Ep. 020: Smoking & Vaping | Vocal Health for Singers
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ม.ค. 2025
- Many people are aware of the effects that smoking can have on the body, but may be less aware of the effects of the voice. Also, is vaping safe for singers?? Let's discuss.
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Vocal Pedagogy Consultant: Dr. Rebecca Sherburn, DMA (Director of Voice at Chapman University)
Check out Dr. Sherburn's voice videos through Virtual Sheet Music:
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STOP VAPING!!! I'm an artist who has been singing for over 15 years. I am 34 years old and I started vaping at the age of 22, before vaping was even a thing. I have performed internationally since 2015 and have noticed fatigue after 3 songs on stage. My throat felt so dry that that my eyes start tearing as I walk off stage. I would vape daily and smoke shish occasionally, even on tour. However, I recently quit vaping and it's been one week and three days. GUYS!!!! I performed on stage two days in a row this weekend, and I have never felt so amazing. I could hit all the notes with great power. Also, I could sing for longer periods of time. I am so happy that I quit. Although the the withdrawals are insane, I'm getting better as the days go by. The first four days of quitting were the worst. However, I will never touch any vape or shisha ever again. My singing career is more important than this useless habit. Good luck to everyone.
sounds like a skill problem
@@blinkerz4676 that sounds like Cope
@@jaydenzilkoski4983 sounds like twitter brain
I am not able to quit smoking I was a good previously...pls help me
Hey I went to school for radio broadcasting in class we learned about things like vocal Folds. I didn't realize what the effect smoking had on my vocal Folds. Thank you so much for making this video, I'm somebody who has taken up singing and I wanted to know the real effect that it would have on my voice. I've struggled for a while with my smoking addiction. But I really think this video is what's going to push me over the edge and make me quit for good. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
thank you so much for sharing that! congrats on deciding to make a change! best wishes on your singing future!
This is just my expirence so take it with a grain of salt. After I quit smoking, I noticed an improvement in my voice. I've been thinking about quitting vaping too. It doesn't seem to effect my tone, clarity, or sustain, but I know that putting anything into my lungs (aside from air) is never a good idea.
Literally found this video after having a serious meltdown struggling to sing songs I've been able to sing flawlessly for years. I've been smoking for over 20 years and I feared this day would come but it wasn't until the last year that I've noticed a real impact on my voice and it's devastating to me right now. Not that I didn't know better but I've always been lucky in that sense and honestly even had myself convinced that it gave my voice that raspy edge, as I sing alot of Sinatra and soulful music and alot of those artists were chain smokers. But lately I have so much less power in my voice and a drastic decrease in lung capacity so hitting any kind of high note is out of the question. Common sense says we'll quit, duh, but if it were only that easy. As a person who is extremely habit forming and been thru many addictions in my life, I've successfully quit literally everything else, even drinking which repulses me at this point, but cigarettes are like that old friend I can seem to say goodbye to. A few years back my mom quit after like 40 years of smoking because she basically lost her singing voice and was fed up and I think I might be finally hitting that same moment myself. It's just so damn hard. Even when I think about quitting, it's like I immediately want a cigarette. However, I'm heartbroken right now after attempting to sing and barely being able to and it has even effected my ability to do impressions which I'm really fkn good at. Well I was atleast. I'm gonna force myself to keep watching videos and doing research about quitting because it's already bad enough I've let stage fright stop me from chasing my singing dreams but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let smoking steal my voice from me altogether!
thanks so much for watching and for sharing some of your story. quitting is definitely not easy, but it sounds like you’ve got some good momentum! wishing you all the best and believing that you have a long and fulfilling singing journey still ahead of you!
I can only speak from my own experience here, but my range wasn't really affected by smoking. What it did impact however was the amount of power and effort I had to put behind belting and high notes. The power I use now after quitting is basically half of what I used on cigarettes, but I noticed my bass range isn't as powerful since quitting (thankfully I'm a tenor 😅). But I've been vaping since quitting and I haven't noticed any drastic negative changes to my voice since I switched over, unless I'm not hydrated well enough. Vaping is certainly better than cigarettes (and being cold turkey is certainly better than vaping), but as it relates to the voice, as long as you moderate yourself and keep the voice fit and hydrated, then it should be fine
Thanks for sharing this! When the vocal folds are inflamed, it usually requires more power to get them to function - especially in the high range - so your experience makes a lot of sense. As far as vaping, it for sure reduces many of the risks of smoking. A big risk with vaping is primarily that vape products operate at high heat, and high temperature vapor traveling over the vocal folds puts it at risk for injury, especially if one does a lot of talking or singing. The other health conditions, such as COPD and EVALI, have an impact on a person's greater health, as opposed to just the voice. I included them in this video since it's hard to separate vocal health completely from overall body health. Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts!
