> Oh good. Does she mean mucous draining down from the nose into the back of the throat? How about gastric reflux products and the ciliary-propelled secretions from the lungs? Ask her if she thinks throat dehydration (from heavy breathing during sleep?) could also make the vocal folds less elastic, and therefore vibrate less effectively when you first speak in the morning. Ask her if she has any patients who use a humidifier in their rooms and whether THEY sound funny in the morning.

What is the purpose of warming up your voice before you sing? Why do you sing more clearly and controlled, and why are you able to sing both higher and lower notes when your voice is warmed up?

I suppose the answer lies here, because the inverse should be true, too: After several hours of not using your voice, it will be even less usable than normal.

Travholt.