Breathing Exercises to Reduce Vocal Strain and Fatigue

Introduction

Proper breathing technique is essential for vocal health. Shallow breathing fails to provide enough air to make voice properly. Excess tension makes it hard to control your breath.

This strains the vocal cords, leading to inflammation, fatigue, loss of range, and more vocal problems over time.

Breathing exercises help build awareness. They also bring control over the muscles used in breathing and voice. They promote full use of lung capacity, relaxed muscles, steady airflow, and resonance. Regular practice helps. Targeted breathing exercises can prevent and treat many vocal issues.

This guide will cover three main types of beneficial breathing exercises:

• Diaphragmatic breathing
• Costal breathing
• Breathwork coordinated with yoga poses

For each type of exercise, we’ll cover specific techniques to try. We’ll also give step-by-step instructions for the most benefit. Tips for preventing vocal strain in other ways will also be provided.

What causes vocal strain and fatigue?

Vocal strain occurs when the vocal cords are forced together too tightly or blown apart too violently by airflow from the lungs. This creates irritation, swelling, and injuries to the delicate vocal fold tissues. Common causes include:

• Screaming or yelling
• Throat clearing
• Using an improper singing technique
• Environmental irritants like smoke or pollution
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Upper respiratory infections
• Dehydration
• Muscle tension from stress or poor posture

Over time, repeated vocal strain can lead to nodules, polyps, or cysts on the vocal cords. This leads to vocal fatigue. It makes it hard to use the voice for a long time without more effort, loss of range, hoarseness, or loss of volume.

What are the symptoms of vocal strain and fatigue?

• Hoarse, raspy, or strained voice quality
• Loss of high or low-range
• Reduced volume or vocal power
• Frequent voice breaks
• Throat pain, tightness, or discomfort
• Tickling, burning, or dry sensation in the throat
• Increased throat mucus
• Frequent need to clear throat
• Coughing

You may have these symptoms often. This is especially true after periods of voice use. They likely show vocal strain or fatigue. Implementing the breathing exercises and lifestyle changes earlier prevents long-term vocal damage.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises

Diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, uses the diaphragm below the lungs. It uses it to draw in breath. The abdomen visibly expands as the diaphragm drops down, allowing the lungs to fully inflate with oxygen. This deep, efficient breathing technique provides enough air to produce voice properly.

Benefits of diaphragmatic breathing for vocal health include:

• Increased lung capacity and airflow
• Lower risk of vocal strain from lack of breath support
• Relaxed neck, throat, and shoulder muscles
• Greater resonance and vocal control
• More precise pitch and volume modulation

Here are two excellent diaphragmatic breathing exercises for improving vocal technique:

Belly Breathing Exercise

This fundamental diaphragmatic breathing exercise trains proper breathing mechanics through simple steps:

1. Sit or lie comfortably with one hand on your belly.
2. Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly press into your hand.
3. Exhale slowly through pursed lips, drawing the navel in toward the spine.
4. Repeat for 5-10 breaths, focusing on keeping the shoulders, neck, and upper chest relaxed as the belly expands and contracts.
5. Work up to holding inhales for 5 counts, and exhales for 5 counts.
6. Practice daily for 5-10 minutes.

Placing a hand on the belly helps you notice diaphragm movement. It gives you access to this efficient breathing pattern often. Making time to practice this basic exercise every day builds core breath support. It’s for vocal stamina.

Try counting slowly on the inhale and exhale to work on breath control. Or play relaxing music in the background to help set the tone. Just a few minutes a day can make a difference, but aim for at least 5-10 minutes daily.

Croaking Exercise

This unique exercise coordinates a gentle throat vibration with diaphragmatic breathing. The vibration makes a “croaking” sound. It helps to relax laryngeal and vocal fold tension.

1. Sit upright with good posture.
2. Inhale slowly through the nose into the belly.
3. Exhale with a gentle, low-pitched croak, feeling the vocal folds vibrate slightly.
4. Make sure the croak is quiet and requires no effort.
5. Repeat for 10 breaths, focusing on keeping the throat and neck relaxed.
6. Increase to 10 minutes daily.

The vibrations during the croak encourage the folds to close and the muscles to relax. This helps retrain muscle memory for efficient voice production with no strain.

Don’t force the croaking sound if it feels uncomfortable when first trying this exercise. As you practice diaphragmatic breathing, your deeper breath support will let the vocal folds vibrate easily. Think of the croak as more of a low hum or purr. Recording yourself can help ensure you’re using the right technique. Then, you can increase the duration.

