We’re living in an age of anxiety. We’re overstimulated and constantly presented with a full spectrum of choices from the moment we wake up until we finally close our eyes. In the digital age, loneliness, social needs, and instant acceptance are even more emphasized, which makes us more vulnerable than ever. While musicians are not the only ones struggling with mental health problems, the toughness of the music industry makes them more prone to having issues. We had a chat with mental health professional and research scientist Joe Barnby to discuss the problematic situation of mental health in the music industry and what we can actually do to improve it. 

Since you have unique experiences both as a musician and as a mental health scientist, you were a vital part of Record Union’s expert panel for The 73 Percent initiative. What were the biggest challenges and what was most rewarding about taking part in the campaign?

The biggest challenge is trying to make decisions on funding in an industry where there is very little direct evidence. I needed to access my knowledge of mental health from other fields and apply them in a new direction. This was really fun and highly rewarding when I could hear the perspectives of those in other industries. I am really glad we chose to invest some of the money into research and education as these are vital to progress basic standards of mental health awareness in an industry that historically may have turned a blind eye.

The elephant in the room

Why do you think it took so much time to get to this point where the industry has finally noticed the elephant in the room and started discussing the importance of mental health? 

Unfortunately, I personally think a combination of high-profile public suicides and accounts of mental illness and stigmatization of mental health in other areas of our culture. It is a shame however that it had to get to this point. 

Why do you think there’s such a stigma associated with mental health?

Personally, I think it’s a combination of historical events and our association of mental health with our identity and what we might consider ‘me’, although more evidence is needed to make firm conclusions. Previous generations had a lot of political hardships that meant there wasn’t a huge focus on what you were feeling. It might then have been passed down the generations, and probably thought of as a quality of ‘weakness’ in general society

I think when we talk about mental health, it always feels like we’re talking about the ground root of who we are, which makes us a bit more sensitive. A lot of people get the feeling that telling someone you’re not feeling that great or you’re feeling unwell might communicate that you are broken. Then there’s the real fear that you could lose your stability and social support if your friends, family, or job don’t quite understand.

What do you think differentiates the music makers from other creative artists when it comes to mental health? These issues are obviously prevalent in creative industries but the music industry seems to be almost infamous for mental health problems. 

There is no good evidence at the moment to suggest that mental illness in musicians is expressed any more than, for example, ballet dancers. Saying that, any environment that encourages high stress, high criticism, little pay, and poor sleep is bad for your mental health. In the general population, between around 25-30% of people are at risk of developing mental illness in their lifetime. We don’t know if that’s any more or less in the music industry. But since artists who do well are more publicized, it’s more obvious. There are some things about the music industry that might not be conducive to good mental health either, but these are general principles that you can find in the general population as well.

Developing mental illnesses

How does one know if they do have a tendency to develop mental illnesses? 

It’s tough to predict whether you will develop a mental illness, but as with all illnesses, it’s a combination of psychological, social, and biological risk factors. It can be very evident from family history, siblings, and close relatives with mental illness. For example, people with parents who have suffered from depression might be more vulnerable. The same goes for any health condition really, like having high blood pressure. Likewise, your habits and social environment have a huge part to play. For example, if we were to say your risk of developing high blood pressure is larger because your mother had high blood pressure, with healthy eating and good exercise, you might not develop anything that looks like a clinical problem. The same applies to mental illness. You might be at risk of developing depression, but if you had a supportive social environment it might never become something that requires clinical support.

What do you think happens mentally between the moment when someone starts out making music for fun, but then it turns into something else? Play becomes work and fun turns into misery when the pressure is on, when we really want to prove ourselves.

I think a big challenge is to start financially relying on your music because it can be really stressful knowing that your success to keep going and writing depends on your music and shows selling. Alongside this, the heavy criticism and constant doubt over whether your music is any good can really eat away at you. Having no real schedule can also mean the line between work and play is really distorted, and this can mean not allowing yourself enough time away from your music to relax, sleep, and think about something else. Both of these pressures are also true of being a scientist! 

What do you think the music industry’s responsibilities are and should be when it comes to the artists’ mental health?

I think wanting to nurture an artist in the long term will inevitably mean looking after their mental health in the present and investing financially in their development. The industry should provide good education and support to its artists, which will inevitably include better financial security. Most importantly, more research is crucial to really understand how we might predict situations where mental health might deteriorate.

A little kindness

Regarding education and people having a lack of empathy, not really understanding what mental illness is because they have not experienced it… Are there any signs and symptoms that a parent, a friend, a loved one might see and recognize?

It depends on what mental illness we’re talking about and also can vary massively from person to person. In general, if someone feels out of touch, goes quiet, becomes more irritable, or seems more stressed than usual, it’s a good time to ask them if everything’s alright. A little kindness goes a lot further than you’d think. Often the biggest lie that our mental illness tells us is that no one cares. Then you feel like a burden. If you ask, often you find that people do want to talk about it. If you’re really worried about someone the most important thing to do is to see a registered healthcare professional, or call NHS 111 and seek advice. There’s no harm in doing that.

Substance abuse and addiction often go hand in hand with mental health problems. For example, aspiring bands who get to play in bars and small venues, often get free drinks or are being paid in drink tickets. How can one keep a healthy balance from the beginning to avoid the downward spiral?

Obviously, as long as you’re not drinking to excess and constantly, having fun at bars isn’t a bad thing. Saying that, the science suggests that alcohol is toxic to your body and can increase the risk of a range of illnesses. However, I think being paid in drink tickets highlights a larger issue: younger and less established musicians are often not paid enough. Giving musicians money for their performances is crucial if we’re to encourage other people in the same industry and to give financial support to continue living a healthy, nourishing lifestyle. It will only make the industry more exciting and creative.

Where to start

Are there any kind of clear first steps that someone who might be struggling can take?

It might be useful to first talk to those closest to you about what you’re going through. This might be scary, but in no way is your experience your fault or a sign that you’re broken. If you don’t want to do this, or if you have talked to someone close to you and you want support, it might be then good to go and see your GP or access a mental health support service that will be able to best advise you where to go for help or which professional would be most useful. It might also help to go online and take a look at some forums written by other people who struggle so you realize you’re not alone, or what others do to manage their experiences. 

The most important thing you can do to support someone who is struggling is to be kind, listen, and be non-judgemental.

There’s something that gets more into deeper, murky waters when it comes to human psychology: we feel entertained by people who are on the extremes. Kanye is an often-used example, he’s got everyone’s attention and labels see dollar signs.

This is a very complex consideration as it can be really therapeutic to make art out of your suffering, but if that becomes exploited by another entity then it can be a problem. I think it’s the artist’s choice to make it their identity or not. If there’s consent from the artist about using their suffering as a way to move forward with their career that’s their decision. If it’s without consent it becomes a real problem and is capitalizing on the vulnerability of another person.

Our new initiative, The Wellness Starter Pack is based on our findings from The 73 Percent study, where a lot of artists shared a selection of 5-10 things they wish they had more of in their lives. Why do you think the quality of mental health can be improved by such a broad spectrum of things rather than a single silver bullet?

The human condition is incredibly complex and affected by our psychology, our biology, and our social environment. Eating properly can affect our mood. Sleeping right can affect our mood. Having healthy social contact can affect how we are day to day. There are so many different things that can nudge our health this way or that and might accumulate into an illness, and each person will have their own story. Focusing on one thing alone will never solve everything for everyone, and so lots of different perspectives and solutions mean that everyone might be able to take something away to manage or improve their health.

Practical tips

If you could give 3 practical tips to musicians that they could implement in their everyday lives, to take off the edge and practice self-care more consciously, what would those be?

1. Know your practical limits. If you feel that you’re losing sleep or certain environments aren’t helping you to be creative, it’s important to be ok with changing things up and being assertive about what you want. We’re all different, and knowing what works and doesn’t work for you personally will go a long way.  

2. Find like-minded musicians and build relationships. It’s so important to have a good network of people who understand your experiences and get what you’re going through. While professionally this is clearly useful for collaborations, personally it means that you can try and form a community of people that want the same things as you do, and hopefully, you’ll be able to talk to when things are proving difficult. 

3. Be kind. Self-care is hugely important, but being kind to others is equally, if not more important. Often you’ll see it returned back to you in other ways, both professionally and personally. This sounds like a bit of an obvious thing, but you’ll be surprised how often it’s forgotten. Apply this same logic to others you interact with too – if someone isn’t kind, maybe it’s best not to be involved with them. This goes for managers, collaborators and industry folks. You deserve kindness as much as anyone else, and you shouldn’t accept anything less from those you’re around.

Joe Barnby is a doctoral researcher at King’s College in London, researching the neuroscience and psychology of belief and delusion formation. He holds a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Science and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with Neuroscience. Joe is also a research scientist at a mental health technology company and is frequently giving talks on mental health and neuroscience.

➞ Joe Barnby website
➞ Joe Barnby Twitter

If you think kale is overrated and hell is other people eating avocado toast 24/7, keep reading! Healthy and wholesome eating isn’t always easy. But developing healthy eating habits could be one of the smartest decisions you ever make. Not only can a balanced diet make you look and feel better physically, but it can also affect your mood and mental health. If you’re hungry for knowledge and want to snack on some useful tips about nutrition, grab a bite of our favorite books, apps, podcasts, and videos below. Think of it as an educational lunchbox, part of The Wellness Starter Pack.

Books | Apps | Podcasts | Videos

Eating amazing food is one of the most delicious pleasures of life. However, chomping down on pizza whenever you get hungry can quickly turn all the pleasures into guilt and suffering. If you’re a musician with an unpredictable schedule, tons of late-night gigs and countless days spent on the road touring, getting the proper nutrition you need can be a challenge. 

Can you afford a personal chef who meticulously calculates your nutritional needs and shows up in your bedroom studio with perfectly balanced meals three times a day? We thought so. In that case, you can choose to ignore all this and drink beer for dinner or take matters into your own hands and understand why nutrition is key to unlocking your better self. Healthy eating is not about fad diets and constantly downing the currently trendy superfoods. So ignore the hype and focus on understanding the basics of the food-mood-body connection. Let’s start with some food for thought in the form of books, apps, podcasts and videos.

(This post contains non-affiliate links.)

Books

James Hamblin – If Our Bodies Could Talk

“Too many daily decisions about what to put into our bodies— how to put what in where, and what to do with that body once it’s full of things.”

Doctor-turned-journalist James Hamblin’s book should be compulsory reading for all ages. He explores and answers health questions in a genuinely hilarious way, covering areas such as eating, sleeping, drinking, feeling, and much more. Imagine a human anatomy coursebook turned into something you actually want to read. Science has never been this entertaining and educational at the same time. 

Michael Moss – Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

“On average, we consume 71 pounds of caloric sweeteners each year. That’s 22 teaspoons of sugar, per person, per day.”

Did you know that junk food stimulates the brain’s reward system in the same way as addictive drugs like cocaine? It’s designed to make you keep eating it, to crave more and more. If you have a hard time cutting down on crappy food (and you’re not alone), check out this excellent book that reveals the naked truth about the food industry and its processed foods. Investigative journalism at its best, for those who need some inspiration to make a change.

Dr. Rupy Aujla – The Doctor’s Kitchen

“I believe what you choose to put on your plate is the most important health intervention anyone can make.”

Want to get started with a healthier diet? Amazing! But what are you supposed to eat? What if we told you that there are trustworthy doctors out there who are making cookbooks to supercharge your health? Dr. Rupy Aujla’s recipe collection was created by using medical knowledge, so you not only will be eating tasty and healthy meals but will also understand the science behind food as medicine.  

Apps

Yummly

No matter if you’re a novice or a passionate cook, Yummly’s got just the right recipe for you. It’s like a super clever Google for recipes, searching the web for delicious content, then serving it to your feed after your personal preferences. Search for recipes by diets, allergies, price, ingredients, prep time and more, and get suggestions for what to cook depending on what’s in your fridge. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal! 

Price: Free with optional premium subscription, 2-week free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Ate Food Diary: Mindful & Easy

With this mindful and easy food diary app, you can track what you ate, why you ate and how it made you feel. It’s not about snapping Insta-ready compositions of every crumb you consume but about being more aware of your food choices, eating habits and your relationship with meals. Just like keeping a journal can improve your emotional health, keeping a food diary can help reveal unhealthy habits that you can turn into healthy ones.

Price: Free with optional premium subscription, 7-day free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Waterlogged — Drink More Water

While healthy eating is important, let’s not forget about something that’s just as important: staying hydrated (breaking news: coffee and beer doesn’t count)! If you have a tough time remembering to drink more water, this simple yet efficient app will be your new unexpected BFF. Get reminders when you need them and track your water consumption to build a good water habit and feel better!

