Even over the counter medications can affect the way that the vocal chords work, drying them out, thinning the blood, or causing fluid retention. All of these things will affect the way that your voice works.
Your vocal chords have a protective mucosal layer covering them, and drying them out can make speech difficult. So it's important to make sure that you know how to look after your voice and keep it hydrated. Well, that's easy, just drink water and be careful of diuretics like Tea and Coffee, which can dry you out! But did you know that medication can have an effect. Anticholinergics (or Asthma Medication to you and I), can dry out this mucosal layer, and so Asthmatic singers need to bear this in mind. Of course, Asthma is a very serious illness, often overlooked for it's severity. Students with Asthma should be mindful that the control of Asthma must come before singing, because singing isn't potentially life threatening.
However, the breathing exercises that we cover at our tuition for Singing in Edinburgh can help you to improve your respiratory health and therefore you're need for reliever inhalers.
*VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Medication should always be monitored by a doctor, we are not advocating self medication.
