Caring For Your Voice During Flu Season

In December, I came down with the flu, and it really knocked me out! Being sick in the middle of winter got me thinking a lot about vocal health during flu season—especially for singers, speakers, and anyone who relies on their voice regularly. Even though I felt awful physically, I never lost my voice or my ability to sing, which I attribute to being intentional about how I cared for it. That experience made this feel like the perfect time to share a few simple, realistic vocal health tips that helped me get through being sick.

Tip #1: Hydration

One of the most important things you can do for your voice, (especially when you’re under the weather) is stay hydrated. I made a point to drink fluids consistently throughout the day, with my favorite combination being hot water with lemon juice and honey. It’s soothing, helps with throat irritation, and makes it easier to sip often. In the winter months, warm fluids are usually much gentler on the throat than ice-cold drinks.

Tip #2: Use a Humidifier

Another big help was using a humidifier. Winter air is incredibly dry, especially with indoor heating running, and dry air leads to dry vocal folds. When that happens, the voice has to work much harder than it should. Running a humidifier, particularly at night, helped keep my throat and voice from drying out and was especially useful on days when I woke up feeling scratchy or congested.

Tip #3: Gentle Vocal Warm-Ups

Even while sick, I didn’t completely ignore my voice. Instead, I focused on gentle, low-effort vocal warm-ups and nothing that involved pushing or belting. Simple exercises like lip buzzes, humming, and straw exercises helped increase blood flow, keep my voice flexible, and reduce tension. The goal wasn’t to sound good; it was just to keep things moving easily and comfortably.

Tip #4: Rest

One of the biggest things that helped was truly resting my voice and not talking. I intentionally gave my voice long stretches of rest, sometimes going hours without speaking at all. Talking when you’re sick can actually be more taxing than singing because we don’t support or monitor it in the same way. Voice rest doesn’t have to be all or nothing! Even short periods of silence can make a noticeable difference.

Flu season doesn’t automatically mean vocal damage or losing your voice. With a little intention and care, it’s possible to support your voice through illness and the dry winter months so it can keep showing up for you when you need it most.