Vocal Health & nebulizers

I'd been thinking about purchasing a nebulizer for over a year but, before making the investment, I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to improve my vocal health first. Integrating mindful habits into my daily life (not just on the days or weeks I'm recording) has made such a positive impact that I haven't felt I needed a nebulizer until now.

I'm dancing in a show and performing a character that interacts with a lot of children. It's heartwarming and great to be able to act, dance, and improvise, but I new taking this gig was a calculated risk. We are performing outdoors and the air quality at this venue isn't great, not to mention the risk of catching a virus or cold from the kiddos I interact with. In anticipation I bit the bullet and purchased a nebulizer and, boy, was I glad I did!

Go figure, I caught a cold after the first weekend we opened! I'm looking forward to really testing this thing out when I'm back in the booth and back to my regular recording schedule but, for now, I'm grateful I planned ahead and am able to use it to aid in my recovery. Will post an update once I've been using it for a little while to let you know what my thoughts are!!

(*Please do your due diligence learning about the difference between a nebulizer and steamer before purchasing one. The nebulizer has pros and cons and requires militant cleaning and storage practices after each use to be safe and effective.)

Mindful vocal health habits that have worked well for me:

(These tips were recommended to me by my audiobook coach, and various voice teachers and acting professors over the years. Their guidance has been instrumental in developing and maintaining my professional career <3 )

• Increased my hydration 2 - 2.5 L of water per day

• Grether's Sugarfree Pastilles (I go through 1-2 tins per book and use them on my days off, too)

• Humidifiers & Air Purifiers around the house (we run these 24/7 and try to monitor the air quality regularly)

• Netti Pot & Saline Nasal Spray (I try to use these daily and when AQI is bad several times/day)

• Limit coffee, black tea, dairy, and eating late (for me, these create mucus and acid reflux)

• Avoiding clearing my throat (substitute lip trills and gentle humming to clear mucus)

• Herbal Teas (like throat coat) (i drink 2-3 cups of herbal tea a day but only 1 cup of throat coat at the end of a recording day - high levels of licorice can cause adverse health affects so be careful)