Congested Sinuses and Singing

[Elvis]

Hey guys! My doctor said i have a severely congested sinuses and that i should look into treating it. I asked if that can affect my singing and she couldnt give me a proper answer because she doesent know about mechanisms involved in singing that good. 

 

So guys can you shed some light on it?

[Felipe Carvalho]

As long as its not a infection, you should be fine. It does affect the tone a bit, but the technique does not depend on the sinus to work.

 

Infection can really mess you up on the other hand.

[Gneetapp]

Hi Elvis, I agree with Felipe regarding the physics involved in singing, but if you sinuses are dripping or creating mucus, I think it may affect your throat. I speak this based on my own experience, as I usually have problems with allergies that affect my sinus, and had been for a long long time addicted to those sinus drops. In order to control your sinus congestion, have you thought about using a neti pot? It really helped me with my allergies. I hope you have a quick recovery man. Cheers

[VideoHere]

E, boy can I help with you this issue....

Just so you know, clogged sinuses create pressure so don't be surprised if you develop headaches when you sing.

But from personal experience, post nasal drip can wreak havoc on your ability to sing. The mucous can drop down your throat (at night when you least expect it) and literally wrap itself around your vocal folds making singing very difficult.  I've had it to where the pitch actually gets deflected because of the mucous interfering with the vocal folds! 

If you have this issue, you have to control the viscosity of the mucous by staying very well hydrated.

You also have to take action to control histamine production, which can come from many places, foods, allergens, even stress.  A neti pot or Neilmed Sinus Rinse helps a lot if used consistently, and you might need to take an antihistamine. But an antihistamine can dry you out too much which is no good.

Also, get to an Allergy doctor and see if there's anything you might be allergic to.....I was to dust mites (many people are) and I went out and bought special mattress covers which helped a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Elvis]

Wow thanks guy!!

 

• Actually im not allergic to anything and furthermore im a very healthy person. Havent had a single flu for more than 5 years. All my medical problems are related to me spraining ankles and breaking bones (old basketball injuries, i was preety pro xD).

The thing is, air is saturated with pollen (im at mediterannean sea and aloooot of pine trees and cupressus trees where i live and that all stuff's my nostrils. Im not alergic but that still bothers the inner part of nostril, and excess "mucous" is being created. Also i smoke which also aids my congestion. Bassically she said to come back in a day or two to prescribe me some sprays, and in the mean time i should just do some inhalation with salted water.

I was just wondering what can this do to your resonance when singing. I figured if the sound should resonate in sinus cavities then sound cant reach them if they are congested.

 

P.s. can any moderator enable us to turn off the option for sending email to us for every thread followed. kinda clogging up my email and before the new website we were able to turn that off.

 

P.s.2 - LOVE the new website. looks more slick and awesome. also it looks killer on the Smartphone, altough it is a little slower than Mandrilapp. Still preety awesome.

[MDEW]

Echinacea........We still haven't heard the verdict from that other thread about allergies and stuff like this.......That thread died.

Maybe the cold mysteriously worked through its natural course after taking Echinacea for a few days.

[JW10]

Eat a huge slab of Wasabi before singing.  Always works.

[ronws]

Wow thanks guy!!

 

• Actually im not allergic to anything and furthermore im a very healthy person. Havent had a single flu for more than 5 years. All my medical problems are related to me spraining ankles and breaking bones (old basketball injuries, i was preety pro xD).

The thing is, air is saturated with pollen (im at mediterannean sea and aloooot of pine trees and cupressus trees where i live and that all stuff's my nostrils. Im not alergic but that still bothers the inner part of nostril, and excess "mucous" is being created. Also i smoke which also aids my congestion. Bassically she said to come back in a day or two to prescribe me some sprays, and in the mean time i should just do some inhalation with salted water.

I was just wondering what can this do to your resonance when singing. I figured if the sound should resonate in sinus cavities then sound cant reach them if they are congested.

 

P.s. can any moderator enable us to turn off the option for sending email to us for every thread followed. kinda clogging up my email and before the new website we were able to turn that off.

 

P.s.2 - LOVE the new website. looks more slick and awesome. also it looks killer on the Smartphone, altough it is a little slower than Mandrilapp. Still preety awesome.

​I think you can turn that off in your profile page or settings page regarding notifications.

Also, I think this really belongs in the vocal health section.

 

[Elvis]

​I think you can turn that off in your profile page or settings page regarding notifications.

Also, I think this really belongs in the vocal health section.

 

Tried turning it off but it says that the function is disabled by moderator. Aka i cant turn it off

[Gneetapp]

Elvis, I just want to say 2 things:

1) Start using the neti pot to wash your sinuses 1-2x a day with the solution that comes with the package; 

2) QUIT SMOKING!

Just friendly advice. Lost my mother to lung cancer. It is pretty painful just to watch bro. My mother used to sing and play guitar as a hobby, and she LOVED singing karaoke, but after a certain age (she started smoking at 16 yrs old)  she could not carry a tune anymore, and she would run out of breath, and even get dizzy while singing. Heartbreaking to say the least. Take care bro! 

[Elvis]

Elvis, I just want to say 2 things:

1) Start using the neti pot to wash your sinuses 1-2x a day with the solution that comes with the package; 

2) QUIT SMOKING!

Just friendly advice. Lost my mother to lung cancer. It is pretty painful just to watch bro. My mother used to sing and play guitar as a hobby, and she LOVED singing karaoke, but after a certain age (she started smoking at 16 yrs old)  she could not carry a tune anymore, and she would run out of breath, and even get dizzy while singing. Heartbreaking to say the least. Take care bro! 

​Thanks gnee...Yea im fighting cigarettes with all my illpower...really hard thing to do. but i will just need a lil bit more time to shake it off completely

[ronws]

I agree, I can't find a button. I went to your profile and into edit mode and I could not find a button to toggle on and on email notifications. This might a be a job for Adolph.

 

[ronws]

Elvis, it's really easy. Up at the top of your screen is that thing that looks like a bell. Click on that. Over to the right is a button for notification settings. Click on that and un-choose email. I will see if I can try it for you.

 

[ronws]

Just looked at your profile again but I don't think I can change yours. You have to do it yourself, as described in my previous post.