singing

[Msccruises]

I sing in a choir but run out of breath at times and have to use my Ventolin. Any tips apart from Don’t sing. Thanks

[Homely2 Administrator]

I did the asthma UK harmonica course and have carried on playing the harmonica.

Initially there was no way I could keep up, but practice and salbutamol helped, so I can now complete a small piece.

For me it is about, my general lung fitness, so I have seen a respiratory physio who has helped me with breathing exercises and general fitness. This has all helped. A private respiratory physio cost me 55 pounds for an hour.

It is also about how my asthma is generally, which is harder to control, on a bad day, harmonica playing is difficult.

[Msccruises in reply to Homely2]

Thank you. I will look up courses

[Patk1 in reply to Msccruises]

There is a lady who runs a singing group who will hopefully see Yr post + b able to help - I'm not sure if she's on the lung conditions forum,which u may want to post in x

[peege]

Singing is supposed to be great for the lungs. Have you tried taking a puff of ventolin before you start?

[corinusha]

Hello Msccruises, keep on singing, new studies show that singing activates the vagus nerve which is overall beneficial for humans. Maybe the other inhaler (in my case Symbicort) can help with this. Better consult with a lung doctor about it. All the best!

[Msccruises in reply to corinusha]

Thanks for the encouragement

[revcathfrog]

I sing in a choir. I sometimes have to take a sneaky breath especially on long notes or phrases. It is very good for lung health. Take your ventolin before you start, it is the same as you would if you are doing exercises. Also ginger is very good. If I am singing in a concert or competition I drink warm ginger and lemongrass. Bottle green.

[Msccruises in reply to revcathfrog]

Thanks so much

[petmice in reply to Msccruises]

I second the sneaky breath. I have been doing this for years. As long as you don't do it when others are doing it, it will not be noticed by anyone other than you. You may also find you are not the only one taking those sneaky breaths! I am so jealous of singers who can hold a note forever.

[runcyclexcski]

I wonder what the chorus singing venue is like. If it's an old/mouldy/carpeted/poorly ventilated building, that could contribute. Or, if it's a building with no HVAC, ventilates via open windows, and you are allergic to outdoor pollen, that could contribute as well. Maybe you can compare your symptoms while singing at home/in an allergen-controlled environment vs signing at the chorus venue.

One can speak to a specialist and see if the maintenance medication can be adjusted (dosage increased, or the medication changed). Signing could be viewed like a physical exercise in terms of asthma triggers. Although exercise is beneficial, it needs to be done safely, because deap breathing exposes the airways to more air and all the irritants that come with it (cold, driness, pollen, mold, dust etc). For exercise, they recommend taking ventolin before the activity begins, may be the same can be done for signing (as revcathfrog suggested). Intal is also an exercise-specific medication, but it is rather difficult to get nowadays.

[Msccruises in reply to runcyclexcski]

Thank you

[Lunabi]

I sing in a choir but the inhalers have had an impact on my voice. I was speaking to a lady who used to be a voice coach. She said that she had noticed that inhalers were affecting peoples' voices. She advised that after taking an inhaler, gargle 3 times then take a small amount of pineapple juice which helps to coat the vocal chords. I have found that this helps.

[Msccruises in reply to Lunabi]

Thank you