As a voice actor, your voice is your commodity. Keeping your voice in top shape ensures you’re able to continue to land great gigs and build a successful career.

However, since your voice is part of your body, it’s susceptible to health problems that could cause problems for your career. We’re already discussed how you can take good care of your voice. In this article, we take a hard look at habits that might be damaging your voice. 

Smoking

If you need to kick one habit to improve the health of your voice, then this is the one. Smoking can destroy your vocal chords and has a serious long-term impact on your general health. Smokers have a lowered vocal range, and their endurance and clarity suffer, not to mention all the other issues.

If you’ve heard that “smoker’s voice” is sexy, then think again. With the effects of smoking well-known, audience tastes have moved on.

Alcohol

It’s fine to have a couple of drinks on occasion, but regular excessive drinking will damage your voiceover performance. Alcohol causes you to become dehydrated, which means your body produces excess mucus in order to try to soothe your irritated throat. Best to avoid a bender the night before a voiceover!

Dairy and fatty foods

And speaking of mucus, let's not forget the other culprit – dairy products like milk, yoghurt, chocolate, ice cream and cheese, and fatty foods like practically every kind of takeaway food imaginable. Try to cut back on this type of food to improve your voice health. Avoid mucus-producing foods before a gig, and save the pizza and milkshakes for a post-gig celebration.

Yelling

Yelling strains your vocal chords and leaves you with a sore or scratchy throat. Whether you’re shouting the lyrics at a rock concert or having a heated argument with your significant other, yelling will leave you ill-prepared for a voiceover gig. Keep calm, lower the decibels, and your vocal chords will thank you. Tricky when you’re being a monster on Power Rangers or AVED I know!

Insomnia

If you’re staying up late, your body isn’t getting enough time to recharge and prepare for the next day’s activities. This includes your vocal chords. Treat your sleep as sacred, and go to bed at a reasonable time. Remove distractions like TVs, computers, and tablets from your room, and make sure you’re comfortable and not too hot or cold. 

When you look after your body and your general health, you’re also looking after your throat and vocal chords. Keeping your voice fighting fit is one of your best tools for building a successful voiceover career. 

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