In our blog post ‘5 Great Tips That Will Help You Sing On Your Own’, we mentioned the importance of protecting your vocal health, including through vocal warm ups and hydration. But avoiding smoking is another important aspect of the process if it’s a habit you typically practice. Although some people do like the sound produced by certain singers with a “smokers’ voice,” any benefits are short-lived and outweighed by the downsides –– and any vocal coach worth their salt will tell you that smoking is a bad idea for singers.
So what are the specific issues smokes might face with regard to singing, and what else can be done instead?
Why Singers Shouldn’t Smoke
There are obvious reasons not to smoke in general, though they should be of particular concern to singers. For instance, we know that smoking leads to greater risk of cancer –– especially of the mouth, throat, and lungs. These potential issues should be enough for smokers to want to avoid the habit.
Additionally however, there are three physiological effects short of cancer that you’ll want to be aware of: impact on the vocal folds (“cords”), smoker’s cough, and lung capacity.
Vocal folds become irritated from dryness due to smoking. This is the reason why health experts like those at Johns Hopkins list smoking as a leading cause of laryngitis –– which incidentally can stop you singing for weeks! Meanwhile, swelling of the folds, which makes your vocal tone deeper and raspier, results from fluid build-up, and can lead to bleeding and scarring.
Coughing is pretty straightforward: your airways are trying to clear the tar, and they don’t care if you’re in the middle of a performance or recording session. But that tar in the airways also means lower airflow, lower stamina in sustaining notes, and generally a lot of strain.
The exact extent of these effects will vary according to a myriad of factors like genetics and how much you smoke, but don’t assume they won’t develop just because they haven’t already.
What To Do Instead
A doctor might suggest quitting your smoking habit altogether. And that’s something you can discuss with them should that be the route you want to take. As mentioned however, how much you smoke does have some effect. So even if you aren’t up to quitting (or aren’t interested in it), there are some alternatives that you can practice. At the very least, these may help you to stop smoking for periods of time surrounding performances or other important engagements.
One of these alternatives is to wear nicotine patches, which have the benefit of being established enough to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. And if you’re concerned about their visibility on stage or elsewhere, there are transparent ones available that are a little more discreet than the opaque versions.
Also of note is that some people’s bodies react to patches by producing some pretty unpleasant side effects. The CDC lists solutions like using lower doses and moving their placement, but people with skin conditions may need to avoid the products altogether. They also don’t give your mouth anything to do, meaning they can replace your habit in a chemical sense, but not with regard to any need do or taste something when cravings strike. Nicotine gum at least addresses this issue, and is equally established.
To that final point, the new kid on the block in nicotine alternatives takes the form of nicotine pouches –– which you simply place under your lip. An overview of the emerging nicotine pouch market by Prilla reveals that there are already one million estimated users around the country, indicating that these are perhaps the “cool” options these days. This could be due to the range of flavors and lack of staining and mess, as well as the simplicity of use.
Finally, if it’s the physical, habitual aspect of smoking you need to replace on tour or in the studio, some people find displacement activities like chewing sugar-free gum or indulging in trail mix work for them. These may not sound serious, but bear in mind we’re not talking about a way to quit so much as a way to occupy yourself during stretches when you really shouldn’t be smoking for the good of your voice.
Ditching cigarettes can be done at any point in a career. According to CNN, Keith Richards even finally pulled it off at the tender age of 76! So there’s always hope, even if you just need to take periodic breaks from the hobby.
Thanks for reading, and to find out what else you can do to get your voice in shape, come visit us again at Xttrawave!