Vocal Fatigue and more!

The Weeks of September 26th & October 3rd BLOGs: 

 Hump Day Health: Vocal Fatigue

VOCAL FATIGUE is a prevalent symptom among TEACHERS associated with teaching VOCAL DEMANDS (Moreno et al., 2022).

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Teachers, Coaches, Fitness Instructors, Professors, most occupational voice users, etc. … I believe these ALL apply. 

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As there has been no prior published systematic review on vocal fatigue among teachers, the study mentioned above conducted a comprehensive literature search using five computerized databases throughout the world from 2004 to 2020 with the intention of determining the prevalence of vocal fatigue among teachers and its relationship with voice acoustic parameters reported in previous studies.

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The study mentioned above found that the two most common work-related factors of vocal fatigue were high levels of NOISE inside classrooms and LOUD speaking voice use. Sidenote (and obviously not surprising), both of these factors are incredibly common for most occupational voice users especially within the roles of teacher, instructor, coach etc.

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Vocal fatigue has been defined as “a progressive INCREASE in the PERCEPTION of phonatory EFFORT together with a DECREASE in vocal performance, which LIMITS the ability to MAINTAIN STABLE VOICE quality during a determined time, and may start after minutes, hours, or days of voice use” (Cohn et al., 1995). What a perfect, comprehensive definition!

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Vocal demand (LOAD) was found to be an important associated factor of vocal fatigue, with high vocal demand (task and duration) often leading to “central and/or peripheric muscular fatigue, tension in laryngeal ligaments, membranes and joints, and increases in viscosity of the cover of the vocal folds due to contact and closing of the glottis, decreasing of hydration, cooling down of the laryngeal tissues and decreasing of the subglottal pressure due to respiratory fatigue” (Stemple et al., 2018; D’haeseleer et al., 2016). And interestingly although three studies included objective measures (laryngoscopy), there was no correlation between those measures and self reported vocal fatigue; hence the important reason for using the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) as an important (patient reported outcome) measurement tool in determining and assessing vocal fatigue in teachers and other occupational voice users.

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“Although the EFFECT of VOCAL LOAD on VOCAL FATIGUE has been previously reported, and occupational activities like teaching may be considered vocal loading tasks, there is a lack of studies on prevention and promotion programs from the occupational safety and health perspective” (Vilkman, 2004).

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Andddddd siiiiiidenote: In the study that we recently completed (that I am presenting next week at the Fall Voice Conference), we used the VFI as a measurement of vocal fatigue in fitness instructors… And utilized a protocol aiming to reduce that fatigue as related to daily life and teaching classes. One of our experimental groups DID improve more than others in vocal fatigue… Any guesses which group this might’ve been??!!

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STAY TUNED for some more insight on reducing/eliminating vocal fatigue as you navigate your daily life and occupational voice demands!

#voxfit #vocalfatigue #voicesfittoinspire #teacher #vocaldemand #vocalload #occupationalvoiceuser #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #coach #instructor #publicspeaker #professor #chooseyourbestvoice #voicespecialist #speechpathologist #research #speechpathology #voice #humpdayhealth #takecareofyourvoice #vocalhealth 

Tuesday Toss Up: Reducing/Eliminating Vocal Fatigue

SEE VIDEO ABOVE. (!!)

“Listen to me now” (in Missy Elliott voice): Your Voice Should NOT Feel Tired

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After work, your voice is not supposed to feel tired. After teaching, coaching, instructing, speaking, and/or singing… your voice is NOT supposed to feel tired.

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Read on for some insight about how to reduce/eliminate vocal fatigue as you navigate your daily life and occupational voice demands…

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REDUCE background noise if you are able. If you are not, reduce the space between you and the person you’re talking to. Reduce how much you might say within a loud/noisy setting. Save lengthy conversations for another setting conducive to listening, speaking, and purposeful communication exchange.

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Use AMPLIFICATION, especially if you are required to project your voice for an extended period of time (over noise, music, and/or across large rooms/spaces)… and especially if you are an instructor, coach, teacher, public speaker.

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MONITOR your effort level and loudness level during all voice use (see my posts about “Vocal Dose”, “Loudness” and “Tune In”…UNDERSTAND the Lombard Effect).

