Wow Is It Hot! – Remember The Water.

I walked across my yard today and could hear it crunching under foot. In Lawrence, Kansas we are in the dog days of summer – mid 90s for highs and near 90% humidity. To even keep a green tint to the lawn requires regular, thorough watering.

How much water does your body require? By weight our bodies are made up of approximately 60% water. We are constantly loosing water in a variety of ways: perspiration, urine, breathing, intestines. A typical adult looses about 2-3 liters per day. So how much do I need to drink?  Well, it depends. Your size, activity level, ambient temperature, medications, etc. all play a role.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:

• About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids for men
• About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women

About 20% of this fluid generally comes from food, the rest from drinks. Some fruits and vegetables are nearly 100% water by weight. We can get water from a variety of drinks including plain water, juices,milk,  coffee, tea, soft drinks, sport drinks, etc. Plain water is often your best bet as it is calorie free, readily available, and inexpensive (unless you are at a professional sporting event!).

Our vocal cords are vibrating/oscillating at rates of 100-200 or more times a second. Adequate hydration is needed to produce a clear and efficient voice. Multiple studies have been done over the years that show that hydration improves vocal quality. Improvement have been seen in jitter, shimmer, frequency, and maximum phonation time. In other words – Water Helps Your Voice!

Many singers will ask if dairy product could damage the voice. Studies done at our center a few years ago did show some thickening of secretions shortly after drinking milk but these effects were very short lived. After a drink of water or after waiting 10-15 minutes, these thickening effects were gone.

So – Drink up! The old recommendation of 8 glasses (8 ounces each) is on target!  Just remember in the heat of the summer you will likely need much more than this.