As singers we must take responsibility for how we use our voices.  We must get to know what works and what doesn't work for us.  Here are a few tips to help you out;

Get your body and your mind in good shape
It's obvious isn't it, late night drinking, smoking, STRESS, LACK OF SLEEP, poor diet, lack of exercise will all have a detrimental effect on the voice. Get into good routines, regular sleeping patterns, exercise, good diet etc.

Hydration
The vocal folds must be kept well hydrated. Sip water throughout the day and steam your voice (head over a bowl of hot water). 

Warm up before singing
It only takes approximately 10minutes to warm up.  Some good exercises include; sirens, hums/chants, fricatives, bubbles/trills. Starting at a comfortable volume and pitch. Warming up is a great time to mentally prepare prior to singing, get in touch with your body and voice.  All singers should learn the know the feeling of being 'on voice'/nicely warmed up.

Cool down after singing
After singing cool down, i like low larynx exercises to encourage the voice to relax back to it's neutral resting position. These exercises are particularly important for rock singers and those using extreme vocal sounds.

Clear tone; speaking/singing
When speaking/singing keep a check on your tone. We are aiming for tone that's not constricted, strained sounding or excessively breathy. If using extreme vocal sounds please take extra care to keep a check on your clear tone (monitor for any changes in voice quality) and ensure your singing always feels comfortable.

Breath and the vocal folds
The vocal folds open and close against breath to make sound. This cycle requires breath pressure beneath the folds, breath flow through the folds and efficent vocal fold closure. We need to get to know the balance between these inter-related elements so we can get the correct airflow, air pressure and fold closure. Some good tips regarding breathing are to breath for the phrase (not overfill), to ensure you are not locking the lower abdominals whilst singing and to ensure you let go of these muscles for inhale.

Posture and bodywork
We need to be able to use the body in a dynamic and flexible way to help the larynx function, to stabilise the mechanism and slow down the natural release of the diaphragm on exhale. In lessons we will look at good head/neck alignment, keeping the rib cage lifted and enaging the torso where appropraite to the vocal task.

Effort in the larynx
It's important to monitor how hard your voice is working when you sing.  Score out of 10 the effort involved (at vocal fold level) when making i)a hum sound, ii)a calling voice sound on 'yay'.  Often singers will overwork the latter sound.  As a general rule we should aim not to exceed effort level 3/10.  If you are, have a go at turning your vocal fold effort levels down (so it more closely resembles the hum sensation) whilst maintaining the same voice quality.  This should feel more comfortable.

Singing time/Voice rest/Illness
Singers should take every opportunity to rest their voices; at gigs (before, after and in breaks), in breaks at recording sessions, even in the non singing sections of songs.  Make use of this time to focus on relaxing the voice and the breathing. Don't hold onto tension. Movement can help. Get to know how long your voice is comfortable singing for. Singing requires energy. If you're feeling physically tired/unwell or emotionally upset give yourself a break. Balance voice use time with voice rest.

Things to avoid
Avoid; coughing/throat clearing (try to sip water instead), whispering, extended voice use against loud noise or without rest, yelling without technique or for long periods, constricted or excessively breathy tone, avoid aggressive glottal onsets/attacks, overbreathing.

Singing should always feel comfortable and should not leave your hoarse
If you experience ‘……ANY change in voice quality (hoarseness, roughness, and breathiness), any pain or discomfort that develops during speaking or singing, and any vocal fatigue, (where the voice tires and fades), that fails to resolve after two weeks should be reported to your GP and investigated……’ Sara Harris (british-voice-association.com)

Link to acid reflux info.
http://www.ent-consult.com/loedingger.html

Tips for playing live;

*Make sure you can hear yourself:
Ensure your audio monitoring/amplification is good. In ear monitoring may be useful.

*Prepare:
Know the sensation of your voice working comfortably prior to touring/gigging. Be aware of the volume, effort levels and techniques necessary to perform your material and stick to them on stage. Don't allow inexperienced band members or poor sound engineers to encourage you to oversing. And don't allow yourself to strain/push/work harder/louder than usual just because you're in a big space or infront of an audience. You may need to work on techniques to improve your volume with a vocal coach before your tour. Tour preparation takes time.

*Make sure your songs are in a comfortable key:
Belting should be kept for 'the money notes'. Freddie Mercury would sing four high C's a night rather than four high Cs per song, like his recordings!