Anyone else notice a singing voice improvement after CPAP?

Sireneh wrote:On the flip side, I have been wondering about the benefits of vocal exercises to help strengthen the muscles around the airway.

Me too. The past couple of days, I have just been stuck on this concept. My wife is a strong, well-controlled singer and she doesn't make a sound when she sleeps. I wonder what the percentage of apnea cases is among accurate, on-pitch singers compared to the general population? I play lead guitar and do that instead of singing. I've been considering working on my vocal chops to see if that will improve my night time breathing.

I used to sound like Robert Goulet. Now I sound like Jimmy Durante. Is that an improvement?

LinkC wrote:I used to sound like Robert Goulet. Now I sound like Jimmy Durante. Is that an improvement?

IMO, yes.

My voice is now husky sounding.. like I'm hoarse and getting over laryngitis. I hope my singing voice is not affected... haven't really tried it.

Nope. People still scream in agony when I lapse into song.

Breathe Jimbo wrote:I had a problem with the occasional, slightly slurred speech before CPAP. This afternoon, while doing vocal warmup exercises on my way to a job interview, I noticed the absence of any slur with certain phrases like "truly rural" and "the epitome of femininity."

I also experienced some slurring of speech when not getting enough sleep. It had been happening for a few years before I was diagnosed. I think now it was sleep apnea.

Glad to return to this board after hiatus, and to find this thread. I picked up an Irish pennywhistle Nov. 08 and have been learning to play it -- and my most recent sleep study showed I had NO apneas/hypopneas (though still RERAS fragmenting sleep) whereas in the first study pre-playing I had avg 15/hour. I have paid close attention to what happens in my throat when I try to get a pure airstream going into the whistle (you should hear Joanie Madden play!) and I would LOVE to know from someone who knows what muscles are involved in OSA and whistling/fluting -- are they the same? I swear the whistle has helped. Of course, continuing at 12cm when now I need more like around 8 wasn't helping...LOVE my new Quattro FX mask, can sleep on my side without dislodging the seal...

by jnk on Thu May 12, 2011 4:39 am

napstress wrote:
Is that you?

Yep.

Writing odd little songs then recording them on computer is something I like to do as a hobby and to irritate my wife.

Thanks for the kind words.

jnk, Very nice! It has a real Ben Folds Five sound to it. You sir, could quit your day job and bask in warmth of the Broadway lights...

John

No improvement...I couldn't sing before and I still can't sing.

I have actually, but didn't in any way relate it to the cpap...I love to sing, so hope it continues to get better!!

Yes. I definitely did see an improvement in both my singing and spoken voice. After starting CPAP (many, many moons ago), I found that all the overtones were back. Better yet, some of the dissonance (the huskiness of the voice) was gone.

I also found the same to be true with my spoken voice. I spent my teens and early twenties training in speech and theater (including musical theater) and choral music. So, my observation of the change was not just a "it felt better" observation.

[ Slight detour for a moment ... As many of you might know, I ended up working in the computer industry. I had an affinity for computers that is hard to explain, but amazing to realize that it was not until my 3rd year in college that I discovered what would be my life long profession. But don't think the speech and theater was a "waste of time". Of course, I was able to use those skills in the countless presentations I did over the years. Good presentation techniques made those presentations more enjoyable for both my audience and me. So, never underestimate the value of a broad liberal arts education. ]

As others have noted, I also suspect that snoring, combined with occasional gastric reflux due the obstructive apneas, led to the dissonance within my voice. Anytime you make a loud noise, rather than a musical note, it bruises and damages the vocal chords. Getting the snoring and reflux under control could only have helped my speaking and singing voice.

Yep absolutely. I cannot believe it and I don't ever use my humidifier. I have dry mouth every morning that goes away in 2 hours everyday also but it has improved my singing immensely. I really like to sing American Jazz and it is helping. I was thinking of posting a clip of my jazz singing on this forum to show people that CPAP helps your voice but I do not think people would be interested. You would get a laugh out of it though - imagine that - an Aussie who loves and sings American Jazz!

Well I'm on the opposite end. I could sing soprano/alto now, I can't sing well at all and my range is very very small there too. It all started when I started using my CPAP machine. At my sons first communion he said I sounded like a smoker singing. It may be coincidence that it happened when I started using my cpap machine. I'll ask my doctor next time I see her.

I would NOT wait to see the doctor!
Sudden hoarseness could be something serious!
Very unlikely to be caused by therapy. --and unusual.
Dangerous assumption, considering what it COULD be.