Are singers more prone to throat and chest infections?

Susceptible due to the stress and strain you put on your voice on a daily basis?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I haven't had any sore throat issues (including strep, infections, etc.) for over a decade.

Any such problems stopped cold when I got some instruction that effectively cured me of strain and other bad habits. I think my former unhealthy singing habits induced a kind of fatigue that made me prone to all sorts of bad juju.

These days, I'm the only one in the house who never has throat issues. And when I get a cold, which is rarely now, it lasts maybe a couple of days at most, and never has a negative effect on my singing.

Used to be, if I got a cold or anything related, I was dead in the water for over a week at least. That's REALLY bad when a gig is coming up.

But this is all just my personal experience, so others' mileage may vary.

I don't think that singing will make you any more susceptible to viral or bacterial infections. Soreness, yes, perhaps, but infection is a different thing.

This is only an opinion.

I'm not convinced that singing makes me more susceptible to infection. What might happen is I go out to various venues, meet lots of people and catch a cold or flu from somebody.

I don't think it makes any difference, if you mainly sing with an ok technique and don't strain your voice a lot.

If anything, singing is an immunity booster if it makes you happy and relaxed...so that'd help prevent infections.

I guess if you gig a lot in smokey bars or live the "rockstar" lifestyle, you would probably be more prone...but simple singing itself? Nope.

I don't know about throat, but I don't think the poorest of singing habits would bring on any chest infections.

Ironically, singing is said to improve mood, reduce stress and hence improve your immune system.

A lot of singers cancel shows because they have a "cold". But I think that they're just making up excuses and covering up the fact that they've been abusing their voices.

Personally, I noticed that I can still sing with a cold. It's just depends on what symptoms I've got at the time. A stuffy nose will make singing higher notes harder. A phlegmy throat will make falsetto notes crackle. And a persistent cough will lessen your vocal endurance. Those are some of the things I've noticed for myself.

I know this sounds weird, but a few weeks ago I had my first allergy attack (I've never been allergic to anything in my life). I still don't know what it was that caused the reaction.

When I had my next voice lesson, my voice teacher said "What happened to your voice? It sounds so good today".

My voice got better BECAUSE of the allergy attack. Somehow fully recovering from an allergy attack changed my voice.

Now I'm wishing I could have more allergy attacks......lol......

Maybe I'm like those Super Saiyans from Dragonball Z....when I undergo a near death experience, I come back 10 times stronger..

Has anyone had a similar experience? A sickness changing your voice and making it much better than before.