3 Reason You’ve Got Morning Voice And What You Can Do To Prevent It

It’s Monday morning… grrrreat.

After a long weekend of back-to-back gigging, the last thing you want to do is teach for another 8 hours.

But alas, someone’s got to pay the bills!

So, you stumble into the kitchen.

Your partner’s got the coffee going… THANK GOD.

You go to ask them what’s for breakfast, only you sound like you just swallowed a mason jar of sand.

Morning voice.

You know the one—the scratchy, croaky sound that makes you feel like you’ve aged 20 years overnight.

It’s that hoarse, barely-there tone that leaves you struggling to make basic conversation, let alone sing.

Morning voice is when your vocal folds are dehydrated, a little swollen, and not quite ready to function like they usually do.

So why does it happen and what can you do to stop it. 

Well, let’s break that down...

1. Overuse or Strain

This is the most common reason for waking up with a groggy voice.

And the tricky thing is, you might not even realize you’re overusing your voice.

It doesn’t always take a full-blown concert scream to strain those vocal folds—sometimes it’s as simple as talking a little louder for a little longer than usual.

You may have had a day where you were chatting with friends, projecting your voice in a meeting, or even doing silly impressions from your favorite tv show (guilty is charged!). 

All of this can add up, and by the time you go to bed, your vocal folds are feeling a bit worn out—even if you don’t notice it right away.

The next morning, your voice feels swollen and inflamed. For me, I remember waking up after college a cappella performances and sounding like I dropped two octaves overnight. 

That low, croaky sound? 

Yep, that’s called vocal fold swelling.

If you find yourself waking up with that groggy voice often, it might be time to reassess how much strain you're putting on your voice throughout the day.

Cooling down with a Singing / Straw is a great way to give your voice some love after a long day of vocal use.

2. Not Enough Sleep

Let’s face it—sleep is crucial for your voice. 

If you don’t get enough, your vocal folds don’t have enough time to recover.

And no amount of wishing will change that.

Not getting enough rest means your vocal folds are waking up just as tired as the rest of your body, and that can lead to a groggy, croaky voice.

How sensitive you are to this depends on things like age, hormones, and life stage, but trust me—if you’ve been skimping on sleep, your voice will tell you.

And while we can’t always control our sleep schedules (hello, life!) making an effort to get those vocal folds the rest they need is key. 

The more sleep, the more recovery time for your voice. It’s that simple.

3. Your Environment

Last thing is, and this might seem obvious but… where you sleep can also play a huge part into your morning croak. 

If the air around you is too dry, your vocal folds will dry out, too. 

This can lead to that rough, scratchy feeling when you wake up. 

A humidifier can work wonders in keeping the air moist and your voice happy.

But it’s not just dryness.

If you’ve got postnasal drip, sinus issues, or even acid reflux, all of those can cause irritation while you sleep. 

Mucus from post nasal drip can settle on your vocal folds overnight, leaving you with a thick, raspy voice in the morning.

And let’s not forget dehydration—if you’re not drinking enough water, your vocal folds will struggle to vibrate smoothly, making it even harder for your voice to wake up.

Good news is, you don’t have to be stuck with that morning voice forever. 

Here are a few simple steps to help shake off that groggy sound:

1. Hydrate: Drink water as soon as you wake up to rehydrate your vocal folds and flush out any mucus.
2. Sirens with the Singing / Straw: This is one of my favorite ways to wake up the voice. The Singing / Straw creates just the right amount of resistance to help your vocal folds vibrate efficiently without pushing too hard. Plus, it helps reduce inflammation. We have a whole catalog of warm up sets from high notes to low notes to finding your mix voice. You can check them out here.
3. Humming: After a few lip trills, ease into some gentle humming. This will help further loosen up your voice and get it ready for the day ahead. Waking up with a groggy voice is common, but it doesn’t have to stick around.

Whether it’s from overuse, lack of sleep, or the environment you’re sleeping in, there are easy ways to shake it off. 

A little hydration, some lip trills with your Singing / Straw, and you’ll be feeling (and sounding) like yourself again.

So, next time you roll out of bed and hear that croak, don’t panic! Just follow these steps and get your voice back on track.

Your not-so-basic-vocal coach,

Whitney Nichole