‘Preciate this comment. I’ve had some of my fellow local musicians tell me they had noticed a difference in their voice within 10 days of quitting. I’m holding onto this being true for myself as if I quit for 10 days there’s no way I’m smoking again especially if I can tell the difference.
FACTS MY RANGE IS NEVER AFFECTED JUST THE AMMOUNT OF EFFORT I HAVE TO PUT IN TO HIT THE HIGH NOTES I CAN IMAGINE WITH MORE LUNG IT WOULD BE EASIER 🫁
@@777Youchi I mean, it was true for me and I only noticed the difference the week after I quit and switched to vaping that they were easier. But I have noticed that since regularly training my voice, my range has gotten even better. So maybe the smoking was hiding some notes in my upper range, but idk
Is it normal though, I feel light headed and have acid problems since I switched to the vapor from cigarettes? Anyone who knows?
I'm 21, I started smoking every day when I was 14.
I have no VISIBLE consequences to my voice and I still have my tenor tessitura.
Today is the last day. I smoked my last cigarette some hours ago, I can't allow all these years of training go to waste because of my negligence.
Thank you for the video, it really opened my eyes.
hey, thanks so much for watching, and for sharing that! Best wishes to you on your journey.
@@MikaylaFeldman It's been a month aleady. I did QUIT! Thanks
So why did every good singer in story smoke?
Freddy Mercury,
Elvis,
Frank Sinatra,
Bruno Mars,
Bieber,
Sheeran,
Eddie Vedder,
Gomez,
Gaga,
Nina Simone,
Pavarotti,
.... even Beyonce....?! And many many more... I know smoking is bad for you, but seems to work for singers
😑
My chords literally started hurting while watching
Gonna watch this video every time I want to have a cigarette :) thank you for making this
Hey, Harriet. I’ve had only one since yesterday morning. How you doing so far? I’m going cold turkey and it’s…. it’s awful.
thanks so much for watching!
Great video. Noticed my singing voice is really messed up today after vaping all day and night yesterday.
Glad you found it helpful!
@@MikaylaFeldman if I quit vaping will my voice completely heal
@@alexbaker9967 yes, if you dont vape for years it will heal by itself most likely!
If liquids don’t actually pass through the vocal chords, and only through the esophagus, is that the same scenario with smoke?
I smoke herbs probably once a day, I used to be more of a stoner back when I was in my early 20’s, and I just want to get an idea of how much that could have affected my vocal health.
I don’t smoke tobacco or nicotine or vape.
Good question, Raine! Liquid passes through your esophagus, but all smoke and vapor passes directly over your vocal cords. While some vapors/smokes may be worse than others, the vocal cords and lungs aren’t really meant to absorb anything beyond air or pure water vapor (like steam). Any kind of smoke will dry out the vocal folds, and the membrane tissues will absorb those compounds, which can cause some vocal dysfunction.
I hope that answers your question. All the best to you, Raine!
@@MikaylaFeldman okay I will be more mindful of that! Thank you for sharing the info 🤍
Cigarettes are definately bad for singers. Last time i smoked one (1) cigarette i immediately lost like almost an octave from my voice for the day but next day i was allright again. Now think about what they gonna do for your lungs and vocal chords in a long run if you smoke all the time.
I smoked weed arround 10 times and i already feel damage in my vocal chords. I cant reach high notes and im scared cause i dont know if this is just irritation and it will heal as the time passes or if i wont be able to recover my voice again.
It takes time for swollen vocal folds to recover. You might try avoiding smoking for a week or so and see if your voice improves. Most swelling and vocal injuries can be healed with voice rest (no talking, singing, or making sound for a few days).
I try not to vape every day but when I do I’ll range from 5 to 10 puffs a day ish. Sometimes more. I started a few months ago and since then my singing voice has gotten bad. I cant hit many notes and I’ve noticed I’m now quite out of tune
Sorry to hear that! Thanks for sharing a bit of your journey. Best of luck!
Substituting air with smoke or vape? What could possibly go wrong?
What about weed is it the same thing or like wax pens ?
Anything that you inhale passes over your vocal folds and can have an effect on your vocal health, including weed. The components of those vapors will likely stick to or be absorbed by the tissues in the vocal folds, and can have varying effects. Almost all substances that are inhaled for recreation are done so at high heat, which causes swelling in the vocal folds. The only vapor that is recommended for inhalation is water vapor (aka steam) at a moderate heat setting. This can sometimes help with hydration or getting rid of excess mucus when sick, but inhaling any other substance in vapor form is not recommended for vocal health. Hope that helps!