Price: Free with optional premium subscription

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Podcasts

Dishing Up Nutrition

If you have a hard time understanding how the connection between what you eat and how you feel works, tune in to this podcast! Licensed nutritionists and dietitians explain how your eating habits and food choices affect your mood, energy, focus, and overall health. You’ll learn about the link between food and mental health, the food connection to headaches and migraines, nutrition for depression and much more.  

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Eat, Move and Live Better

As you know by now, eating and exercising go hand in hand when it comes to living a healthy life. In this podcast by Precision Nutrition, home of the world’s top nutrition coaches, you will get practical tips for incorporating both in your life. These insightful soundbites about getting in shape without the usual bias and judgment will teach you what small steps you can take to start your own health journey.

Listen on Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Nutrition Matters

Award-winning dietitian and nutritionist Paige Smathers’ podcast focuses on popular topics in nutrition and explores the dark side of nutrition, our struggle with food. In each episode, she interviews wellness and health experts, discussing topics such as eating disorders, negative body image, the distinction between mindfulness and intuitive eating, toxic diet trends, practical cooking tips for one and much more. 

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Videos

Mia Nacamulli – How the food you eat affects your brain

This short animation explains a really complicated matter in a really fun way. That complicated matter (literally) is the brain. When you eat, you not only feed your tummy but also fuel your brain. Every bite has an effect on your brain and impacts your functioning, mood, and energy. Which foods cause the post-lunch apathy and which ones keep you awake at night? Let’s check the brain to find out! Spoiler alert: this video contains super cute animated nuts and pizza slices!

Ruairi Robertson: Food for thought: How your belly controls your brain

Nutritionist, microbiologist and neuroscientist Ruairi Robertson knows how to capture your attention. In his TEDx talk, this passionate scientist explains how our bellies and brains are physically and biochemically connected in several ways. Ruairi believes food is the secret formula to global public health. He clarifies how our intestines can influence both our physical and mental health, and how our diets are key to this relationship. 

Nicole Avena – How sugar affects the brain

Another animated lesson, this time about our sweet notorious nemesis: sugar! Research neuroscientist and food addiction pioneer Nicole Avena explains why you should enjoy sweets in moderation. The average American consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar every day. That’s 57 lbs each year, per person. And your brain doesn’t like this. Sugar is an addictive substance, creating havoc in your dopamine system, making you craving more. 

Editor’s note: This article is part of The Wellness Starter Pack, which is a collection of videos, interviews, and articles exploring some of the most challenging health issues music makers experience today. Think of it as a toolbox for health, specifically created with music makers in mind. 

The information within The Wellness Starter Pack is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the advice of a physician or a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Let’s be honest, life as a musician can be pretty challenging and full of uncertainty. Not only when it comes to succeeding with your art but often also when it comes to your next meal. You might find yourself locked up in the studio, performing at odd hours or touring with unpredictable schedules time and time again. If skipping meals and getting quick snacks instead is something you do all the time, you might as well reach for a healthier and more nutritious quick fix while you’re at it. To help you make better choices, especially now when we’re forced to stay at home all day, we’ve rounded up 9 nutritious and non-perishable snacks that don’t need to be refrigerated and can be enjoyed on the go!

Good nutrition is one of the foundations of a healthy body and brain. So not having time to eat healthily is not a good excuse to stuff your body with unhealthy junk all the time. We know how easy and tempting it is to order pizza and burgers with an extra side of fries whenever the hunger kicks in. How and what you eat can positively or negatively impact your productivity and creativity, and hunger can lead to poor decisions. So why not quiet your roaring stomach with a nutritious snack first, and win some time and energy to plan for a proper meal later?

To be clear, snacks are just an add-on and not a replacement for a healthy meal. However, they can be a great tool to help you power through the grind, boost your energy and keep your hunger in check between proper meals. Whether you’re scarfing down something between two gigs or grabbing a quick snack between your day job and a long jamming session, these super simple snacks have enough nutrition to keep you going until your next meal. It’s time to say goodbye to candy and potato chips, and say hello to nature’s nutritious nibbles!

Pro tip! Plan ahead and pack up your snacks in a portable small box or container. This way you will be prepared when the hunger demons show up. You will also avoid making a desperate trip to the convenience store and ending up making rather bad decisions at the vending machine.

1. Nuts

Nuts are one of the healthiest snacks options out there, given you are not allergic to them. They are packed with healthy fats and proteins, and they are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that nuts offer various health benefits, such as lowering the risk for heart diseases, lowering cholesterol, high blood pressure and inflammation in your body. Try to get them raw and as natural as possible instead of roasted and flavored. Pick your favorites and go nuts! 

• Almonds: loaded with antioxidants, high in magnesium, calcium, copper, vitamins E and B2, fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
• Cashews: good source of protein, rich in iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc, selenium, folic acid, vitamins E, K and B6.
• Pistachios: fiber powerhouses and super rich in vitamin B6, phosphorous, copper, manganese, potassium and unsaturated fatty acids.
• Walnuts: dense in nutrients, full of omega 3 fats and antioxidants, copper, magnesium, iron, vitamin B6 and manganese.
• Hazelnuts: full of antioxidants, a great source of fiber and protein, high in magnesium, copper and vitamins B and E.
• Peanuts: high in fat, a great source of protein, contain folates that are essential for brain development.
• Pecans, macadamia and brazil nuts are also great.

2. Seeds

Don’t underestimate the size of these goodies. Seeds offer plenty of nutrients such as healthy unsaturated fats, protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. If you integrate them as part of a healthy diet, they can help reduce cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. While ideally, you would add them to a yogurt bowl, soup or salad to give them a nutritious punch, nothing should stop you from snacking on these crunchy treats.

• Sunflower seeds: rich in vitamin E and copper, contain tryptophan, an essential amino acid that helps produce serotonin, which contributes to feeling happy.
• Pumpkin seeds: contain magnesium, zinc and tons of healthy fats, packed with antioxidants, fibers, potassium and vitamin B2.
• Pomegranate seeds: rich in antioxidants, high in vitamin C, potassium and fiber.
• Pine nuts: the nuts that are actually seeds! They contain amino acids, vitamins A and E, copper, iron and linoleic acid, a fatty acid that acts as a natural appetite suppressant.
• If you do have a soup or salad at hand, try chia, sesame, hemp or flaxseeds too!

3. Fruits

Fruits are nature’s very own candy. And consuming this kind of candy on a regular basis can provide you with some amazing health benefits. They have exceptional nutritional values,  reduce the risk of disease, enhance cognition, and help you stay healthy overall. And they come in so many different shapes, sizes and flavors, there’s something for everyone. Dried fruits are also super nutritious, so don’t be shy to stack up for the ultimate healthy on-the-go snacking. The good news is that they even fit into your pocket! Here are some fresh fruits that are easy to store, carry around and consume as snacks.

• Apples: high amount of vitamins C and K, fiber, potassium, high in polyphenols, which function as antioxidants. Great for the brain and heart.
• Bananas: they are technically berries but oh well… they are packed with vitamins and minerals! Great source of antioxidants, potassium, fiber, vitamins C and B6.
• Oranges: one piece contains more than 100% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. Plus potassium, vitamin B, protein, fiber and calcium.
• Grapes: both red and purple grapes are high in antioxidants. They are a great source of fiber, potassium, vitamins C and K. Boosts your brain and memory.
• Olives: yes, they are technically fruits! Great source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, calcium, vitamin E, iron and copper.
• Mangos: full of nutrients but low in calories, high in antioxidants, vitamins C and A. Help your digestion and immune system.
• A bit messier to eat but also try pomegranate, peach, pineapple, avocado, and watermelon.

4. Berries

The smaller siblings of fruits are not to be overlooked, they are mini but mighty snacks. If anything deserves to be called a superfood, it’s the berries! Berries are definitely not the magic cure to all your problems. But they are loaded with essential nutrients and antioxidants that can help fight deficiencies that might be making you feel like you’re not on top of your game. These powerful nutritional punches are compact enough to carry them around and get a handful when you need an extra boost. 

• Blueberries: the best of the best, full of antioxidants! Contain lots of fiber, potassium and vitamins C and K, and anthocyanins that protect your body inside and out.
• Strawberries: rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins C and B9, calcium, potassium, and manganese, improves heart health and cholesterol.
• Blackberries: loaded with antioxidants, high in vitamin C, calcium and potassium.
• Currants: red or black, these small treats are high in calcium, vitamins C and B, essential minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants, potassium and fiber.
• Raspberries: low in calories and carbs, packed with vitamins C and K, calcium, copper, magnesium, and manganese.
• Also try some cranberries, goji berries, açaí berries, cloudberries.

5. Veggies

You might think we’re out of our minds if we think that carrots and celery will ever replace those crunchy tasty chips and cookies. But we’ll take the risk and recommend some nutrition-packed veggies for you to snack on anyway. They will satisfy your cravings and provide you with essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and much more. Storing and preparing raw vegetable snacks is pretty easy. Just cut them into sticks or munch on them as they are. Simple and portable fuel source!

• Carrots: a real satisfying crunch, a great source of vitamins A and K1, beta carotene, fiber, potassium, minerals, and antioxidant nutrients.
• Celery: full of vitamin A, C, and K, potassium and folate. A great source of phenolic phytonutrients that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Red bell pepper: excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C, potassium, folic acid, fiber, and beta carotene.
• Cucumber: high water content, so it keeps you hydrated, a good source of vitamins C and K, fiber, protein, magnesium, potassium, and manganese.
• Cherry tomatoes: anti-carcinogenic, packed with vitamin C, rich in fiber and antioxidants, such as lycopene, that protects against cell damage.
• Sugar snap peas: high fiber content that helps your digestive system, packed with vitamin C. Good for the heart and boost the immune system.

6. Nut butters

If you need a healthy dip for your veggies or just want to grab a spoonful of something creamy and sweet, nut butters are a great choice. They provide a nice balance of protein, fiber, and healthy fats, and are packed with vitamins and minerals, too. Fortunately, the nut butter market has exploded recently, so you have a generous spectrum of delicious spreads to choose from. Peanut, almond, cashew, hazelnut, walnut, pistachio… pick your favorite! Make sure you check the label before buying anything in the store. Stay away from added sugar and processed ingredients and try to keep it as natural and organic as possible. This snack shouldn’t contain anything else besides the main star: nuts!

7. Jerky

Jerky (or biltong) to the rescue when you need a hunger-satisfying, protein-packed snack! Luckily, jerky is no longer synonymous with beef, so there’s a whole fascinating universe to discover when it comes to the different types and flavors. You can play it safe with beef, salmon, venison, chicken, turkey… or go crazy and snack on some alligator jerky?! If all this makes you uneasy in your tummy, vegan options are also available. Preserving meat by adding salt to it is nothing groundbreaking, however, these savory, salty snacks have been enjoying a newfound renaissance lately. Again, check the labels and steer clear of MSG, too much added sugar, sodium, nitrates, and artificial preservatives. 

8. Dark chocolate

It might seem a bit indulgent to list chocolate on this list, especially if you ask your parents, but times are a-changin’. If you ask any healthy eater about their favorite snacks, dark chocolate will definitely be on their list. It’s a wonderful source of antioxidants. It’s rich in healthy fats, magnesium, iron and the caffeine from the cocoa solids enhances blood flow to the brain and boosts cognitive functions. To sum it up, it’s proper brain fuel. Again, look out for the ingredients. Aim for high cocoa and low sugar content, few additives, no added flavor or preservatives. Choose a chocolate bar with at least 70 perfect cacao or higher. If you’ve been dreaming about eating chocolate every day, your time has finally come! 

9. Granola bars

Granola bars can be a super convenient and nutritious snack between proper meals. Since they come in so many versatile flavors, it’s hard to get bored of them! They are a good source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats – if you aim for the right kind. There’s been some controversy about granola bars not being the healthiest treats out there. But if you watch out for the ingredients, you’ll be fine. Always check the label and stay away from added sugar, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, and preservatives. Focus on whole-food-based bars with primary ingredients such as oats, nuts, berries, and fruits. If you discover a trustworthy brand, pack your pockets and plan for a rainy day.

Even though it affects so many different areas of our health, nutrition has been quite overlooked in relation to poor mental health in the past. Luckily, this seems to be changing. Good nutrition means that your body gets all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs in order to maintain optimal function. So what does nutrition have to do with our mental health? More than you can imagine! We had a chat with registered dietitian nutritionist and cell and molecular biologist Dr. Lina Begdache to investigate the food-mood connection and discuss feel-good chemicals, drug abuse, and healthy food choices. 

