why gargle?
tips for singers
It seems like everyone is either fighting a cold right now or getting over one! What can singers and professional voice users do to stay vocally healthy?
Staying hydrated, getting exercise, and sufficient sleep are essential to maintaining your vocal health, but have you heard about gargling?
Gargling water or salt water can actually help cleanse oral pathogens (microorganisms that can cause illness) from the mucosa in your throat. A randomized controlled trial of 400 participants showed that those who gargled water three times a day or more experienced 36% fewer occurrences of an upper respiratory illness than participants who didn’t gargle (Satomura et al., 2005).
Try this recipe!
You can also try the following recipe for gargling which incorporates salt, baking soda, and salt. The honey coats the throat, soothing it, and both salt and baking soda are thought to have antibacterial properties.
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons honey
Stay well!
Satomura K, Kitamura T, Kawamura T, Shimbo T, Watanabe M, Kamei M, Takano Y, Tamakoshi A; Great Cold Investigators-I. Prevention of upper respiratory tract infections by gargling: a randomized trial. Am J Prev Med. 2005 Nov;29(4):302-7. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2005.06.013. PMID: 16242593.