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Increase your AWARENESS related to “RED FLAGS” for vocal fatigue (muscle tension, tightness in the throat, soreness in throat region, feelings of vocal effort, changes in vocal quality, reduced vocal endurance/stamina, etc.)…

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Schedule VOCAL NAPS (especially if/when those “red flags” come up…). Speaking of “schedule”, make sure you create and adhere to your VOCAL SCHEDULE and VOCAL BUDGET… doing so will reduce the chances of vocal fatigue taking over…

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TURN DOWN the volume of your voice. As we know, volume is influenced by the degree of VF closure (“hit more tightly together”), the FORCE of closure, the duration of closure (stay closed LONGER), and the SPEED of closure (how fast they get from open to close—they RUSH to be closed when speaking or singing more loudly and this has a direct impact on vocal health). There are “healthy” ways to project, but we aren’t supposed to project constantly. Use VOCAL SPICE to vary up how you use intensity to create IMPACT.

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Use vocal WARM UPS and COOL DOWNS (consistently) and also use these exercises to reset the voice throughout the day.

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Prioritize HYDRATION (we KNOW that vocal folds vibrate with LESS effort and greater efficiency if they are more hydrated; less effort and more efficiency=less vocal fatigue)!

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Use VOCAL SPICE (as I like to call it…)—This means to prioritize allowing your voice to “dance” through your daily life with VARIETY. The LESS we move our voice around when we talk (re: pitch inflection, as it is authentic to you), the stiffer it will be on the inside (which leads to effort and fatigue). You’re also less interesting if you are using voice on only one or two tones. Vary/”spice up” your voice with pitch, loudness, rate, pausing, etc.

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Ensure you are using AIR for voice versus effort and/or a breathholding pattern. Visualize your voice RIDING OUT ON THE AIR versus being “pulled back into the throat”.

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Find time for TENSION RELEASE: stretches, massages, and release techniques. SO many great options. Got questions?—ask me! I love this aspect of my job and I have created a whole course on it too!

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BUILD vocal strength and vocal stamina as this can lead to improved/increased vocal endurance (which allows for more EFFICIENT voice use for longer periods of time—possibly throughout multiple classes, an entire workday, and/or throughout a performance).

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PRIORITIZE vocal RESETS. Use SOVTEs and set cell phone alarms to go off at least four times per day. Find one to five minutes when the alarm goes off to perform a vocal healing exercise that can also mitigate swelling and “reset” your voice including your vocal use patterns in that moment…which, over time leads to less and less vocal fatigue.

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If you don’t already feel the vibe that I could KEEP GOING ON about this, I’m telling you now…that I could KEEP GOING ONNNN ABOUT THIS. It’s so important to do all you can to prevent, reduce, and eliminate vocal fatigue. Doing so can play a huge role in your ability to maintain a healthy vocal instrument and continue onward in fulfilling your daily occupational and professional vocal demands and duties.

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#voxfit #vocalfatigue #voicesfittoinspire #teacher #vocaldemand #vocalload #occupationalvoiceuser #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #coach #instructor #publicspeaker #professor #chooseyourbestvoice #voicespecialist #speechpathologist #research #speechpathology #voice #tuesdaytossup #takecareofyourvoice #vocalhealth 

PRIORITIZE YOUR VOICE!  

It’s Prioritize Your Voice Friday… So how are you prioritizing your voice today? And everyday? As an OCCUPATIONAL VOICE USER, it should be one of your top priorities! 
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Shouldn’t PRIORITIZING your voice be high on your list?!
What do you need to know to keep your voice healthy?  You should understand how the voice works, how to protect and care for your voice, and how to use your voice and entire vocal mechanism in the most efficient, effective, and dynamic ways possible.  
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I’m super PASSIONATE about this population of voice users (I’m one and most of you are too!), and am HERE TO HELP! Reach out with any questions, concerns, or if you’d like to work together.
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#voxfit #desiretoinspire #aspiretoinspire #changelives #radiateconfidence #vocalinstrument #voice #voicefitness #vocalfitness #voicesfittoinspire #vocalathlete #occupationalvoiceuser #speechpathology #voicespecialist #teacher #instructor #fitnessinstructor #singer #performer #emcee #gamehost #clergy #sales #coach #speechpathologist #voicetherapy #voicedisorders #prioritizeyourvoice