Why nutrition is important

How would you define nutrition and its importance? 

I always talk about nutrition from the cellular point of view because it’s part of my educational background. We’re made up of trillions of cells, and the reason why we get hungry is because we need to provide nutrition to our cells. Our cells need ingredients to support structure, function as well as energy. We could look at nutrition as nutritious food or food with no nutritional value. If we consume nutritious food, we have healthy cells. If we don’t, we have unhealthy cells, and this is when we start seeing diseases.

We all have different diets that could depend on culture, budget, intolerances, moral beliefs… Are there any common factors that we should consider to make sure we get the right nutrition in our diet?

If we look at the human body from an evolutionary point of view, we have evolved to be eating macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats). Our brain is made in a way to crave food that we need. If we stop eating carbohydrates, we’re going to be craving carbohydrates because we need these macronutrients. We also need micronutrients, which include minerals and vitamins. Whenever we deprive our bodies of these major nutrients, we will start craving them. If we stick to a wholesome balanced diet, meaning whole food and no processed food, we should be getting most of our nutrients. 

If we can’t get the right nutrients we need for whatever reason, would it be enough to take supplements? 

As a nutritionist, I always advise people not to be taking supplements. In the United States, supplements are not regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Anyone could come up with a supplement and say that this is going to help your brain and that is going to help your bones. But there’s no oversight of these supplements, so it’s better to be getting all the nutrients from your food. Food has a synergistic effect, meaning that one component would be helping another component with absorption, and we don’t see that from supplements. 

Nutrition and the brain

How does nutrition impact our brain structure and its functioning?

For a long time, we thought that nutrition mostly affects our physical health but not our brain. With the advancement in brain imaging technologies, now we can tell that people who are following unhealthy diets such as the Western diet have less healthy brains than the ones following a healthy diet such as the Mediterranean.

From an anatomical point of view, there are two major structures in the brain: white matter and gray matter. Both are made up of neurons, which are the basic cells in the brain. The white matter helps with the conduction of brain impulses, it communicates with different regions. Each region in the brain is part of the gray matter, and each region has a function. The white matter is made up of different types of proteins and fats, which have different turnover. This means that we break them down and we have to replenish them.

When we don’t consume all the ingredients the brain needs, there could be breakage, and the communication between the different regions gets affected. This could affect the limbic system (paleomammalian cortex), where we generate our emotions, and the prefrontal cortex which controls our emotions. If we don’t have effective communication between these two regions, we won’t be able to control our emotions, which could lead to mental health problems. 

Antibiotics and bacteria in the gut

You did a study where you discovered that antibiotics had a serious impact on the brain and mental wellbeing. 

We collected data from a clinic on people who have used antibiotics and we used data-mining techniques to identify what factors contribute to mental health problems. We found out that the use of antibiotics was highly correlated with anxiety and depression. Microbiota, the bacteria that we host in our gut, have a symbiotic relationship with humans. They help us with digesting food that we cannot digest and they also help with gut health. When we take antibiotics, they also wipe out all these healthy bacteria. Therefore, antibiotics kill both healthy and unhealthy bacteria, and next time we eat food, we might be ingesting harmful bacteria, since no food is sterile. The harmful bacteria establish themselves in the gut and cause inflammation. When you take antibiotics, you need to replenish the healthy bacteria by eating probiotics. For example, yogurt and fermented foods are great sources.

Does this only happen if we take antibiotics? 

Even without taking antibiotics, these bacteria feed on the food we consume. We have evolved with them and they have evolved on a wholesome diet. When we stop eating a wholesome diet and we resort to eating processed food, these bacteria are not getting full nutrition. We’re causing them to die. So next time we eat unhealthy food with unhealthy bacteria, we’re establishing the unhealthy bacteria.  

The gut-brain connection

Could you tell us more about the gut-brain connection?

There is a gut-brain communication that happens through a major nerve called vagus nerve. When we have good bacteria, they are producing brain chemicals that could affect the vagus nerve and the function of the brain in a positive way. Unhealthy bacteria produce toxins and cause inflammation. Then the vagus nerve is affected in a negative way. We could have problems with concentration, memory and mental health. People who have gut problems tend to have mental health problems as well.

You’ve mentioned the prefrontal cortex, also known as the CEO of the brain. Could you tell us more about how it operates and interacts with other parts of the brain?

The brain matures with age and the last part of the brain to mature is the prefrontal cortex. Maturity is complete by our mid to late twenties. Anything we do beforehand, like alcohol, drug use, and poor nutrition may affect the degree of its maturation. As we get older and we pass the maturity stage, we start losing brain volumes. Part of losing brain volume is also losing the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex also helps with cognition, weighing the cons and pros of things. It helps with planning the future, emotional regulation and solving problems. That’s why we call it the CEO of the brain, because it takes care of so many things but at a higher level.

Substance abuse and addiction

You’ve done some work with drug abuse. The music industry is a particularly stressful environment and there’s always a desire for instant gratification. Could you go in a bit more detail why we should avoid drugs when we have the urge to feel good? And if we ignore that and do take drugs, what are the implications?

Musicians have an advantage over other people because playing music by itself is a source of a feel-good chemical, the dopamine. It’s a brain chemical that we release to support survival. For example, when you’re eating food, you enjoy the food, you learn to eat food which promotes survival. This pleasurable feeling is caused by dopamine release. The pleasurable feeling is going to help you eat more food in the future to stay alive. Releasing dopamine is good for us, and playing music is a source of dopamine. Musicians can normally produce a good amount of dopamine. 

So dopamine is a good guy?

The problem with dopamine is that it’s addictive. If you do things on a regular basis and you’re always releasing dopamine, you become addicted to it, which is good to a certain extent. Same thing with exercise. If you exercise and you feel like every time you run you’re enhancing your performance, you’ll become addicted to running. It’s the same problem with alcohol and drugs because they also increase dopamine release. With alcohol and drugs, you raise the bar with dopamine and that’s why you feel great when you consume them for the first time. The problem is that this is abnormal for the brain, and because it’s abnormal, the brain needs to adapt to this abnormality. Adaptation means that it’s going to lower the number of receptors that respond to dopamine, and this is what causes dependence. 

The better we feel, the more we want?

The brain becomes dependent on this amount of alcohol or drugs so playing music in itself is no longer satisfying to people. You will feel that you have to drink or do drugs in order to feel okay. When you feel stressed, you feel like you need to boost that dopamine, so you increase the amount of alcohol and do more drugs. Now that you are raising the bar, the brain has to adapt by lowering the number of dopamine receptors. It becomes a vicious cycle and it will be harder and harder to go back to the normal state of the brain. It’s not impossible, but the longer you do it, the harder it will be to go back to normal. 

You’ve mentioned that the prefrontal cortex matures between our mid and late twenties. Let’s say someone is reading this interview and they’re in their thirties and they’ve maybe done a bit of damage to their brain and want to make a change. Are there any actions they can do to kind of reverse or heal the damage?

With the imaging studies we’re learning that the brain is “plastic” or adaptable, a process called neuroplasticity. But in order to change, you need to stick to a certain practice to see improvement. Doing it every now and then is not going to help. But it’s true for everything in our body.

Musicians and nutrition

Musicians’ schedules are very hectic and it often happens that they will be doing an all-day session in the studio, touring across the country or doing late-night gigs. When it comes to nutrition, what should they be focusing on?  

The best way to tackle this is to plan ahead. If you plan ahead, you can adjust the plans to your budget and get healthy food and snacks if you don’t have time to cook or to go to places.

In terms of specific food is there anything, in particular, we should go for?

Nuts, fruits and veggies are excellent snacks. But you also need to be looking for more wholesome food. You need to avoid all the processed food, even though it’s the easiest and maybe the cheapest on the go. If you plan ahead and consume salads, lean protein, complex carbohydrates and generally whole foods, you should be able to take in most of the nutrients you need. 

If you had to pick one, what would be your best takeaway tip that we should go for?

Salad with chicken and almonds, with olive oil dressing. [laughs]

If someone reads this interview, there’s a lot to take in. Are there any initial steps that you would recommend they take to improve their nutrition?

I think the first thing is that you have to be convinced that you want to make the change. It all comes from our brains, right? If there’s a will, there’s a way. Once you’re determined, you can take action. It’s always good to educate yourself, but not everything online is credible. I would encourage everyone to start doing more homework and read from credible sources. That will help you to make those first steps and move forward.

Lina’s favorite sources:

• Eat Right (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
• American Society for Nutrition (focusing on research in nutrition)
  

Watch this interview in video format!

Dr. Lina Begdache is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Wellness at Binghamton University, New York. She has a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the same University, and a Master’s Degree in Nutrition Sciences from the University at Buffalo. 

Dr. Begdache is a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, a Certified Nutrition-Specialist-Scholar, a Certified Dietitian, and a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her research focuses on depicting and modeling the links between dietary factors and mental distress (anxiety and depression).

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If you feel unreasonably annoyed by cheerful people and constantly feel an irritation creeping up your spine when you hear the words “happiness”, “optimism” and “positivity”, you might be trapped in a negative thinking cycle. Negative attitudes are toxic and they can not only poison your way of thinking but can actually decrease your lifespan. We know that staying positive during these tough times is really difficult. That’s why as part of The Wellness Starter Pack, we hand-picked our favorite books, apps, podcasts and educational videos that will inspire you to see the glass half full and not half empty.

Books | Apps | Podcasts | Videos

But what is positivity? Just like life is not all sunshine and rainbows, positivity is not about being happy 100% of the time either. Positive thinking is not a miracle cure that will change your life forever, and it definitely does not equal getting rid of all negative thoughts. Positive thinking helps you manage your negative emotions and embrace the fact that you are feeling negative. Practicing positive thinking helps you own your strengths, be more realistic and act positively. 

Positivity is highly underrated in the music industry, since everyone is too busy “making it”. However, if you are positive, you will be able to work harder and make more meaningful connections. You will be able to enjoy your own success (no matter how little) and be happy for others’ accomplishments. You will be able to enjoy the crazy hectic adventure of music-making and not just focus on the unreachable goals and seven-digit streaming numbers.

Research has shown that a variety of feelings and habits seem to be contagious, and happiness is no exception, even online. So please allow yourself to be infected with the good vibes and positivity, and we’ll show you how to get started!

(This post contains non-affiliate links.)

Books

Richard Carlson – Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … and it’s all small stuff

“Life is a process–just one thing after another. When you lose it, just start again.”

Richard Carlson was an American author and psychotherapist, a trusted expert in happiness and stress reduction. He coined the term “don’t sweat the small stuff” we’re all familiar with these days. We’re so good at making a big deal out of things that really aren’t such a big deal, and this book really helps to cut out the crap. Change your attitude with one page at a time, Carlson’s ideas are like chill pills for the weary mind.

Mark Manson – The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

“Maturity is what happens when one learns to only give a fuck about what’s truly fuckworthy.”

Mark Manson is a professional blogger, entrepreneur, and former dating coach. His counterintuitive approach to living a good life is a fresh breeze in the dusty self-help world. This no-bullshit book takes a different approach to help you improve your general life attitude. The message is the same, minus the sugarcoating. Tons of entertaining stories wrapped in cold-blooded humor, for those who are slowly running out of f*cks. 

Dmitry Golubnichy: Can You Be Happy for 100 Days in a Row?

“Exploring what brings you joy for 100 days is an extraordinary feat.”

Dmitry Golubnichy is the founder of the 100HappyDays Foundation, a nonprofit organization on a mission to make the world happier. He’s the creative mind behind the #100HappyDays Challenge, and this is an invitation to join the fun. With the help of daily prompts, this guide helps you find those small things in life that make you happy, even if you think most of your days suck. It’s a great experiment in focusing on the good stuff, and the book is super pretty, too!

Apps

Shine

The complete self-care toolkit for those who need a moment to themselves in this crazy world that never seems to slow down. Gratitude, compassion, and mindfulness in one pocket-friendly platform. Receive your fair share of motivational wisdom, practice meditation to learn kindness and log your own gratitude journal. As a bonus, you can be part of the digital community Shine Squad, where you can share your experiences with other members. 

Price: Free with optional premium subscription, 7-days free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Happify

The Happify app is a gamified self-improvement program that aims to help you with mindfulness and positivity. It offers engaging games, activities, quizzes and even private coaching that will inspire a more positive outlook on your daily life – if you’re ready to make some effort. Do you want to build self-confidence, cope with stress or conquer your negative thoughts? Happify to the rescue!

