Why Everyone Should Care About Their Voice Health—Not Just Singers

Our voices are a mirror for our health – body, mind, and soul.  In the same way you know that someone is happy when you hear them smiling on the phone (even though you can’t see them), you can hear when someone is unhealthy or unhappy.

Sometimes it’s obvious – things like a stuffy nose from a cold or allergies.  But I can also hear asthma; sleep apnea; throat, jaw, and tongue tension that cause headaches; exhaustion; stress, grief; pain; and the scars from trauma.  Your voice and breath are, in a very real way, an audible signal of your health.

This might sound like a lot, but it’s also brilliant!  Your body is letting you know in a really clear way that it needs help – and working with your voice is a great addition to your health-care plan.

Singing, and to a lesser extent speaking, mean breathing deeply, connecting to the core and pelvic floor muscles, vibrating, and using most of our senses, so it's a great way to gently explore and exercise the heart and lungs while calming and resetting the nervous system.  There’s more on this on my website, but the best part is that singing releases endorphins!

The next time your voice sounds or feels a little different to you, take a moment to listen to the rest of your body.  Your voice is telling you something.