loudly and too softly can both stress your voice. Practice good breathing techniques when singing or talking. Support your voice with deep breaths from the chest, and don't rely on your throat alone.
Practicing scales, improving your tongue-soft palate coordination, repeating tongue and lip trills and simply humming are a few fabulous little warm-up exercises to get your vocal cords loose and ready for business. Breathing exercises are an excellent start for those looking to improve their ability to sing.