Price: Free with optional premium subscription, 7-days free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Grateful

Being grateful for things you have plays a major role in having a positive attitude. This good-looking and easy-to-use app is made for (literally) counting your blessings. If you haven’t considered keeping a journal yet, and you would rather not put your thoughts on actual paper, this could be the perfect way of getting started. Just answer daily questions that will get your creative juices flowing, and let the journaling begin. Simple and efficient!

Price: Free with optional premium subscription

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Podcasts

The Science of Happiness

Hosted by Dacher Keltner, award-winning professor and founder of Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, this podcast invites you into the wonderful scientific world of happiness. Each episode focuses on a happiness-related topic and offers research-based tips for a more balanced life. Wondering how to be less hard on yourself, how to get your priorities straight or how to deal with uncertainty? Tune in to find answers and tips!

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Good Life Project

Award-winning author and entrepreneur Jonathan Fields spent more than two decades traveling around the world to explore what it means to live a good life. He’s studied and learned from a wide range of people, from Tibetan Buddhists to artists and billionaire CEOs. In his podcast, he combines his immense wealth of knowledge with the brutal honesty of his guests who have worked hard to find the answers we’re all looking for.    

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

The Daily Boost

If you often wake up in the morning feeling anxious and stressed about the day ahead, listen up! Sneak in 10 extra minutes into your morning routine to embrace this podcast while you’re sipping on your morning coffee. Allow time to slow down and not only fill up with caffeine but a big splash motivation. Host Scott Smith is funny without being cheesy and effective without being too pushy. A great listen with practical and useful tips.

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Videos

Robert Waldinger – What makes a good life?

What is happiness? Some might say it’s fame and money, but if you ask psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Robert Waldinger, you’re sorely mistaken. He is the director of a Harvard Study, one of the longest-running studies (75 years!!!) ever done on happiness. You could say he knows all the secrets! In this TED talk, he shares some important lessons learned from the study as well as some practical tips on living a happy life. 

Overcoming Bad Inner Voices

Pretty much everyone has voices in their heads. Even if we don’t think about them often or never discuss them with others. Sometimes these inner voices are nice and encouraging. But sometimes they are hostile and humiliating, and they can drag us down for real. Part of achieving happiness and positivity involves altering our inner voices, and this short video by The School of Life explains how to take control of these unwanted negative party poopers in our heads. 

Dr. Rick Hanson: Hardwiring happiness

Acclaimed neuropsychologist and author Dr. Rick Hanson knows a thing or two about how to rewire your brain and fine-tune it for happiness, he even wrote a book on the topic. In this TEDx talk, he talks about what you can do to override the brain’s default pessimism with the help of everyday experiences. Building new neural structures full of happiness, love, and confidence is much more simple than you’d think! Say hello to positivity!

Editor’s note: This article is part of The Wellness Starter Pack, which is a collection of videos, interviews, and articles exploring some of the most challenging health issues music makers experience today. Think of it as a toolbox for health, specifically created with music makers in mind. 

The information within The Wellness Starter Pack is provided for general informational and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the advice of a physician or a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Guest post by Sally Martinez

Have you been wanting to feel more empowered, grounded, and overall just more positive? Great! Because I’m here to share with independent musicians the power of positive affirmations. In this post, you will find ways to plant seeds toward a healthier mindset – and the key is positive affirmations! And these are catered specifically toward independent musicians, like you!

What is a positive affirmation?

A positive affirmation is simply a positive statement you say to yourself in the present tense.

Example: “I am confident.”

Why is it powerful?

Your behavior, thinking patterns, and actions reflect what is in your subconscious mind.  

Affirmations are a powerful way to influence your subconscious mind; positive statements you tell yourself can imprint into your subconscious, therefore influencing your behavior, thinking patterns, and actions in a positive way. 

It’s a mindset shift.

Let’s continue with the “I am confident” example. 

Let’s say you actually don’t feel confident at all, but you would like to.

Telling yourself positive affirmations, such as:

•  “I am confident”
•  “I am overflowing with confidence”

 and/or

• “Confidence is a trait that comes naturally to me”

can enroot confidence into your subconscious. Thus, influence the way you think/behave to actually start showing that confidence you want to possess.

Why using positive affirmations is specifically important for musicians

Being an independent musician can be draining. You wear a lot of different hats, do so much for your craft, and most of you might work/study full time. 

And let’s face it, it’s a competitive world out there in the independent music space. You may know stress like the back of your hand, face rejection a lot, and may be constantly worried if people will like your music, support you, buy your services, want to work with you, etc.

Positive affirmations can help revoke those negative thinking patterns, help you have an overall more positive mindset, and keep you grounded/focused on your true desires in a healthy way. 

Here are some affirmations for you to get started with:

1. I am grateful for the opportunity to create music
2. Music is good to me
3. My music is good to other people
4. My music creates value for other people and for myself
5. I like the musician I am
6. I am grateful to receive an abundance of opportunities with my music
7. My creativity allows me to have an abundance of freedom, wealth, and happiness
8. I thrive with my music
9. I am my best self as a musician
10. I bring quality into the music space
11. I create strong relationships with others in my field
12. I am equipped with everything I need to achieve my deepest desires
13. Success naturally finds my way
14. My music reaches the people that it needs to
15. The love for music I put out into the world is reciprocated back to me

Notice how these are all written in the present tense?

 This is because whatever you want to affirm to yourself is already within you, you just have to bring it to life.

You can either use these 15 positive affirmations exactly or riff off of them to create your own that are more specific to your personal desires. 

Benefits of using positive affirmations in your daily life as an independent musician

After implementing affirmations into your daily life for a while, you may begin to feel more empowered, grounded, happier and actually begin to see how using the power of affirmations can manifest externally. 

For example, people may begin to say they love how confident you are a while after you started using the “I am confident” affirmation on a daily basis. 

(Spoiler alert: it’s because using the affirmation subconsciously made you act upon that affirmation!)

Practical ways to implement positive affirmations into your busy life

Like the majority of people, I love scrolling through social media my phone. 

Also like the majority of people, I do it quite often. 

To implement positive affirmations into my daily scrolling ritual, I started following accounts that post positive affirmations. This way, I am exposed to positive affirmations as often as they appear on my feed.

Another practical way to implement positive affirmations into your life is to create your own and write them down in a journal. Journaling itself can be a powerful self-care ritual that is fairly low maintenance. You can write down one affirmation per day, a few at the beginning of the month, or even just whenever you get a chance with the notes app on your phone.

One of my personal favorite ways to implement positive affirmations into my daily life is to have them as my phone’s wallpaper. Currently, my phone wallpaper is a plain pink background with the quote, “I am living in great abundance, today and always”.

 As I mentioned previously, I am guilty of always being on my phone. However, whenever I see my phone screen, I take a minute to reflect on the abundance that is surrounding me in that current moment. 

The other day I plugged my headphones into my phone on the train. When my wallpaper lit up to reveal that quote, I took a minute to feel grateful for access to public transportation, a job to go home from, and a place to go home to. I really truly felt abundance, happiness, and gratitude in that moment, and all it took was a little nudge in the right direction from my phone screen. It was as if my past self planted a seed for my present self in that moment on the train. 

I urge you to plant those seeds for your future self as well by starting to utilize the power of positive affirmations in your day-to-day life.

Need some more specific positive affirmation ideas? I’ve got you covered

Affirmations for success in music

• It is within my reach to achieve success 
• I feel successful
• My goals are being fulfilled 
• I thrive in the music business
• My art is loved purely 

Affirmations for financial wellbeing with music

• I have an abundance of money that funds my creativity 
• Music allows me to have a financially abundant lifestyle
• Everything I need to create the music I want is within my reach and is affordable
• Finances do not hold back my music

Affirmations for overall wellbeing with music

• I am grateful for a healthy body that allows me to play and listen to music
• Music allows happiness to find its way to me
• I am a motivated, powerful, inspired, and creative being
• I feel fulfilled right now in this present moment
• My inner beauty radiates through my music, whether or not I see it
• I am loved the way I am right now, no matter what I do or do not create

Sally Martinez is a 22 year old blogger/musician. Currently living in Oregon, Sally is finishing her degree in Music Business with Berklee College of Music Online. Her mission is to continue supporting independent musicians with her blog and throughout her career.

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Guest post by Sonja Lyubomirsky

Why are some people happier than others? What are the benefits (and costs) of happiness?  And is it possible to become happier than you currently are, and to stay that way? These are the very questions that I have tackled in my psychological science research, as well as in my books, “The How of Happiness” and “The Myths of Happiness”. 

I am an experimental social psychologist who has been doing research on happiness for 30 years. Along with my students and collaborators, I have conducted dozens of experiments that try to increase and maintain people’s happiness. In broadest terms, my research suggests that lasting happiness is attainable, if you are prepared to do the work. Much like with creating music, building up and nurturing a loyal fanbase, becoming lastingly happier demands making some permanent changes, requiring effort and commitment every day of your life.

I love music. It has cheered me during dark moods, inspired me to pursue seemingly impossible goals, helped me connect with significant people in my life, and delivered simple pure pleasure. Thus, when I learned of the significant mental health problems in the music community, I was moved to recommend the best well-being-increasing tips tailored to the needs of music makers. I would want no less than the creators of what makes me and my friends happy to be happy themselves. Furthermore, greater happiness – and the experience of more frequent positive emotions – has been found to be associated with greater productivity, superior creativity, and even stronger health. 

What are some of the happiness-increasing strategies that researchers have studied and concluded to be most successful? This list won’t make any of you spill your evening tea, but take note that all the strategies have been supported by empirical research. Also, you do not need to attempt the entire list of happiness activities, but should choose to focus only on the 1 to 4 strategies that “fit” you best – the ones that seem most natural and enjoyable to you.

1. Count your blessings

One way to practice this strategy is with a “gratitude journal” in which you write down the 3 to 5 things for which you are currently thankful – from the mundane (being able to create music) to the magnificent (booking a major gig at a festival). 

Do this once a week, say, on Sunday night. Keep the strategy fresh by varying your entries and how you express them as much as possible. And if there’s a particular person who has been kind or influential in your life, don’t wait to express your appreciation. Send them an email or a nice message or comment, or, if possible, visit and thank them in person.

2. Practice acts of kindness

What: These should be both random (tell someone how much you appreciate their music) and systematic (ask your friends if you could help with any creative tasks they might be stuck with). Being kind to others, whether friends or strangers, triggers a cascade of positive effects – it makes you feel compassionate and capable, gives you a greater sense of connection with others and earns you smiles, approval and reciprocated kindness. These are all happiness boosters.

3. Nurture optimism

This strategy involves such practices as looking at the bright side, finding the silver lining in a negative event, noticing what’s right (rather than what’s wrong), feeling good about your future and the future of the world, or simply feeling that you can get through the day. 

One way to practice this strategy is to sit in a quiet place and take 20 to 30 minutes to think about and write down what you expect your life to be 10 years from now. Imagine that everything has gone as well as it possibly could with your music career. You have worked hard and succeeded at accomplishing all of your life goals. Think of this as the realization of all of your life dreams. Then, write about what you imagined.

4. Learn to forgive

Let go of anger, resentment, and feelings of vengeance by writing – but, not sending – a letter of forgiveness to a person who has hurt or wronged you. The inability to forgive is associated with persistent rumination or dwelling on revenge, while forgiving allows you to move on.

5. Increase “flow” experiences

When you’re so absorbed in what you’re doing that you don’t notice the passage of time, you are in a state called “flow,” a term coined by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. So, become fully engaged at work, at home, and at play. Try to increase the number of flow experiences in your life, whether it’s writing a new song in the studio, playing at a gig, or enjoying a hobby. Seek work and leisure activities that engage your skills and expertise.

6. Invest in relationships

One of the biggest factors in happiness appears to be strong personal relationships and a sense of connection with others. And in the music business it’s no different. Indeed, having the support of someone who deeply cares about you is one of the best remedies for unhappiness. Thus, this strategy involves putting effort into healing, cultivating, and enjoying your relationships with family and friends. Act with love, be as kind to the people close to you as you are to strangers, affirm them, share with them, and play together.

7. Avoid overthinking

There’s a time to think about the bad stuff in your life, but dwelling on your problems excessively is unhealthy. Very happy people have the capacity – even during trying times like a parent’s chronic illness – to absorb themselves in an engaging activity, stay busy, and have fun. To practice this strategy, pick a distracting, attention-grabbing activity that has compelled you in the past and do it when you notice yourself dwelling.