Are cigars bad on my vocals? Ine every other day or once a week
I am singer professionaly but it’s soo hard for me to quite vaping and I caps 50 mg nicotine , is it fine ? Also I have seen many other famous singers smoking and vaping!!, why is their voice not getting spoiled ??? Is it cuz of practice ?
It's difficult to say that there is any "safe" level of vaping. The heat alone is enough to put the vocal folds at risk, in addition to the other chemicals. While there are famous singers who smoke chronically, many of them have gotten vocal injuries or lost their voices over time. They also have the ability to get surgery from the best doctors in the world. Sure, there are singers with so-called "vocal cords of steel," who can do almost anything to their voice and it seems unaffected, but this can be a dangerous game to play, because you never know where the limit is, and you only have one voice! Hope this helps!
Smocking is not only bad for for you voice it’s bad for your health in general
How can I stop smoking tobacco? And teas that help😳 I’m trying to stop
How about smoking weed? I’ve been smoking daily and I’ve noticed my voice feels different. As if I were sick but I’m not. I can still sing but it sounds different and deeper. I noticed my voice cracks a little more often too even just talking.
Smoking anything unfortunately will have a negative impact on your voice, increasing dryness, swelling, and over time allowing toxins to absorb into the vocal folds.
@@MikaylaFeldman Ty so much for the reply, honestly perfect timing. I’m trying to quit smoking weed but I am wondering, will my voice fully heal?
super cool. definitely you’re likely to see improvement after stopping, but it would take some time. However, because I am not a doctor and don’t know your voice personally, for specific and accurate advice, you’d want to see a doctor who is a laryngologist, which would specialize in vocal health. best of luck on your journey!
@@MikaylaFeldman Ty!
What do I do with the second hand smoking .. I'm surrounded by a smokers and I'm really worried about my voice ? 💔
ok i have one question thou. i've been vaping and i did notice a difference in my vocal range and power, if i stop now will the damage reverse itself with practice and time and go back to the way it used to be? i've only been vaping for about 2 or 3 months now.
please update, did it came back ?
There’s definitely an optimistic chance that the function will come back, but to know most fully you’d want to check in with a laryngologist. Certainly, quitting can definitely only help!
Can beatboxing damage ur vocals?? 😭Cuz I did it and my vocal cords started bleeding
it can probably have a damaging effect if you're doing it with too much force. there are some great beatboxing teachers out there who can help you learn how to do it safely.
im addicted to vaping :(((((((( ive smoked for like 5 years not everyday of course ugh wish me well :/
I know that you said cigarette smoking…would you say that weed smoking is in the same category? I mean maybe not as bad as cigarette smoking because it doesn’t have as many horrible chemicals as cigarettes do but it’s still just the act of smoking that’s the problem, right?
Yes unfortunately, all smoking is going to have a negative effect. Really the voice is just not designed to be able to tolerate smoke very well.
Ok very helpful and informational thank you. Although it would be nice to have someone who was a smoker and then stopped. Cuz I been smoking weed everyday since i was 15 and smoked well before that and I have just converted to edibles. I'm wondering do you know anybody in your field who have gone thru that and would have any advice. Because I've quit for 3 weeks now and my voice hasn't snapped back like it normally does. I also got over a cough about 2 weeks ago. But idk I've been pounding water and tea for 3 weeks
Thanks for the suggestions! If you've been smoking for a number of years, it can definitely take some time for your voice to recover. I love your idea of interviewing someone who stopped smoking and has gone through that transition with their voice - I'll definitely consider doing something like that in the future! Water is definitely an important component, so you're on the right track. You'll also want to consider voice rest, and seeing an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor who is a laryngologist and can take a look at your vocal folds to advise you about what additional steps you can take.
@@MikaylaFeldman ok yay thank you so much!
How long does it take for the side effects to appear. I've been vaping for a month, is it possible that my voice is already damaged?
I’ve been vaping for two years and the only difference I’ve noticed is it’s easier to vocal fry (which for me is a good thing), but I can still sing with range, but people experience different things.
Would my voice change if I quit?
I cant sing at all anymore, its the only thing i had i was grateful for. I cant stop vaping, its harder then smoking. These things where made for quitting smoking and now theres double the challenge to get off nicotine. These have more nicotine then a pack of cigarettes. They're highly addictive and evewhere and so easy to pick up again. I only get 3 months and im back on them. If your reading this as a casual vaper, please throw it away before it takes over you wallet life and health. Also im aging badly i have crows feet at 24.
