Singers rely on their voices for their livelihood, and as such, a lot of singers can experience the common cold more than a lot of other people. You need to try to keep in mind the different ways in which they can be impacted by this because it’s not a minimal issue for many singers. For most of us, when we have a cold, we just rest up and drink hot water with lemon and wrap up warm.

However, if you are a singer, the consequences of having a cold can have a major impact on your voice, and this is something you need to work on as much as possible. Understand how the common cold impacts singers, and look at what you can do to make the most of this right now. Here are some of the ways in which the common cold can impact professional singers and voice artists.

Alters the voice

One of the key things that we need to understand about the common cold is that it can alter our voices. Now, this is incredibly impactful as a professional singer because it can completely transform the way you sound, and this is something you need to keep in mind. Now, there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind here, and this is something you have to make sure you get right. 

Now, one of the side-effects of a cold that some singers do like is that it makes their voice deeper. Vocal folds swell up due to irritation, which makes them thicker temporarily and deepens the voice. This is something that people need to consider when it comes to singing, and it might actually make your voice sound nice for a while. If you aren’t coughing and it’s only your nose that is blocked you might like to make the most of this right now and try to experiment with your voice. 

However, in most cases, it is clear that the common cold is something that can have a hugely negative impact on many singers. 

May make singing very difficult

Indeed, it can often make it very difficult to sing properly, or even at all. Basically, there are two versions of the common cold that will directly impact you as a singer: one you should not sing with, while the other is fine to sing with. If you have an infection or cold that is in your upper throat or sinuses then you should be able to sing fine, with a bit of pain. This will allow you to sing without altering your voice, and you won’t have to cancel a performance. 

However, if you have a cold in your larynx or on your lungs, this is the time when you should not sing. It can take time for this to clear and for your singing ability to return, but you can use vocal exercises to help with this once the infection has gone, and this is a great way of being able to achieve the right kinds of success with this. 

Loss of earnings

Something else that is massively important for singers to keep in mind when it comes to the common cold is loss of earnings. There are a lot of things that you need to make sure you focus on right now, and this is one of the biggest things. Professional singers need to be able to perform as much as possible and not be able to sing can mean having to cancel performances and will mean a loss of earnings moving forward. 

This is why it is so important to try to make sure you work on preventing the chances of catching a cold, as well as dealing with ways of trying to recover more quickly if you find you have a common cold. 

For singers who are looking to improve their career performance and trying to secure paid clients, the common cold can be far more than a mild annoyance. In a lot of ways, it can work out to be a huge hindrance, and this is something you need to keep in mind. If you are a singer who has shown symptoms of the common cold, you need to try to take action to deal with this, and it is important to make sure you focus on this as much as you can. 

There are a lot of elements that are going to help you when it comes to dealing with the common cold, and it’s important to take action as much as you can. Learn more by getting in touch with Mountain Ear, Nose & Throat Associates at Sylva (828-586-7474), Franklin (828-524-5599), Murphy (828-853-1014) and New Asheville (828-458-8100).