8. Savor life’s joys

Pay close attention and take delight in momentary pleasures, wonders, and magical moments.  Focus on a nice melody, the sweetness of a ripe mango, the aroma of a bakery, or the warmth of the sun when you step out from the studio.  Some psychologists suggest taking “mental photographs” of pleasurable moments to review in less happy times.

9. Committing to your goals

People who strive for something significant, whether it’s learning a new guitar riff or getting a Grammy award, are far happier than those who don’t have strong dreams or aspirations.  Find a happy person and you will find a project. However, being dedicated to making music won’t make you happy if you’re just doing it for superficial reasons such as making money, boosting your ego, or succumbing to peer pressure.

10. Use your body: exercise, meditation, smiling, and rest

Getting plenty of sleep, exercising, stretching, meditating, smiling and laughing can all enhance your mood in the short term and promote energy and strong mental health. Practiced regularly, they can help make your daily life more satisfying and increase long-term happiness.

Conclusion for today

The secrets to happiness are simple to learn, but not simple to carry out. However, with determined effort and commitment, you can learn practices and habits that will help you achieve higher levels of happiness and – even more important – to maintain those levels. You shouldn’t just “pursue” happiness – you should “construct” or “create” it yourself.

Sonja Lyubomirsky (AB Harvard, summa cum laude; Ph.D. Stanford) is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness (published in 36 countries). Lyubomirsky and her research on the science of happiness have been the recipients of many grants and honors, including the Diener Award for Outstanding Midcareer Contributions in Personality Psychology, the Christopher J. Peterson Gold Medal, and a Positive Psychology Prize. She lives in Santa Monica, California, with her family.

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Positivity and happiness often seem to be some magical creatures that we often hear about but somehow never manage to get hold of. But guess what, positivity is actually a choice you can make, and you too can do it with a little practice. In our interview with cognitive neuroscientist and happiness researcher Erik Fernholm, you’ll find out more about the power of positivity, its importance and how you can get started with changing your mindset for the better. As part of his work, Erik has been exploring how positive relationships and communities can increase individual wellbeing, and he aims to help people grow and to make their days on planet earth count. 

Positivity and happiness

What is positivity and why is it so important?

One way to define positivity is that you want to be a positive person, and that is a good thing. Thinking that you have to be positive and have to be happy is pretty bad because it means that you’re not accepting your feelings. You can get anxious and stressed because you’re not accepting what you’re actually feeling. Positivity means being hopeful and optimistic, having a sense of being able to affect your world and make a change in a positive way. It also means appreciating this iterative, messy life and not only focusing on the negative aspects. It’s so easy to get stuck in issues that affect you and not being able to see beyond that. To think that there are positive people out there and you’re not one of them. 

What are the benefits of positivity?

People who practice positivity have a strong immune system and live longer. If you can train yourself to be more grateful and thankful, even though life is not simple, you can focus on what you have and what you have accomplished. For example, a half-finished song is better than no songs. Positivity boosts your immune system and it will make you happier, which in turn will also make you more creative.

The average schedule of a musician is a bit bonkers. There are long recording sessions, late-night gigs, tours, things are a bit messy. With so much unpredictability, how can they start cultivating a positive mindset?

Positivity is truly a skill and it’s not something you’re born with. You can actually start practicing by doing small things, which will have a positive effect over time. Musicians live in a complex and unpredictable world, so it’s hard to have the routines that everybody else has. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have any routines or you can’t have any control. The question is how could you make a meaningful change? By just doing something small, you’re not only doing the change itself but you’re also changing the narrative of your ability to have control over your life, which is even more important.

Positivity and creativity

Are there any concrete tasks that musicians can do in particular that will help them do that small change every day? 

Keep a journal of things that have affected you and that you’re grateful for. If you don’t understand what’s affecting you, you can’t really make decisions. This will only take 5 minutes a day. You can also do this together with your friends, which is a really nice way of deepening the relationship. Happiness is not about me, me, me… it’s much more about human connection, about not being completely free to do whatever I want. Musicians who become super successful are not happier than the Average Joe, but if they have great relationships, they are. 

Today we’re overemphasizing happiness, and this is coming from a guy who’s dedicated most of his life to researching this. Don’t aim to feel good. Don’t just strive for happiness. Try to act in a way where you are both connected to other people in a deeper way and also proud of what you’re doing. Don’t focus on yourself and your emotions over your contribution and your connections to others. It’s a different perspective but much more meaningful.

This means that positivity in our relationships is just as important on both personal and creative level.

We live for high-quality relationships with people who are genuine and honest, who believe in us and accept us for who we are. This has a massive impact on your health and even your success and creativity. The safer you feel emotionally and relationally, the braver you are because you feel that somebody has your back. The quality of your relationships is the quality of your life.

More and more research is pointing to that nothing impacts creativity as much as your emotional state. This is the reason why you get all your ideas when you’re in a relaxed, positive emotional state. This allows you to take more risks and think about things in new ways. When you’re feeling stressed, anxious and scared, you think more about yourself and play out patterns that you know will work. When you feel safe and seen, you are neurologically much more creative. Like 400% more creative.

Positive communities

Why is it that humans thrive in a broader sense as part of a community? Is it purely because we end up with multiple deep relationships? Is it as simple as that?

We think of ourselves as individuals that are separate from our networks, like we have relationships with others. But research is showing the opposite: we don’t have a relationship, we are the relationship. What does that mean? One of the biggest predictors of your behavior is not your decision making, it’s the decision making of people around you. For example, if you are going to vote or not actually depends on if your friends are voting. You are inspired so much by the people you surround yourself with, everything you do is part of this embedded network of relationships that you’re part of.

Does this mean that if we’re looking into changing ourselves for the better, perhaps we should start with our environment?

It’s really interesting to think about what it means to change yourself. When you blame the external world for your unhappiness, it is actually coming from yourself and your way of interacting with the world. If you want to lead a more positive, happy and meaningful life, you should be looking much more into the people around you. You should also think about how you can contribute to other people’s lives and to the relationships that you have. 

When you’re disconnected from your deeper needs of human connection, you start fixating on individual progress, as if that would fix the lack of human connection. Once you start fixating on having more money, being more famous, getting more listeners, you can never get enough. Even if it doesn’t make you happy, you still want more. This is the definition of addiction. That’s why we have to discover that giving is important and relationships are important because we have this individualistic and disconnected idea about happiness, which is often the root cause of depression.

29k

Tell us a bit about your company 29k and what you’re hoping to achieve with it.

The goal with 29k is to create a community where people struggling with similar issues come together. We offer the best tools in the world for free to work with your problems, whatever they are – work or relationship issues, finding a more passionate meaning in life, etc. It’s an app so you just download it and you get matched with other participants who have the same needs as you do. The first program we built is 8-weeks long, and you go through it with six other people. You have a live video call once a week at the same time, and between the sessions you do some practicing. We’ve partnered up with the best researchers in the world and we are trying to give people more meaningful relationships in a real place where you can work with personal growth, together with other people. 

If people are trying to find a community and let’s say they don’t have access to 29k or they prefer to see people offline, what are the best steps for them to take to try and find a new community? And what are the signs that this community may or may not be for them?

It comes down to knowing if you can trust someone. It’s important that they are honest and they’re not just using you. For example, when you’re getting some traction with your music, people might want to hang out with you because you’re popular. That’s a red flag. You want to hang out with people who are more like “I heard that you’re struggling with your music, let’s hang out!” Their intentions should be positive and good, they should want to see you grow. Today we have an individualistic focus, there is rivalry where people get defensive by others’ success, and they pull down each other. But there’s room for honesty here, you can transform the cynicism into something great.

Honesty is interesting, and not always the most enjoyable trait to experience. It might hurt but you appreciate it if someone tells you that the song you made was awful. But here’s how you could maybe improve it. When it’s coming from someone you trust, it feels a lot better.

Exactly. We comfort each other so much because we don’t believe that a relationship can take our honesty. But if you believe that, then maybe you shouldn’t be such close friends. I would rather deepen a few relationships that I truly believe in, where we can be more honest with each other than have a lot of shallow ones. Life is long and if nobody’s telling you the truth, you’re gonna feel that pain later. By truly loving you as a friend and caring about you, I would rather give it to you now. Before the problem has grown out of proportion, like you released your album and it was shit. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m offering my opinion with warmth and humility.

Avoiding negativity

When negativity becomes a natural thing in your environment, what are the effects of that? 

One of the effects that everybody can relate to is being overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. You will start compensating with things that feel good in the moment, so instead of taking a walk or calling a friend, you will take shortcuts and probably start drinking, get angry and blame others. The reason why we blame is that it feels great. If you’re the idiot, then I’m not.

How can we avoid falling into this negative way of thinking?

When you’re having anxiety or when you’re feeling awesome, it’s not super simple to know where it’s coming from. Just noticing that you’re in a negative state before it becomes too late and being honest about your needs helps a lot. When you’re in a negative state, you’re more pessimistic, you’re less creative and more egotistical. It’s the same when you’re hungry. Avoid decision making when you’re hungry or when you’re tired and pissed off. Be aware and be curious about where the negative emotions are coming from and what’s the need behind them. Try to explore that to see patterns, this is where the journaling comes in the picture. Write about what affected you both positively and negatively, so you understand yourself better and you can start acting proactively. You can’t do that without being aware of what affects you.

What steps can we take to cultivate our community so it can be the best it can be and we can give back as much as we can? 

You can’t have relationships if you’re not relating. We think about relationships as objects, as things we have. Like you and I have a relationship, but that’s not true. Relationships are a process, it’s us being in the present relating. Knowing that relationships are always creating moments, it’s good to try and see what is distracting you from connecting in this present moment. Mobile phones are the worst things that ever happened to relationships. We say we’re listening but we have our phones there all the time. Put your phone away when you’re hanging out with friends. You’ve never signed up to be available for everyone 24/7.

Being in the moment

How can we become more aware of things that are distracting us? How to be in charge?

Noticing what is distracting you from being able to be in the moment is really important. First, try to reflect on how you’re using your phone. Then think about how you can enable the relationships that are great in your life, how to appreciate and nourish them. Be vulnerable, be honest, care about them and invest time into them. You might say that you know all this but the question is, are you aware? Are you aware that you haven’t called your mom for four weeks? Are you aware of which relationships are important to you?

A great exercise is to take 10 minutes every Sunday and write down the relationships you have on a piece of paper. Put yourself in the middle and draw your different relationships around you. How does it feel when you see that picture? Which relationships you feel aren’t getting nourished today? Which ones are getting too much time? Are you proud of how you’re distributing your time? If you do this every Sunday, every other Sunday or even just once a month, that’s amazing! The process of reflecting on what and who is important to you will in itself transform the way your relationships will be nourished or decided upon. 

Finding the right people

What are the best first steps for a music maker to take in order to cultivate a positive community? 

It’s quite tricky because as we said life is messy, and as a musician, you’re probably trying to make ends meet. You need to make sure that you have many areas in your life that fill you up, that you have honest relationships that maybe are outside of your musical identity. Be wary of narratives like once you become successful and recognized, everybody will understand what a genius you are and then you’ll be loved. That’s a horrible story. 

My father was a professional athlete, he was an Olympic discus thrower and he had that idea in his head. He sacrificed so much to become a successful individual. He passed away when he was 37 because of addiction to steroids and all that. It was really tough. So I think it comes down to surrounding yourself with individuals who have a healthy output on life and it’s not that they’re sacrificing everything to get something but they are actually alive. 

In your experience, how can you find people full of life, people you can get energy from?

I was a professional kitesurfer when I was young, and I almost followed my father’s footsteps. When people wanted to hang out because I was a great kitesurfer, I knew that they weren’t honest, they wanted to be with me because they thought that I was cool. That made me feel more alone. What I then did was that I used that inner compass to find and prioritize honest people, people I would like to be influenced by. 

We can find these communities in all sorts of places, then it doesn’t necessarily have to be music.

It could be, but you don’t have to put all your eggs in one basket. Because if it doesn’t work out, then not your entire life will be affected, which is healthy in itself. Life is quite long, and it becomes less serious if you think that one day you’re going to be 80 and you’ll look back. Stuff isn’t that serious, you can actually play a bit more. You need to pay your rent for sure, but you’re not going to starve. So let’s play with this and see where it takes you. If you don’t become the next superstar, that’s fine! Let’s have a blast! 

Watch this interview in video format!

Erik Fernholm has an academic background in Cognitive Neuroscience and Happiness Research. Combined with his experience as a keynote speaker, board advisor, and leadership developer, this has helped him to establish an understanding of why people do what they do, and how they could perform and feel better.