This was honestly rlly frustrating to watch, I’m not looking for an anti smoking ad, I’m a singer with an addiction, I want an unbiased scientific explanation on what it does to my voice, believe me I and every other smoker/vaper is well aware the health risks, I need information on what it does to my vocal chords
Hey Josiah, I'm really sorry that the video didn't answer the questions you were looking for. I consulted several doctors before filming this video, and discussed all of the effects on the vocal cords that I could find from my research (including Reinke's Edema, swelling, hoarseness, dryness, irritation). The reason I also included information about the effects of smoking and vaping on lung function and general health is simply because the health of the voice is affected by the health of the whole body (I talk in other videos about the connection between vocal health and general body health). I also have a number of teenage viewers, which is why I included some background on the impact of nicotine on the health of that age group specifically. I really tried my best to just present the science and nothing else, so that anyone watching could make their own decisions based on those facts. I'm sorry if that didn't come across!
Toxic, entitled, complainy comment. She put time and effort into making this video, answering the very thing people, besides just you, clicked on this video for. So because you’ve got an addiction (so do I) you’ve got special rights to hand-crafted, tailor-made-for-you content? So she’s wrong for not reading your mind? This video’s less than 6 minutes of your time (which is probably less than 1% of the time she put into making it). Not what you want? Move on, keep searching, do some research like she did, and deal with whatever drove you to make this comment
I don't see what more you could expect from the video, that's the nicotine in trying to find reasons and excuses to keep on smoking...
Exactly smh
I’ve been vaping for 2 years. Would quitting heal my vocal?
it would probably help!
Very detailed information 🙏❤️thanku🥰
so glad you enjoyed!
Ok so I’ve been smoking for about four years so you think I can ever sing over time now that I’ve quit ?
Your voice is likely to improve after quitting smoking! But to know for certain if there has been any significant or permanent damage done to your vocal folds, you'd need to see a Laryngologist.
How has aaron lewis been chain smoking ciggaretes for 30 years and also smokes nonstop on stage while singing and he is hitting some of the most powerful clearest notes i have ever heard at 52 years old? At the end of his new song pull me under
Have you ever been a long term heavy smoker and had experience with this situation? This is like me as a male writing a book called the 3rd trimester and what to expect. Pay attention ladies your gonna feel a pressure here etc lol
i know this aint about aaron lewis from staind?!
@@elviradistress th-cam.com/video/oY-cQhRedI4/w-d-xo.html
Skip to 5:55
And damn straight its about aaron from staind
@@elviradistress awh what happened lol
@@elviradistress is he just an anomaly or is he proof that this is all BS
@@cj24702 i jus never saw the reply LMAO
Ok so I’ve been smoking for about four years so you think I can ever sing over time now that I’ve quit
Your vocal health is likely to improve after quitting! It may take some time for your vocal folds to repair, and if you're interested in being a professional voice user then you may want to see a Laryngologist to evaluate your vocal folds to see what condition they're in.
I also know that it can cause a lot more problems then smockers voice
what about smoking weed?
Bro just smoke weed who cares. Weed is a light in a very dark world
@@seb5572 ok, are you a singer lmao?
@@seb5572 I mean I agree w you but now I think I got throat cancer
@@xoxoxo2457 I mean how long u been smokin weed and how often?
@@seb5572 4 yea since I was 17 & 24/7
1:30 missed opportunity for clickbait
What about weed?
What a stupid question lmao
@@Hoo_huu tanks
Any type of vape or smoking device - including weed that is smoked- typically passes vapors over the vocal folds at high heat, which is part of what makes it dangerous.
@@MikaylaFeldman im talkin about weed vapin
Thank you
That's cool. Still gonna smoke weed.
Why not just take an editable?
@@louieo.blevinsmusic4197 the high is different, some people prefer one or the other
vaping is worse than smoking actual cigarettes. Best is to quit both.
Vaping makes nirvana covers sound better doe
How much does a single joint affect your voice? Only 1
It’s hard to quantify! Any type of smoke or joint will cause dryness and inflammation as a result of the chemicals and heat. These in turn will put the voice at risk of hemorrhage, even in the short term. Over the long term, each joint adds up and puts the laryngeal area at higher risk for Smoker’s Polyps and throat cancers.
@@MikaylaFeldman im a singer and i smoked yesterday, will this affect my singing voice for the rest of my life?
That’s unlikely! Just make sure to rehydrate your voice, and if anything feels off vocally, just take it easy for a day. And you’ll want to limit your exposure in the future if you plan to be a professional voice user :)
Hahaha. I love how innocent this is. Basically saying “I smoked a weed.” Adorable
Dominic Fike smokes weed
Adele was up to 25 cigs a day and her voice was/is fantastic. As for vaping...you have no idea what you're talking about. Contaminated Chinese manufactured e-liquid does not represent typical vaping... Stick to what you know.
Adele had to have a whole vocal surgery.
Adele was up to 25 cigs a day and her voice was/is fantastic. As for vaping...you have no idea what you're talking about. Contaminated Chinese manufactured e-liquid does not represent typical vaping... Stick to what you know.