How Do I Get Rid Of My Groggy Voice?

We all go through it; we wake up in the morning, and our vocal cords are not as awake as our brain is. Luckily, it's such a common issue that there are several different ways to effectively combat the problem.

If you're in a rush, you may want to skip the first tip, but I thought I'd just add it in there just in case people are looking for an easy way to get past the issue of a groggy morning voice.

Talk It Out

The easiest thing you can do is just talk it out. This winds up happening to most people every day; you talk or sing your way through your morning voice until it gets back to normal.

If getting rid of your morning voice is more time-sensitive, don't think overtalking or talking loudly is the best trick. You want to be nice to your vocal cords and not hit them with harsh acts like yelling in the morning. 

Vocal Warmups

One of the best ways to get rid of morning voice is to do vocal warmups. Singing scales, humming, and lips trills are all healthy ways to give your vocal cords a stretch without asking too much of them.

Check out some videos and techniques I have for vocal warmups on this page. One of the videos directly combats the phlegm that is often present in our vocal cords early in the morning. 

Throat Coat Tea

Tea is another good way to combat morning voice, and it works wonders if you're looking for a fast fix that will hydrate you at the same time.

The best tea on the market for getting rid of morning voice is called Throat coat tea (available on Amazon), but there are several teas out there for you that will do the job.

Many teas aimed at fighting colds and other infections also work really well for morning voice. Just be sure to avoid teas with caffeine. 

Related Post: 6 Of The Best Teas For Singers

Vocal Steamers

Vocal steamers are a newer way to get rid of morning voice if you're a singer or someone who has a speech coming up and needs to have a clear speaking voice.

Vocal steamers use natural water vapors to soothe your voice, and it only takes about 10 minutes to do per session, so it's a pretty fast option similar to tea.

These can be a bit costly but worth it if you're always singing or speaking. Get more details on the pros and cons of steaming on my Vocal Steamer blog post. 

Why Is My Voice So Hoarse In The Morning?

Our body gets pretty stiff while we sleep, and the same goes for our vocal cords as well. Our voice needs time to warm up, just like the rest of our bodies.

The tissues in our throat collect fluid, including phlegm and mucus, while we sleep. This causes us to wake up wanting to clear our throats every few seconds in the AM. And on top of that, some of us sleep with our mouths open, which causes our vocal cords to operate differently for a while. 

Why Is My Voice Deeper In The Morning?

You may also find that you can hit lower notes in the morning compared to the rest of the day.

While sometimes it is just that rasp making it seem like your voice is deeper, more often, your vocal cords swell a bit overnight because of the acid from your stomach having easier access to your throat in a laying position.

Bigger vocal cords mean lower notes, and that slight swell may give you a lower range than you normally have. 

How Long Does It Take Morning Voice To Go Away?

Some of the above tips will help you within 10 minutes. If you want to go the more natural approach with just talking, drinking water, and relying on the steam from your shower in the morning, that won't take much time either and can still happen in under an hour for most people.

Singing in the shower with a warmup to get your voice going is not a bad idea, either! 

If you find that your morning voice lingers far longer than just a morning and you don't have allergies, check with your doctor and consider other habits like smoking and overdoing spicy foods that could give you that same morning voice effect.

If you're like me and you suffer from year-round allergies, you should rely on teas, warmups, and steam in addition to your allergy meds!