Where to begin…we’ve all heard it hundreds of times, hydrate!

 So, how much water do you need to drink? Can the water be carbonated? What about soda or tea? Is Smart Water all it’s cracked up to be? Does it matter when I drink the water, or how much I drink at a time? Can I over hydrate? What about the pH level (acidity) of the water? 

These are all important questions to consider.  My personal opinion is that the majority of us are not hydrating enough or hydrating correctly. As a result, we often end up trying to supplement with possibly damaging remedies, or work through unnecessarily difficult vocal conditions, thinking that something is “broken.”

Let’s start with some facts:

• Up to 60% of the human body is made up of water. 
• Scientists estimate that we can only live for 2-4 (some estimates as high as 7 )days without water. We can live up to 3 weeks without food by most estimates, to put that in perspective. 
• If your urine is not clear or light yellow, you are not drinking enough water.
• Plain old water is an excellent choice for hydration, but liquids with a small amount of sugar, protein, potassium, fat or salt, can help the body retain more water, or slow the emptying of liquid from the stomach and as a result, extend the period of hydration.
• In the short-term, you can hydrate in about 45 minutes, but it can take up to 2 days to achieve “singer” levels of hydration 
• You can actually over hydrate, but it’s pretty hard to do
• That 8 glasses a day thing? It’s not a universal truth for everyone and depends on a number of factors. 

Let’s go in to a little more detail: 

Water, Water, Everywhere

Recent studies suggest that carbonated water (water with Co2) and regular water, are equally effective.  In other words, there’s no disadvantage in terms of carbonated water when speaking solely of hydration.

However, the pH of carbonated water is slightly acidic, a 3-4 on the pH scale, which means that for some, it can cause issues if you struggle with GERD or acid reflux.  

In addition, watch out for any added flavoring.  Again, depending on your sensitivity, some of those flavors, especially the citrus based versions, can also cause acid reflux and GERD trouble. 

What about bone health? You may have heard in recent years that the carbon dioxide in that “bubbly” water can have a negative effect.  Recent studies also show that only cola, not carbonated or sparkling water had a negative effect on bone health. 

Smart Water

As mentioned above, scientists believe that water with a trace of sodium or sugar can help the body hydrate more efficiently.  Smart Water, with electrolytes and a small amount of sodium, can be a more effective way to hydrate for some.  It’s not cheap, and not all “smart water” (water with electrolytes and other additives) is crated equally, so make sure you read the labels. 

Again, look for those waters that don’t have flavoring as many of those artificial flavors can cause other problems, sometimes negating the positive effects of hydration. 

In my experience, Costco and Amazon have the best prices. 

Gatorade 

Gatorade was made for serious athletes.  For the average person, the additives contained therein are not necessary. 

However, don’t let anyone fool you, musicians are serious athletes in many ways! No, we might not run a 40-yard-dash in 5 second, but we do sing hundreds of pages in foreign languages for up to 4 hours with minimal breaks in really hot costumes while moving around and dancing, following a conductor, trying to look romantic and sometimes while sword-fighting! So yes, if you need a gatorade after a room run or a performance, you better drink your Gatorade! 

Remember though that most of the possible negative effects of Gatorade come when you don’t expend the level of energy that the football players for whom this drink was crated, expend on a regular basis.  It might not be worth it. 

 Some studies suggest that Gatorade is actually more damaging than Diet Coke.  That’s saying something because although delicious and quite obviously the nectar of life, Diet Coke, can (in some cases) cause weight gain, decrease dental health, decrease gut health, insulin confusion, affect kidney health, increase risk of diabetes and increase risk of heart attack, among other things.  But it’s soooooo goooood!  Totally worth it. #justforthetasteofit #DietCoke

Milk

Milk has a bad rap in the singing world for its propensity to increase phlegm levels and cause acid reflux.  However, a few studies suggest that because of its fat, salt and lactose content, it can hydrate just as well as water, assuming you don’t deal with the acid reflux part. So, drinking low-fat milk, if it doesn’t mess with your phlegm levels or reflux, you might be just fine! 

Tea Time

Tea can be controversial.  There are billions of people in the world that drink tea.  Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong Tea, and the herbal tea
versions as well.  I’m an herbal tea only guy, when I drink it, but even then, mint and citrus are so common in herbal teas, with my “old man levels” of acid reflux, I usually stay away from it all together. There’s so much to unpack with tea, that there’s no way we could cover it in a post like this.  However, a few quick facts
to remember…

Teas containing caffeine can act as a diuretic (causing increased passing of urine), so there’s a chance they can dehydrate you, depending on the caffeine content. Here’s a handy chart below to give you an idea of what you might be consuming.  this chart:

This chart comes from an excellent article published in the Jan/Feb 2014 NATS Journal entitled “Busting the Myth: The Real Scoop on Tea,” by Ailssa Deeter and Miriam van Mersbergen.  It’s a great read if
you’re a tea drinker, or have questions about the subject. 

Force Hydrating

This is a term I made up for when I drink a huge amount of water in the morning and “flush” my system.  I find that if I drink more water in the morning, then slowly and regularly drink it throughout the day, I hydrate more effectively.  I have no other scientific evidence to suggest this works other than my personal trial and error, but it is worth a try. 

I find that I reach comfortable levels of hydration much faster during the day, and if you’re anything like me, the longer the day goes on, the harder it is to actually take a break and drink water, so get as much as possible early in the morning. 

The Audition Sip

Though comforting, reassuring and perhaps temporarily assisting to give you that ideal feeling in your throat before singing,  taking that sip of water between each song will not, in fact, help you hydrate for the singing you’re doing at that moment. 

Though it may give some temporary relief from dry throat or help to clear a bit of phlegm, the hydration should have occurred days before.  

So, best to leave that water bottle outside the audition room, unless you’re coughing uncontrollably, or have to take your medication right in the middle of Nessun Dorma…

It also drives a lot of people nuts when singers bring up a water bottle and take a drink after every song or aria. 

How much is too much?

Can you actually over hydrate.  The answer is yes. Here are a few of the conditions that deal with drinking too much water:

Hyponatremia: This is a conduction that entails a decrease in serum sodium concentration < 136 mEq/L caused by an excess of water relative to solute. In other words, a result of drinking too much water that causes necessary levels of sodium in your body to be too diluted.  

It’s difficult to get to these levels of water “saturation,” but it is possible.  

Symptoms can include: 

• Nausea and Vomiting
• Confusion
• Headache
• Loss of Energy, drowsiness and fatigue
• Muscle weakness, spasms, or cramps

Serious symptoms can even include seizures or coma.  

Drinking Cold Water

Does drinking cold water help or hurt? As with so many things, the answer is completely dependent on the person drinking it. I personally feel that drinking cold water, if it’s truly cold, can come as a shock to that regulated internal temperature of 98.6 degrees.  I believe that causes phlegm production, in response to the shock of the extreme temperature change.  Think about when you exercise or even walk outside during a freezing winter day.  You will most likely have more phlegm production, it’s the body’s natural defense mechanism for the vocal folds, among other things.  Exercising in an of itself causes phlegm movement, but it can often be exacerbated by those cold temperatures. 

What other hydration practices have helped you most in your singing? 

What are your best practices for staying hydrated? 

What have you noticed is the biggest difference when you are effectively hydrating?