Although music creation is a creative activity, yet it can be devastating for the health. Many music enthusiasts get indulged in their music to a point where they completely forget about their mental and physical health.
We understand that music is your passion, but what is the use of it if you cannot even enjoy it properly?
In today’s competitive music world, crafting lyrics, making mixes, promoting music, and organizing concerts take an incredible amount of effort.
Amid all this struggle, if your health is not up to the mark, then you are very less likely to be consistent. Therefore, we have enlisted five ways you can make your music and health go hand in hand.
Sitting in the studio for hours, days, weeks, months and years too long can harm your health seriously.
1. Avoid Sitting Too Long
It would be a folly to say not to sit at all because sitting is a natural position for carrying out many tasks such as writing music, mixing, and producing. However, sitting for too long can be disastrous.
According to a study by Mayo Clinic, those who sit for too long are more likely to fall victim of obesity, heart diseases, backache, and high blood pressure.
Fix: You can get rid of this habit by breaking up the long sitting sessions. You may set alarms and reminders to remind you to get up and walk. You can also set up a standing desk to bid adios to the chair. Do not forget to set hourly targets about the time you are going to spend on your feet.
2. Try Stretch Breaks for Wrists
Wrists tend to suffer most during constant computer work. If not taken proper care, there can be some severe wrist joint damage over time.
Many people suffer from stress fractures and tunnel syndrome due to the same problem. Therefore, health scientists suggest that it is essential to take a stretch break for wrists.
Fix: Take frequent breaks and stretch your wrists. You may also massage your wrists in the stretch break to improve the blood circulation and mobility.
3. Eyes and Ears Also Deserve Rest
Music work demands a lot of attention, and you give that through your eyes and ears, your eyes keep sticking to the computer screen and your ears keep listening to the outcomes attentively.
As a result, your eyesight and hearing can suffer from a great amount of stress, and that is not good news at all.
Fix: Lessen the computer glare by not sitting too close. You may also use a screen filter which blocks the blue light and helps your eyes stay clear of stress and Computer Vision syndrome. As far as the ears’ health is concerned, avoid listening on a very high volume. Use earplugs and avoid long sessions of music listening.
4. Inter-Session Exercise
The high demands of music-making sessions can leave a negative mark on your body and mind. Your energy level drops down your body starts storing fat. That can also result in depression and anxiety.
It is crucial to blow off long sessions to revitalize the energy potion and maintain your health. But how to do that?
Fix: the best fix is to exercise because it is a proven method to uplift the health and throw the depressive feelings away. Take a break between your sessions and do vigorous exercises for best results.
5. Watch Your Diet
If you are grown habitual of gulping in a lot of energy drinks with fast foods, you need to reconsider the eating and drinking habits.
During music sessions, tend to go for easy meal options rather than nutritious ones. This activity comes with some health drawbacks.
Fix: Make a healthy diet plan and stick to it no matter what. Eat nutritious food and stay hydrated; you will feel a sudden boost in your energy as well as musical creativity.
6. Take care of your Posture
Many musicians while creating music and attending long sessions, do not keep their posture in the right position. They keep their backs bent for long which keeps a constant strain on the backbone.
That results in back pain and muscle spasms etc. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind too that your music creativity and career can be affected by the way you carry your body.
Fix: this issue can be avoided by taking some precautionary measures. Get yourself a backrest which keeps your back straight. Also, keep taking nap breaks to give your spine some rest.
7. Sleep enough
Sleep is a basic prerequisite for the proper functioning of the body and the resultant productivity. It goes without saying that the amount of sleep you get will determine your health, appearance, and contentment. And there is no exception for musicians in this rule.
According to a study, when you sleep straight after playing an instrument, your brain retains it and helps you learn it faster. If you do not get enough sleep you are likely to lose concentration, become lazy and suppress your immune system.
Fix: Take some time to decide the number of hours you are going to get sleep daily. You can make a chart and align your work schedule according to that. Take at least 7-8 hours of sleep daily so that your creative skills work at their fullest.
In a nutshell
As a musician, you need to take care of your health more than an average person. It is because musicians cannot take the risk of getting sick due to their busy schedules and music tours. A healthy and active musician is more likely to produce awesome music and get popular than someone who does not take good care of one’s self.
Just ensure that you do not sit for too long, do not miss out on your sleep, do not eat a lot of junk food and do not forget to take stretch and exercise breaks. That will do the trick for you.
Got anything to add to these tips? Feel free to let us know in the comments section.