Costal Breathing Exercises

Costal breathing refers to the expansion of the rib cage while inhaling instead of the belly. It increases airflow by utilizing different muscles than diaphragmatic breathing. Costal breathing is also called intercostal breathing due to the use of the intercostal muscles between the ribs.

Benefits include:

• Greater lung and rib cage capacity
• Additional oxygen to support voice
• Training vocal control through measured exhalation
• Preventing vocal strain by providing ample breath

Here’s a great coastal breathing exercise to try:

Costal Breathing Exercise

1. Sit tall with shoulders down, focusing on the rib cage area.
2. Place hands on the upper chest.
3. Inhale slowly through the nose, feeling ribs expand outward into hands.
4. Exhale slowly through pursed lips, drawing ribs in.
5. Repeat 5-10 times, keeping the upper chest still while the ribs expand and contract.
6. Add counts to make exhales longer than inhales.
7. Practice daily, working up to 10 minutes.

Concentrating on lateral rib expansion trains activation of the intercostal muscles. Coordinating measured exhales helps develop steady breath control for speaking and singing.

If you have pre-existing injuries or pain in the rib area, check with your doctor before attempting this exercise. Start very gently, backing off if anything hurts or feels strained. Yoga stretches that open the chest can also help increase rib cage mobility and capacity.

Yoga and Breathwork

In yoga, movement is paired with conscious breathing to help relax the body and mind. Certain poses open the front and back of the rib cage, increasing lung capacity and control over breath. Adding a humming sound vibrates the vocal folds, releasing tension.

Key benefits of yoga breathwork include:

• Increased lung capacity and oxygenation
• Natural vocal fold massage via humming
• Relaxation of throat, face, and jaw muscles
• Resonance from sound vibrations
• Emotional release

Humming Bee Breath is an excellent coordinating exercise to try:

Humming Bee Breath Exercise

1. Sit comfortably with your spine elongated.
2. Inhale slowly through the nose for 5 counts.
3. Exhale producing a steady, low-pitched humming sound for 10 counts.
4. Visualize stress and tension flowing out from your throat.
5. Repeat 5-10 times.
6. Practice daily, increasing exhalation length over time.

The extended humming vibration soothes vocal cord tissue, promoting healing and flexibility. This makes the voice less prone to injury or overuse.

When exhaling, imagine you’re fogging up a mirror with your breath. Keep the humming steady and low-pitched. Other vowel sounds can be explored as well, like “hmm” or “thhh.” Notice how each subtly changes the vibration and resonance you feel.

Additional yoga poses that open the rib cage and pair well with breathwork:

• Seated Twist – Twists massage abdominal organs and expand the back of the rib cage
• Cat-Cow – Alternating spinal flexion and extension increases rib cage mobility
• Child’s Pose – A resting posture that opens the back of the torso
• Bridge Pose – Chest and abdominal expansion, thyroid stretch
• Fish Pose – Opens the front ribs, stretches the throat

Flowing through breath-coordinated sequences helps circulate oxygen. It also relaxes tight muscles around the vocal tract. Be sure to include poses that expand both the front and back of the rib cage.

Additional Tips for Preventing Vocal Strain

Breathing exercises build vocal resilience. But, lifestyle changes reduce short-term strain. Here are some key tips:

• Stay hydrated – Drink at least 64 oz (2 liters) of water daily, and avoid diuretics like caffeine/alcohol which dehydrate vocal tissues.
• Manage reflux – Don’t eat within 2-3 hours of bedtime, quit smoking, and lose excess weight if needed. Medication can also help if symptoms persist.
• Use amplification – Microphones and bullhorns reduce vocal effort and fatigue. Portable personal amps are great for teachers.
• Learn vocal hygiene – Warmups, cooldowns, voice rest, avoiding throat clearing/coughing/yelling.
• Try steam inhalation – Inhaling warm steam moisturizes dry vocal tissues. Add herbs like ginger or mint for extra benefit.
• Consider voice therapy – Work with a speech pathologist to identify and treat specific issues.
• Reduce environmental irritants – Avoid smoke, pollution, and dry air. Also, avoid vocally stressful situations when possible.

Making breathing exercises part of your daily vocal health regimen while also implementing lifestyle changes provides full support. But if problems persist, seeing an expert can help diagnose and resolve the underlying cause.

