Speaking of Voice: “Sleep, Glorious Sleep!” by Mary Lynn Doherty

 

       A good night’s sleep can make all the difference, right?  At this busy time of year, spring concerts, final grades and end of the school year celebrations often prevent me from getting a full night’s sleep.  General or chronic fatigue can negatively affect a person’s physical and emotional well being and can cause poor posture, inefficient breath support, and a host of other issues related to vocal production (Doherty, 2011).  While there are many things to enjoy about this time of year, there is still a certain amount of stress associated with the end of the semester schedule and responsibilities.  Not getting enough sleep can make us feel stress; stress can interrupt sleep.  In addition, much has been written about the connections between stress and muscle tension dysphonia (MTD); according to Dietrich et al (2008), “it is the Zeitgeist to acknowledge that the mind and body are integrated and that psychological stress affects health”.  

       While the elusive eight hours of sleep may not be doable on a regular basis, the voice needs to recover and when we sleep, that is a great time for repair.   Ingo Titze (1999) writes about the cycle of “destruction and repair”:

 

Short term recovery takes place when we stop phonating, even momentarily. This recovery is primarily a benefit to the muscles, whose chemistry gets reset for the next contraction. Meanwhile, traumatized skin cells and extracellular material in the vocal fold cover are not quickly repaired. Epithelial cells – they line the inner and outer surfaces of the body- may have been heavily bombarded by vocal fold collision; consequently, they may die and be shed off. New cells will develop underneath but that takes time….The repair process may take anywhere from a few hours to as much as 72 hours to complete. Thus, minor destruction and repair is continual, even when we do not abuse our vocal folds…..The key question is: can the regenerative processes keep up with the destructive process. If not, a recovery time will be needed, because an accumulation of damage will have taken place…..For a school teacher, for whom one lecture period follows another, injury may accumulate during the day. A point can be reached where there literally is never enough recovery from day to day (Titze, 1999).

 

       So, take an opportunity to go to bed early or sleep in if/when possible, and avoid the cycle of fatigue and stress that can inhibit your health and happiness.  Your voice will thank you!  Since it is now after 11pm here, I am going to take my own advice and sign off!