Conscious and Unconscious Consumption: How What We Take In Impacts Our Voice
During the holidays, many of us overindulge without realizing how our choices may affect our voice. What we swallow, sip, inhale, or medicate with can interact - quietly but powerfully - with our vocal health.
In clinic, I often hear stories like this:
“I haven’t been singing differently. But ever since Thanksgiving, my voice feels heavy, dry, tired, and unpredictable.”
Often, nothing about their technique changed. Their consumption did.
1. WHAT WE EAT: FOOD & THE VOICE
Food can influence our vocal health. Holiday meals can be high in fat, sugar, and salt, and large in volume - all factors that can increase the risk of reflux and irritate laryngeal tissues (DelGaudio, 2005; Koufman & Aviv, 2000).
Clinical note: Many clients with chronic hoarseness have “silent” laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) - no heartburn, just throat clearing, morning hoarseness, or reduced vocal stamina.
Myth buster: Nothing you eat or drink touches your vocal folds! Your vocal folds are in your trachea, or windpipe, not your esophagus.
Helpful adjustments:
• Smaller meal volume, especially in the evening or before singing
• Water instead of carbonated beverages
• Avoid reclining 2–3 hours after meals
2. WHAT WE DRINK: HYDRATION, IRRITANTS, & HOLIDAY HABITS
Hydration affects tissue viscosity and vocal effort. Alcohol, caffeine, and low water intake all increase dehydration risk (Sivasankar & Leydon, 2010; Verdolini et al., 2002).
• Alcohol: dehydrating and vasodilating → vulnerability to phonotrauma (damage to the vocal folds)
• Caffeine: individual variability, often replaces water (if you are accustomed to consuming 1-2 cups of caffeine, you have likely acclimated to this and are not dehydrating. Just be sure you are also drinking plenty of non-caffeinated liquids)
Helpful adjustments:
• Steady water intake throughout the day
• Alternate alcoholic beverages with water
• Use humidification strategically
3. WHAT WE BREATHE: SMOKE, SCENT, AIR QUALITY, & COLD AIR
Holiday environments increase exposure to scented products, wood smoke, dry heat, and cold air. These irritants can trigger inflammation, cough, and laryngeal sensory reactivity (Morrison & Rammage, 2011).
Helpful adjustments:
• Steaming or saline nebulization as needed after irritant or cold, dry air exposure
• Warm the breath before singing in cold air (breathe in through your nose or through a scarf)
• Limit scented products in rehearsal spaces
4. MEDICATIONS & UNINTENTIONAL VOCAL SIDE EFFECTS
Common medications types that can impact vocal function (Sataloff, 2017; Gibson, 2006):
• Antihistamines (for allergy management) → drying
• Inhaled corticosteroids (for asthma management) → dysphonia (hoarseness)
• PPIs (for reflux management) → may mask behavioral contributors (add lifestyle changes to help with reflux symptoms)
• ACE inhibitors (for blood pressure management) → chronic cough
• Decongestants (for allergy and upper respiratory infection management) → dryness
• Anticoagulants, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories: → rare but increased hemorrhage risk
Helpful adjustments:
• Rinse and gargle after inhaled steroids
• Review timing before performances with your physician
• Report sudden hoarseness immediately if on blood thinners
*Please speak to your physician if you have concerns about medication side effects that impact your voice.
5. CONSCIOUS VS. UNCONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION
Conscious: intentional adjustments (hydration, meal timing, humidification, medication side effect management).
Unconscious: overlooked patterns (accidental dehydration, increased reflux, medication effects, irritant exposure).
Key insight:
Holiday vocal fatigue may not be due to technique, but to consumption behaviors happening in the background.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• The voice is impacted by what we eat, drink, inhale, and medicate with.
• Holiday habits can increase reflux, dehydration, and laryngeal irritation.
• Small, consistent adjustments can support vocal clarity, comfort, and stamina.
REFERENCES
Aviv, J. E., & Koufman, J. A. (2000). Laryngopharyngeal reflux: consensus conference report. Journal of Voice.
DelGaudio, J. M. (2005). Direct laryngoscopic findings in laryngopharyngeal reflux. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
Gibson, P. (2006). Chronic cough and ACE inhibitors. BMJ.
Morrison, M. D., & Rammage, L. (2011). Laryngeal sensory dysfunction. Journal of Otolaryngology.
Sataloff, R. T. (2017). Professional Voice: The Science and Art of Clinical Care. Plural Publishing.
Sivasankar, M., & Leydon, C. (2010). The role of hydration in vocal fold physiology. Current Opinion in Otolaryngology.
Verdolini, K., Min, Y., Titze, I. R., et al. (2002). Biological mechanisms underlying hydration treatment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.