If you have lost your voice after singing too much, you are most likely in the same boat as those who are experiencing throat soreness. The two problems are very closely related.

We have a page on throat soreness: preventing a sore throat from singing too much. Because these issues have similar solutions, I will not rewrite the tips for preventing a sore throat, so please read that page in addition to this one.

This page focuses more on what to do after throat soreness and loss of voice occurs.

Drink Proper Beverages

The last thing you want to do when you have lost your voice is to irritate your throat even more. Contrary to popular belief, “home remedies” such as lemon juice, sugary teas, coffee, and hot toddies are drinks that you want to stay clear of.

The reason being is that they are acidic or contain caffeine, which contributes to acid reflux. This will cause the vocal area to come in contact with corrosive stomach acids, and become even more irritated.

The best beverages you can drink to soothe your throat are water, warm drinks that are non-acidic and contain no caffeine, and herbal teas. Also, be careful of acidic foods.

They may not have as much of an effect on acid reflux as beverages do, but they can still contribute.

Keep Silent

If you have lost your voice, you obviously can barely talk to begin with. Why should you attempt to force out sound while your voice is already trying to tell you that it cannot function properly? That’s not gonna help you get better at singing.

Attempting to talk while your vocal chords are already extremely irritated puts even more pressure on them. In addition to this, when the vocal folds are swollen, they become even more prone to being permanently damaged.

This means that you need to stay away from any form of “noise making” for a few days. “Noise making” includes talking, whispering, singing, yelling, coughing, and gargling.

If you stay consistent, your voice will heal and be back much faster than if you were to perform these actions.

Rest

As stated in the article about preventing a sore throat, sleep is extremely important in keeping your body and voice healthy. If you have an injury, you must rest and stay off of the injured part of your body for a while.

If you have lost your voice, your vocal folds must also recover and should not be used. So remember to get at least eight hours of sleep every night!

See A Doctor

If you have tried the above techniques for at least five to seven days and your condition has worsened (difficulty swallowing, coughing up blood, complete voice disappearance), it may be a wise idea to see your doctor. They should be able to help you according to your condition.