As part of his work, Fernholm has been exploring how positive relationships and communities can increase individual wellbeing. Together with Niklas Adalberth (Klarna) and Tomas Björkman, he has through a new non-profit built a way for people to practice growing together in a way that transforms their lives, and it’s all packed in an app called 29k. The goal is to make personal growth and change available and free for everyone to make their days on planet earth count. 29k is working with leading researchers and scientists from Harvard University and the Karolinska Institute.

➞ 29k website

Feeling rusty? Out of shape? Healthy body, healthy mind – goes the saying. Being fit is not about six-packs and beach bodies but about feeling great from within. From improving your mental health and keeping your heart in good shape to boosting your creativity and performance, there are tons of reasons for getting your move on. Especially these days when we are supposed to stay inside all day. Unfortunately, there are just as many excuses to skip exercise. We know them all. As part of The Wellness Starter Pack, we wrapped up our favorite books, apps, podcasts and educational videos that will inspire you to stop finding excuses and start getting fit. 

Books | Apps | Podcasts | Videos

When you exercise, your body releases endorphins. These natural opiate-like chemicals reduce your perception of pain and produce a feeling of euphoria, so the post-workout buzz is real! Working up a good sweat after spending the whole day sitting hunched over your computer can significantly turn your day (and eventually your life) around. Getting on the workout grind can be intimidating, there’s always something that gets in the way. So how do you get started? The good news is that by reading these lines, you’ve just made the first steps without even noticing. 

Once you’re determined to make this lifestyle change, it’s all about taking baby steps. Focus on short-term goals so you don’t feel too overwhelmed. Finding a type of activity, making it your own and then sticking to it can be tricky, but the trickiest part of it all is actually getting started. Explore the list below to get all the science, motivation and inspiration for getting your workout groove on. After all, your music is not the only thing that you need to keep in tune.

(This post contains non-affiliate links.)

Books

John J. Ratey, Eric Hagerman – Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

“Getting older is unavoidable, but falling apart is not.”

If you’re someone who needs a kick in the pants and can’t get enough reminders of why you should get started with exercise, check this out! Dr. John J. Ratey is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and he was one of the first scientists to comprehensively investigate the connection between brain and exercise. This book contains tons of compelling details about the importance of exercise that’ll make you run out of lazy excuses. 

Michelle Segar – No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness

“The idea of exercise has become too much of a synonym for punishment”

Now that you know that exercise is important, let’s find you some motivation. Sustainable behavioral change scientist Michelle Segar is aware that motivation doesn’t go on trees. Her easy-to-read book debunks the myths about what counts as exercise and instead helps you focus on opportunities to move. This less stressful way of seeing things will help you find motivation and change your old habits for good.

Mia Olson – Musician’s Yoga: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Inspiration

“And who can always feel at their best? I think that is why so many artists crash.”

Mia Olson is a professor at Berklee College of Music where she teaches flute, piano, and musician’s yoga. This practical book is really interesting even if you have no prior experience with yoga. It focuses on both exercise and mindfulness, and it combines the best of both worlds. So you’ll not only get a good stretch but also learn how to develop a focused and concentrated mind for your music performance, and strengthen that infamous mind-body connection.

Apps

Zombies, Run!

What happens when you combine a fitness app with a zombie game? You’ll be scared of health! If you’re one of those people who think that only a zombie apocalypse would make you get up off your butt, your time has come. This highly immersive running game gets you inspired like nothing else. You can even mix your own playlists with 200+ action-packed missions. Walk, jog or run while becoming a hero!

Price: Free with optional premium subscription

Download for iOS / Download for Android

J&J Official 7 Minute Workout

Do you know what’s better than a free app? A free exercise app that gets your sweat on in just 7 minutes! Designed by exercise physiologist Chris Jordan, this app is simple and straight to the point. You can choose from dozens of exercises that you can tailor after your personal preferences to fit your own body’s strengths and limits. Get a taste of having a personal trainer, without coughing up the big bucks. 

Price: FREE!

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Sworkit

Here’s another personal trainer app for those who are willing to invest in their health but prefer to stay away from the gym. Think of it as a playlist for working out. The app offers personalized plans, direct access to certified personal fitness trainers, an impressive community for extra support and motivation, and endless resources for all fitness levels from total noobs to experienced athletes.

Price: Free with optional premium subscription, 7-days free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Podcasts

TRAINED

Guess we can all agree that Nike knows a thing or two about fitness and exercise. The cutting-edge brand’s first-ever podcast fills you up with all the information and inspiration you need to reach your full potential – straight from the source! Listen to innovative conversations with innovative people, centering around the five aspects of training: movement, mindset, recovery, nutrition, and sleep. 

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Get-Fit Guy

Who doesn’t love some quick and dirty tips when you have no idea where to start? If you want to stock up on easy-to-understand explanations and practical information about all things fitness, check out Brock Armstrong’s amazing podcast. Each week, the Get-Fit Guy shares expert advice on basically all known forms of exercise, always backed by scientific research. A source worth trusting for a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Couch to 5k

Although it’s been around for a while, the NHS’s nine-week running podcast will always be an excellent companion when it comes to improving your running technique and skill practice. This running plan is designed to get complete beginners from couch potato to running 5k. Sounds like a plan? You just need to invest in some running gear. Otherwise, it’s free, achievable and relatively easy, even though you might not think so in the beginning.

Listen on NHS / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Videos

Wendy Suzuki – The brain-changing benefits of exercise

Dr. Wendy Suzuki is a professor of neuroscience and psychology, author and blogger, and if that would not be enough, she’s also an active fitness instructor! In this TED talk, the energetic scientist talks about the most transformative thing you can do for your brain: exercise! She digs deep into the powerful effects of physical activity and why doing a little effort today can have a major impact tomorrow.

WHY Exercise is so Underrated (Brain Power & Movement Link)

Here’s another enlightening piece of content that starts with drawing a parallel between a Nintendo marketing campaign from 1995 and the usual sales point of exercise. Did we grab your attention? Exercise is not only underrated but often times misunderstood, and here’s your chance to learn why. After watching this video, you’ll be asking yourself how can working out not be at the top of your to-do list?

The Best Workout Motivation Ever – Joe Rogan

In this snappy animation, popular albeit controversial podcast host Joe Rogan and biomedical science expert, Dr. Rhonda Patrick discusses everything from the fear of discomfort to the mental health benefits of exercise. We can all relate to the feeling of not wanting to sweat and strain, but how can you get to the point when you crave the workout and actually feel sad about missing out on a session? Let’s find out!

Editor’s note: This article is part of The Wellness Starter Pack, which is a collection of videos, interviews, and articles exploring some of the most challenging health issues music makers experience today. Think of it as a toolbox for health, specifically created with music makers in mind. 

The information within The Wellness Starter Pack is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the advice of a physician or a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Guest post by Angela McCuiston

Seems like everyone is on the fitness train nowadays. The pressure to workout is in your face everywhere you look. From Hot Yoga to Barre, to Aerials, Jiu Jitsu and CrossFit, it seems there’s something for everybody…. except performance artists… where do you fit in? And do you even want to work out?

You’ve been told you need to exercise, and we all know it’s just plain good for us, but let’s be real: for those of us to whom the inside of a gym is as foreign as the face of Mars, where do we even start? And apart from looking good on stage, why should we? I’m happy to tell you that there are a host of other benefits besides making sure your skinny jeans don’t produce a muffin top.

Who am I?

I got my start in the world of performance injury relatively young, discovered the flute in middle school and by high school it was life. I grew up just south of Nashville, and was part of almost every honor band and orchestra available. My junior year of high school I attended the Interlochen Arts Camp. My body was completely unprepared for the sheer volume of playing I was about to do and back then, no one talked about much of anything physical relating to practicing. Going from 1-2 hours of playing a day to 8 hours for 8 weeks I quickly developed tendonitis in my wrist. By the time I got home, I couldn’t hold a pencil without pain. The doctor told me I should “stop playing”.  That would be the first of 4 times I would hear that advice.

Fast forward to graduate school. I got into the habit of working out every day, which I loved. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was doing and ended up working muscles that were overused, and with poor form.  On one exercise I felt a “pop” and a sear of pain and couldn’t move. In agonizing pain, I went to health services who told me I had strained (aka: tore) a muscle in my back. He told me, a performance major, in graduate school to “stop playing”.  

Third time came after grad school when I learned about a piccolo audition for a job I really wanted. Unfortunately, I didn’t know the repertoire, so again, I went from 0 to 100, cramming hours a day in to learn the music.  After a couple of weeks, I couldn’t move my right arm and I had intense spasms in my back. I’ll never forget the doctor’s words. “Ordinarily I’d give you a cortisone shot in the trigger point in your chest that’s causing the back spasms, to help it relax. Unfortunately, it’s right over your heart, and it might kill you, so you should probably just stop playing”.  

I had had it. THIS was all the answer there was? I couldn’t imagine any other profession getting that answer, so I decided that since I couldn’t find any answers, I would BE an answer.  Then I discovered the National Academy of Sports Medicine where I got my Certified Personal Training certificate and my Corrective Exercise Specialization. I then formed my company Music Strong, which uses smart strength training to prevent overuse injuries and address muscle imbalances, keeping musicians strong and balanced and giving them confidence and longevity in their careers.

Why should I care?

Your body is your first instrument, and when it isn’t working properly, it’s only a matter of time before other things are affected. Some things to think about:

• Less body confident = less confidence on stage
• More inflammation = more allergies and illness
• Poor insulin resistance = more fat, trouble sleeping, decreased creativity, increased irritability and stress

All of these things come back to one important thing, MONEY.  If you don’t have energy, confidence or have a cold, you can’t give your all, you can’t be your best, and people don’t want to pay for sub-par.

Quick run-down of non-physical benefits

Financial benefits

• Preventative maintenance is cheaper than doctor’s bills
• If you get injured or sick you have to take time off from touring, recording, and working and time off is money lost.
• It can be tax deductible

Spiritual/mental benefits

• More balance between personal and professional life
• Making yourself a priority, carving out “me time”
• Increased confidence and decreased anxiety
• Better able to “be in the moment”
• Increased self-awareness = less chance of injury or overworking
• It’s cathartic. Less stress, better sleep = more creativity and positive mood.
• Hitting a physical goal gives you the confidence to tackle other big things in life
• When your physical health is on track, other things tend to fall in place.

Confidence

By and large, this is one of the biggest benefits to exercise. There is something so incredible when someone picks up a weight they thought was previously impossible. You can see the excitement on their faces and now they want to break whatever other self-imposed barriers there may be. A couple of examples:

John is a classically trained tenor and author and when we started, he had terrible back pain. Recently, I put some weight on a barbell and he deadlifted from the floor for the first time in his life. He was no longer guarding his back and as he picked it off the floor, his face lit up in a huge smile and he shouted: “this is important!” He did several more before turning to me and exclaiming how excited he was that he could do an exercise he previously thought impossible. From there we’ve gone to much more advanced moves and he’s crushing them all. His confidence is palpable.

Another client of mine was a petite 24-year lady who had never worked out in her life, the gym totally intimidated her. In our initial session, I told her “I’m going to have you pick up a barbell with your butt”. She didn’t believe me that would be possible, but as we worked together you could see how much more confident she was every time she walked into the gym. The day came and she laughed and said: “let’s go for it!” She did it multiple times and did a happy dance. That young lady now has confidence that spills out into the rest of her life.

Sometimes we put barriers on ourselves with what we think we can and cannot do when we have no idea what’s possible. We limit ourselves. But there is something so incredibly empowering about picking up something really heavy, and doing it well that breeds certain confidence. When you push yourself outside your comfort zone and succeed you take that with you through other parts of your life.

Control

Have you ever noticed that when you start following a dedicated routine in some part of your life, there is carry over to another? Exercise is no exception. When you take dedicated time to do a workout routine and start to see the results, (be it increased strength, better breathing, increased endurance or….is that an AB MUSCLE??) it hits you that you have more control than maybe you thought you did and this spills over to other areas of your life as well, contributing to a decrease in anxiety. Exercise is empowering, just watch it change your life outside of the gym!

Me-time

How many of us feel we have to be everything to everyone and do it all perfectly and self-care is a frou-frou word dedicated to people who don’t have jobs or anything else to do? We’ve heard that if you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will, but it’s so true, and just like in an airplane you’re told to put your mask on first and then help the child next to you, you have to help yourself before you can help anyone else.

I LOVE music, but when I play all day long, there’s no balance. I need to step away and enjoy a hobby. One of mine is biking. I can’t take phone calls, I can’t answer emails or texts or work on my website…all I have is the challenge in front of me and that time is strictly for me. Another one of my clients put it this way, “I see the value in this, I put my foot down and these few hours a week I carve out just for me, or else I’ll go crazy. I have to have that time that I devote to myself”.