Sample Breathing Exercise Routine

Here is one example of how you could structure a daily 15-minute breathing exercise routine to target improved vocal technique and stamina:

1. Belly breathing: 5 minutes
2. Humming bee breath: 5 minutes
3. Costal breathing: 3 minutes
4. Seated spinal twist: 2 minutes

Or create a weekly rotation, doing 15 minutes each of belly breathing, humming bee breath, coastal breathing, and yoga flows throughout the week.

Tailor the exercises you choose and duration based on your needs:

• Teachers/public speakers: Focus on coastal and diaphragmatic breathing to increase lung capacity.
• Singers: Add more humming bee breath for vocal fold massage.
• Call center staff: Prioritize relaxation with longer belly breathing.
• Voice-over artists: Combine yoga flows and humming bee breath daily.

Breathwork Warmups and Cooldowns

Incorporating the breathing exercises into your regular vocal warmup and cooldown provides even more preventative and restorative benefits.

Warmup Addition Options:

• 5 minutes humming bee breath
• 5 rounds of belly breathing
• 3 minutes costal breathing

Gently oxygenating the blood and massaging the vocal folds before voice use prepares tissues for optimal performance and stamina.

Cooldown Addition Options:

• 5-10 minutes of belly breathing
• Hold 5 slow hums
• 5 minutes seated spinal twist

Promoting circulation and relaxation after voice use can speed recovery. This reduces the cumulative strain that leads to chronic vocal fatigue and potential injury.

Modifications for Special Populations

While most people can benefit from the breathing techniques covered, some modifications may be needed for certain populations:

Youth:

• Start with just 2-3 minutes of belly breathing, building gradually
• Add fun imagery (blow bubbles with breath)
• Partner with gentle movement (pinwheels to show airflow)

Seniors:

• Avoid straining with overly forceful breaths
• Use pursed lips breathing if lung conditions are present
• Practice after using inhalers if asthmatic
• Choose gentler yoga stretches over sequences

Pregnancy:

• Adjust poses as needed for comfort
• Never strain or hold your breath
• Opt for relaxation-focused breathwork

Those with injuries, medical conditions, or prior trauma should first discuss breathwork with their doctor or speech-language pathologist.

Breathing Exercises for Emotional Support

In addition to vocal health, focused breathing offers emotional benefits:

• Stress relief – Deep belly breathing triggers a relaxation response
• Anxiety reduction – Long exhales activate the parasympathetic nervous system
• Improved sleep – Yoga sequences promote melatonin release
• Mood boost – More oxygen lifts mood and combats depression
• Emotional processing – Hummingbee breath releases stuck energy

Breathwork is especially helpful for voice users who struggle with performance anxiety or frequent stressful voice use situations. Regular practice eases fight-or-flight muscle tension that can create vocal strain.

Conclusion

Vocal technique and stamina are connected to breathing. Diaphragmatic exercises promote full use of lung capacity for better breath support. Costal breathing increases oxygenation through rib cage expansion. Yoga breathwork blends movement, humming, and meditation to relax muscles and vocal cords.

Together or individually, these breathing exercises offer many benefits for preventing and relieving vocal strain and fatigue:

• Increased lung capacity and airflow
• Relaxation of laryngeal and throat tension
• Resonance and breath control for voice modulation
• Emotional release and stress reduction

Those who rely on their voice stand to gain tremendously by making breathwork a regular practice. But even people who speak in public rarely can improve their performance. They can also reduce vocal fatigue with focused breathing exercises.

Take the time to learn these techniques. Then, use them in your self-care routine. This gives your voice – and mind – the tools to thrive.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes vocal strain?

Screaming, throat clearing, improper singing technique, GERD, infections, stress tightening muscles.

What are some symptoms of vocal fatigue I should watch for?

Hoarseness, loss of range, reduced volume, frequent voice breaks, throat pain.

How often should I practice the breathing exercises?

Aim for 5-10 minutes daily of 1-2 techniques. Build a consistent routine.

Which breathing exercise is best for singers?

Humming bee breath provides a natural vocal fold massage to release tension.

What lifestyle changes can help prevent vocal strain?

Amplification for loud voice use, vocal hygiene, hydration, and reflux management.

How can breathwork exercises help with emotions and anxiety?

Deep breathing triggers the relaxation response, and extended exhales activate the parasympathetic nervous system to relieve anxiety.