Better mood and decreased anxiety

Exercise releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones, and who doesn’t want more of those? Last year I had my gallbladder removed and for a few weeks, I was restricted in movement. I got really anxious about my finances, lonely, stressed and depressed. 10 days later I FINALLY was able to get on my bike….and I was elated!  I realized how so much of the negativity I was feeling was because I wasn’t able to move or exercise.  

We can build up so much anxiety about ourselves, doing things perfectly, being enough when you step into a gym and put yourself in a trainer’s hands, you are allowing yourself to be a beginner again. There are no expectations for you. Can you feel the relief that comes with those words? You have the freedom to fail and learn. Putting yourself in the hands of a coach that is right for you can do so much to alleviate stress and performance anxiety. And, as you get stronger and more confident, your anxiety decreases. Decreased anxiety allows you to be more creative, to relax, your cortisone levels go down and so does your weight. 

Increased creativity

Why is it the best ideas seem to come to us in the shower? Because when you get into hot water, it can serve as a vasodilator, letting your blood vessels open up and allowing easier blood flow to the brain. With that increased blood flow comes increased oxygen which in turn, helps to give us some of our best ideas. The same things happen when we exercise. Maybe all you need to give you the final line to the chorus of that song you’ve been working on is a little exercise.

Better sleep

Have you ever moved? You know, had to pack up everything you own and unpack it somewhere else? Do you remember at the end of the day how bone-tired you were and how you slept? There’s a certain satisfaction to physical exertion and knowing you’ve really pushed yourself. Your body needs to recover and after a workout, the only place it can rebuild and recover is sleep. So, if you find yourself tossing and turning, a good workout might be all you need.

These are just a few of the multitude of benefits you can get from exercise that have absolutely nothing to do with how you look. Sure, we all want to look great and feel good about how we look, and exercise can get you there, but take a look at this list, don’t you want all these things as well?

Ready to try a few for yourself? Here’s:

The beginner’s guide to musician exercises

To be fair, I have written a book with a lot of what I consider the absolute essentials, all done without equipment, so these will follow suit. Assuming you aren’t in a public place that would give you weird looks, you can try these right now. 

How about a massage?

In simplistic terms, a foam roller is really used to calm down overactive muscles and increase mobility.  One of my favorite uses is for the upper back. To use: Place a foam roller at the base of your shoulder blades. Let your head rest in your hands, pull your elbows in front of your face, lift your butt and roll from the bottom to the top of your shoulder blades making sure no to roll lower. After you’ve made several passes, drop your butt to the ground and lean backwards over the rolled. Readjust as necessary taking care to stay away from your lower back.

Stretches you’ve probably never done:

Chest stretch

Put your arm in a doorway with your elbow at 90 degrees. Squeeze your shoulder blade back and down toward your low back and twist your body away from the door. If you don’t feel much, try bringing your arm up higher. Hold for 30 seconds. 

Front of shoulder/bicep stretch

Place your arm on a steady surface behind you. Rotate your hand so your thumb and first finger are touching the wall. Squeeze your shoulder slightly down and back, straighten your arm and twist your body away from your arm. This will stretch the bicep. To stretch the front of the shoulder, rotate your arm so the back of your hand is flat against the wall. Hold for 30 seconds.

Let’s get rid of that pain in your back: Prone T and Y exercises

To do this stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.  Push your hips backwards keeping your spine neutral. Arms should be in front of your body with palms pointing forward.  Raise your arms straight out to the side with thumbs pointing to the ceiling, keeping shoulders away from your ears and think about bringing the bottom of your shoulder blades together.  Do 15 times.

Prone Y’s

From the starting position, squeeze the bottom of your shoulder blades down towards your hips and bring your arms up in a somewhat narrow “V”. You are pulling your shoulder blades down AS you are lifting your arms up.  Keep your arms straight, and your head neutral. This should be difficult.

The core – how to strengthen it without planks: Dead bug Exercises

Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet flat. Pull your belly button toward your spine and mash your low back into the floor. Raise your arms overhead and drop them alternately behind your head. This is enough for some people, but if not, lift both legs to a 90-degree angle and drop one heel toward the ground at a time.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to treat or diagnose, and its language been simplified.

Angela McCuiston is a NASM-CPT, CES, SFS and holds her M.M. in flute performance from The Florida State University.  An active musician, she plays assistant principal/piccolo in Sinfonia Gulf Coast of Destin, FL and with the 313^th Army Band in Nashville, as well as teaching and freelancing in Nashville, TN.  Winner of the 2005 Piccolo Masterclass Competition for the National Flute Association, she has fused her love of fitness and music to form Music Strong, a business that provides fitness solutions to musicians.  In 2018 she accepted the position of Chair of the Performance Health Committee for the NFA and is sought out national as a resource in musician’s health and fitness. She currently resides in Nashville, TN.

➞ Angela’s website: Music Strong
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Guest post by Dr. Rachel White Galvin

There are many types of musicians. Studio musicians, touring musicians, freelancers, buskers, professional orchestral musicians, professional club musicians, composers, teachers, students. Many different combinations of all of the above and more. Then, there are the various major genres: classical, jazz, rock, R&B, folk, the list goes on. No one musician’s career is like any other. All lead dramatically different and colorful musical lives, yet all share one trait: the never-ending quest for perfection.

Perfectionism is what drives your passion, hones your craft, seeks out flawless sound, and lays down the best rhythms. But perfectionism is a double-edged sword. The concept of “perfect” is so philosophical and so subjective that it’s really impossible to achieve. One person’s perfect is another person’s junk. And in this way, it’s easy to believe that the music you create is only either good or bad. In fact, your entire life can get shaded in the colors of black and white, so that everything you touch, everything you do, everything you think, and everything you produce is only either good or bad. It’s at this point that perfectionism becomes toxic.

In a survey done by Record Union, 73% of surveyed participants reported feeling “negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, and/or depression in relation to their music creation.” And 67% said that “fear of failure” was the biggest contributor to their negative emotions. Interestingly enough, other studies have revealed that just as many if not more musicians report experiencing during their career at least one kind of playing-related injury (E.g. tendonitis, thoracic outlet syndrome, carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, bulging/slipped/herniated discs, focal dystonia, etc.) It seems a strange coincidence that both mental illness and physical injury are so prevalent among musicians. And yet, when you dig further, it turns out these issues are in fact related. In order to know more, you have to know a little about how our brains work.

Mind and body connection

It’s a common thought that human brains are intended for higher-level cognitive and emotional functions. But scientists are discovering that memory, thinking, and emotional abilities are all built on the foundation of our movement capabilities. The brain of any animal is meant for movement. Movement is a connection to the environment. It’s how animals (including humans) survive and thrive. Your cognitive and emotional abilities aid your movement which adds to your chances of survival. This means that the movement of your physical body actually links to the processes of your mind.

In other words, it’s not accurate to say that your mind and body NEED connecting. They are connected regardless of whether you are aware of the connection. Instead, you need to become more conscious of the connection. Once you understand this clear unison of your mind and body, then it becomes much easier to understand how so many musicians can suffer simultaneously from both negative emotions and physical injuries. The toxic perfectionism and fear of failure that so many experience creates a kind of perfect storm of physical, emotional, and cognitive tension.

With all of this in mind, the question becomes what can you do to improve your overall health. For that, I have very good news. Multiple studies have shown that improving your movement can actually improve your mental health. Now this being said, many people like to argue about which type of movement is best. Should you do yoga? Run? Bike? Swim? CrossFit? Will I injure myself? What if I’m too tired or sore to play my next gig? I’ve spent my life straddling the music and movement worlds and I can honestly say that the movement or type of exercise program matters far less. The most important thing is to incorporate mindfulness into your movement. This creates more consciousness between movement, emotion, and cognition.  Here are my 5 tips for how to bring mindfulness into whatever movement you want to practice:

1. Focus on comfortable movement

“No Pain No Gain” is a mantra often promoted by society, that if you hurt, then somehow you are making yourself better. And as a musician, you’ve probably been taught that pain is a necessary part of making worthwhile art. When exercising, it becomes very easy to tell yourself that the pain you feel is totally necessary for improving your health. But how paradoxical is that? You have to hurt to feel better? This is so far from the truth. In fact, it’s much easier to make progress and enjoy what you’re doing if you stay within your range of comfort. It’s okay for a workout or activity to be a little challenging, but just like with music it should NEVER hurt.

2. Keep it simple

Movement doesn’t have to be fancy or elaborate to be effective. You can find some pretty complicated exercise programs out there. Complicated enough to make you want to run screaming for the hills, but keeping it simple is so much more effective especially when you’re new or returning to fitness. Sometimes it can be as easy as going for a walk. Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise. Just like with music, you get good at the basics before you tackle the hard stuff. If you need some ideas about simple movements to get you started, I’ve got a video for you down below. 

3. Progress slowly

We live in an instant-gratification culture. We want things now. But if you’re a musician, then you know the power of slow practice. It’s the same with movement practice. Injury occurs when you push yourself too hard too soon. Exercising your way out of an injury can become a game of Chutes and Ladders. You progress too fast, get injured, backslide, and find yourself back where you started. You can either push yourself to be stuck in this cycle, or you can make slow, steady progress. The mantra in my band is “1% better every week is 52% better in a year.” I think the same holds true for fitness. 50% improvement in anything (whether it be your pain level, deadlift, tempo of Flight of the Bumblebee) is huge.

4. Coordinate your whole body

If you play an instrument, then you have spent a lengthy amount of time developing a very specialized, fine motor movement. Some of the best movement you can do to counteract the stress of that specialized movement is whole-body, functional movement. Bodybuilding and isometric exercises have their time and place, but if you’re just getting started, look for activities that move your whole body – swimming, walking, Zumba, or just crawling on the floor like a baby (seriously) – will do. 

5. Do something you enjoy

This is the most important part of any movement program. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, then what’s the point? Now, if what you enjoy is causing you pain, then you need to reevaluate. But, you don’t need to step back from it completely. Sometimes, reevaluating can be as simple as observing your thought patterns (Are you highly competitive?), reorganizing your movement patterns (Can you find a better way to move?), or noticing your stress levels (What else is going on in your life?). Don’t let pain stop you from doing things, rather allow pain to tell you what needs to be adjusted.

Musician’s injuries: 5 movements to help musicians in pain

Dr. Rachel White Galvin is a movement specialist and freelance musician. She holds a Doctorate in Viola Performance, and is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, certified USA Weightlifting Level 1 coach, and a former CrossFit Level 2 trainer. She struggled with playing-related injury and depression for 15 years. She healed herself by changing her movement and mindset. Now she helps others do the same.

➞ Rachel’s website
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You don’t need to be a gym rat to get enough exercise and improve your overall health. But how can you stop avoiding physical activity and embrace the benefits? And what are those benefits? Dr. Joseph Firth is bringing you the answers! Dr. Firth has been working with helping young people with mental health problems to engage in regular exercise and to adopt healthy lifestyles. In our interview for The Wellness Starter Pack, we discuss why exercise is so important and how it can help improve your mental health. He also shares some great tips and recommendations on how to get started and how to make a new routine stick.

Exercise for mental health

Why is exercise so important? 

Exercise is important for physical health. Everybody knows it’s good for the body, that’s very well established. Increasing evidence is now showing how exercise is also beneficial for mental health. What is good for the body is also good for the mind. We’ve all heard the saying “a healthy mind in a healthy body”. And exercise is shown to have multiple different benefits across the body and the brain.

Could you name some of the mental health benefits of exercise that people may not be immediately aware of?

Obviously, physical fitness is a lot more than just having a six-pack. The major reason why we should all be exercising is for our mental health. This even applies to people with good mental health. It helps to lift your mood on a daily basis, it improves your actual brain functioning and the way your brain works. For people with poor mental health, exercise has now been shown to be effective across a broad range of psychiatric conditions. Exercise is beneficial for depression and anxiety, and even for severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. There’s more and more evidence about the ways that different forms of exercise can help with these conditions.

When people are really into exercise, they might be familiar with terms such as endorphins. We hear it’s great for mental health but why exactly is it that these chemicals help?

There are multiple neurobiological pathways through which exercise benefits the brain, and we’ve all heard of the common ones. But more recently there is more evidence around BDNF, which is the primary neurotrophic hormone in the brain. This is a chemical that runs throughout the entire body, which is responsible for producing new neurons when released. When we engage in physical activity, particularly in aerobic exercises, our BDNF gets released almost immediately. Even one little session can boost your levels of BDNF, so that’s another benefit. Maintaining high levels of physical activity actually stops brain decline that occurs due to aging. It helps stimulate the new neurons in the brain. Also, new studies have shown that one session of intense exercise can activate the endocannabinoid system, which is one of the major reward mechanisms in the brain. It makes us feel good. 

Picking an exercise

If someone wants to start exercising more, are there a particular number of sessions they should be averaging per week?

You should be doing what works for you. I would encourage people to try and engage in types of activities that really get the heartbeat going. Something that feels like it’s increasing your fitness. Things that actually would be considered a workout are going to be more beneficial than low-intensity activities. That said, low-intensity activities are still better than nothing. If you feel like all you are able to do is go for a short walk, that is still far more preferable to do than to become a couch potato. 

Is there any type of exercise that is better than other types? 

The type of exercise you do is not that important. There’s been lots of research showing that jogging or cycling works as well as weight training. Whatever works for you in terms of a good fitness workout that you can do in a group or as an individual. It would be impossible to say who’s the best athlete in the Olympics. Is it the runners, the swimmers or the rowers? They are all super-fit just in different ways. Just pick something that works well for you.

Creating healthy habits

A lot of people struggle with sticking to exercise. Do you have any tips and recommendations on how to keep up with exercise routine and make a healthy habit out of it? 

1. Find something you enjoy. If you feel like time is passing quickly while you’re doing it, you might be getting your heartbeat going and getting a sweat on without even noticing. If you’re enjoying taking part in the activity you’ll find it much easier to stick to it than to force yourself to do something that you don’t like. 
2. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to enjoy exercise, even if this kind of goes against the first tip. There might be certain days or times in your life when you might feel that you’re not getting a lot from exercising. Be aware that self-discipline and keeping your regular exercise regime whenever possible will benefit you in the long term. It will influence how you’re going to feel afterward, even without the enjoyment aspect in the session.
3. Try to involve other people. Even if you’re not speaking to them, you could, for example, go for a run with someone. It will make it easier for you to stick to your routines if you have a training partner. Someone who’s going to give you that additional boost on the days when you’re not feeling like working out.

Do you have any suggestions that could make working out more inspiring?

As you probably already know, music can be quite powerful, even for your workouts. Depending on what types of music you’re into, you might need to change it up a little bit around your sessions. There’s been a lot of studies showing that upbeat and high tempo music helps you actually feel in the mood for physical activity, which makes sense. Even if that’s not particularly your style, try to find something that might give you a little bit of a boost. Especially if you’re feeling the lack of motivation.

Where to start

Is there anything that could help people who may be struggling with mental illness and are barely able to get out of bed in the morning? How could they try and immerse themselves into exercise step by step?

You should start small, pick a lower intensity activity like going for a 10-minute walk every day. Some people find it easier to pick a high-intensity activity and just do it once a week. Just make sure you get out and about. You might try to do one short gym session a week, and build that up over time to several sessions. You don’t need to overdo it to experience the mental health benefits of exercise. Just like the physical benefits, it’s only up to a certain threshold. Once you’re healthy and fit, you don’t have to do tons more to become super healthy.

It’s the same for the brain. You just need to aim towards that moderate level of physical activity in order to obtain the maximum benefits. Try to remember that exercise is not as bad as it seems when you’re thinking about it laying in bed. It’s always easier when you’re actually doing it. You just need to get started and give it a go, you can always stop if you want. You can also involve your friends, people who can support you when you’re struggling. 

Friends can be super helpful. You could even skip the gym and just take a walk in the park, and have a nice chat.

Exactly. If you’re experiencing mental health problems, a lot of that is often caused by social isolation or feeling lonely. When you’re doing an exercise socially, you not only get the physical benefits but also the social support benefits. That’s just as important as exercise for mental health. Killing two birds with one stone, you’ll be more likely to keep it up! 

Musicians and exercise

Musicians have a crazy schedule. They might have 9-5 jobs, make music in the evening, late-night gigs, full-day sessions during the weekends, and extensive touring. Is there any type of exercise that could give them the most bang for their buck? Maybe they have 10-20 minutes a day and want to stay fit, but their schedule is hectic. 

We’ve just published a review showing how HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is beneficial for symptoms of depression and for people with mental illness. And it can be as short as 1-minute bursts four or five times. You can do it on a bicycle in a hotel gym, you can do bodyweight exercises like push-ups and lunges… A little intense workout that gets your blood flowing and gets your heartbeat up can be just as beneficial for your mood as for physical fitness.

If you’re going on holiday or if you are unable to work out for some reason, it’s important to remember that the benefits of exercise are not about just missing that one session, but more about the lifestyle of adopting it. If you’re too exhausted or you’re too busy doing other things, don’t feel too bad about skipping exercise. As long as you know in the back of your head that you’re trying to adopt this as part of your lifestyle, you can still get the benefits eventually.

What would be the very first steps for someone who wants to adopt this healthier lifestyle?

The first step that I’d recommend is to think about physical activities you’ve enjoyed in the past, and give that another go. Going back to something that you’ve done before, something that you feel familiar with can be a really good starting point. Even though it sounds obvious for most people. If you are receiving mental health care, you can also often talk to your GP about local physical activity initiatives like walking groups or sports groups. You can even get physical activity on referral, a local gym membership, and perhaps have a talk with a personal trainer. Nowadays, more and more personal trainers are interested in helping people with physical training for mental health. So don’t be shy about joining a gym! Mental health awareness is higher than ever and there are people who are willing to help you reap the benefits. 

Watch this interview in video format!

Dr. Joseph Firth completed his Ph.D. at the University of Manchester (UK), examining the benefits of physical exercise as a treatment for young people with psychosis. Since, he has published extensively in leading medical journals, on the clinical use of exercise and nutritional interventions for improving both physical and mental health outcomes in people with psychiatric conditions. His work has been featured on BBC One, Huffington Post, Fox News, and Daily Mail. 

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There’s been a lot of buzz around mindfulness lately. Meditate in the morning, focus on your breathing during the day, practice yoga in the evening. Do this, do that, and preferably become a Buddhist monk while you’re at it. There’s so much information about mindfulness, so many misconceptions that no wonder you feel overwhelmed, intimidated and let’s admit, annoyed by the hype. Where do you even start and why should you care? Well, during these trying times, mindfulness is even more important than ever before. This list with our favorite books, apps, podcasts and videos made for The Wellness Starter Pack will point you in the right direction.

Books | Apps | Podcasts | Videos

Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment, the art of being aware and being conscious of what is happening right now. We spend most of our lives either thinking about the past or the future, so being able to focus on the here and now is actually pretty hard. Just try not to think about anything for 30 seconds. How did that go?

In order to be able to practice mindfulness, you need some serious focus, discipline, and concentration. The same treats you’re using while making music, even if you’re not aware of it when you’re in the flow. The flow itself is mindfulness, and it has numerous benefits, both in your music practice and your personal life. It’s good for both body and soul, and there’s no “wrong way” of doing it. So what is there to lose? Doesn’t matter if you’re a skeptic or you’ve already mastered the power of now, the list below has something to offer for everyone.

(This post contains non-affiliate links.)

Books

Dan Harris – Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book

“Meditation is not about feeling a certain way. It’s about feeling the way you feel.”

Dan Harris is a journalist and co-founder of the Ten Percent Happier app. He used to think that meditation was for people who collect crystals and use the word “namaste” without sarcasm. But after he had a panic attack on live television, he did a 180-degree turn and became one of the loudest and coolest advocates of meditation. Harris makes meditation accessible to everyone, and it’s a great read for both beginners and experienced meditators alike.

Ruby Wax – A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled

“We’re not just addicted to drugs, sex or alcohol, we can also get addicted to our thoughts and feelings of panic, anxiety, and despair.”

If you’re a beginner looking for a book that is serious but doesn’t take itself too seriously, here’s a pick for you! American actress and comedian Ruby Wax is an interesting and quite controversial character. She’s been truly open about her depression, which makes her very much relatable. Her book is packed with humor, explains the why’s and how’s and even includes a 6-week mindfulness course to get you started. 

Mark Williams, Danny Penman – Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World

“You’ll soon discover that although you feel time-poor, you are actually moment-rich.”

Oxford professor Mark Williams and award-winning journalist Dr. Danny Penman teamed up to share the secrets of living a less anxious and happier life. This 8-week plan is based on MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) techniques, and it contains super simple and straightforward exercises. If you have 10 minutes to spare every day and want to get started, this is a highly recommended kickstarter.

Apps

Calm 

Calm is currently the #1 app in the health and fitness category, and for a good reason. So far it helped millions of users to reduce their stress and anxiety levels, to sleep better and to boost their confidence. If this sounds like something you would also like, check out their vast library of guided meditations and masterclasses, and create new sticking routines with relaxing music and mesmerizing bedtime stories. Keep calm and download this app!

Price: Free with optional premium subscription, 7-day free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Headspace

Former Buddhist monk turned mindfulness icon Andy Puddicombe’s app wants to make meditation appealing and accessible to everyone. This pocket meditation guide offers hundreds of themed sessions for work, focus, stress relief, anxiety, and sleep. Try the mini meditations if you’re super busy and add your friends to meditate with you for some extra motivation. It’s a kinda magic!  

Price: Free with optional premium subscription, 2-weeks free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind is a fresh breeze in our crazy business-driven world. This 100% free app was developed by Australian psychologists and educators and is especially aimed at young people to give a gentle push and help bring balance to their life. The app has dedicated programs for stress, sleep, performance, attention and concentration, mindful eating and much more. It’s an impressive and beautiful tool worth exploring!

Price: FREE!

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Podcasts

The Mindspace Podcast

If you’re still not convinced about the benefits of mindfulness, join Canadian psychologist, Dr. Joe Flanders, for enlightening talks with his broad spectrum of guests, from scientists to artists. The podcast focuses on evidence-based practices but doesn’t shy away from controversial trends either. You’ll learn about the art of laughter, the psychedelic renaissance, medical cannabis, and everything mindfulness. 

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Untangle

In this weekly podcast, hosts Patricia Karpas and Ariel Garten speak to psychologists, neuroscientists, Buddhists, nutritionists, etc. to untangle various areas related to mindfulness. While there’s a lot of science packed into these convos, each episode is tailored to be a practical how-to guide for accessing your better self. You have more than 200 episodes to choose from, explore these inspirational and thoughtful nuggets!

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

The Daily Meditation Podcast

Swing right into the action with meditation teacher Mary Meckley’s podcast that solely consists of guided meditation exercises. These short exercises focus on different styles and techniques that help you deal with stress, manage depression, gain focus and generally feel better. You’ll be introduced to basic meditation to channel your inner peace and calm, no matter where you are and how you feel. 

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Videos

Dr. Shauna Shapiro – The Power of Mindfulness

If you wanna wrap your head around mindfulness but only got 15 minutes to spend, check out Dr. Shauna Shapiro’s pioneering TED talk. She is a clinical psychologist and an internationally recognized expert in mindfulness. She knows what’s up! Her unique way of words and her ability to explain the even most complicated topics makes this video really fun to watch, and you’ll soak up some useful knowledge without even noticing it.   

Meditation 101 – Learn How to Meditate

For this incredibly cute animated video, Happify turned Dan Harris (see Books section) into a sweet mouse who explains and demonstrates the basics of mindfulness and meditation. This 2-minute introduction is not only adorable but also highly informative with some great advice, debunked misconceptions, and three steps to get started. One for the busy skeptics.

Meditation For Inner Peace – Yoga With Adriene

Now that you’ve reached the end of this article (well done btw!), hopefully you feel inspired enough to get things started. If you’re not up for doing a group session, get cozy in the comfort of your own home and tune in to Adriene’s meditation wavelengths. It’s easy to enjoy her warm personality while you follow her super simple 10-minute practice. All you need is an open mind and an open heart!

Editor’s note: This article is part of The Wellness Starter Pack, which is a collection of videos, interviews, and articles exploring some of the most challenging health issues music makers experience today. Think of it as a toolbox for health, specifically created with music makers in mind. 

The information within The Wellness Starter Pack is provided for general informational and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the advice of a physician or a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Guest post by Kim Gajraj

Do you ever find yourself running through all the things you have to do in your mind, wondering how on earth you are ever going to find time to get them done? Do you ever feel pressured trying to achieve what often seem like impossibly high standards (either your own or those of others)? Do you have days when you simply don’t feel motivated to do anything, either because you lack the energy required or you simply feel that nothing you do is meaningful?

If you answered “yes” to any of those questions then congratulations: you are probably no stranger to feelings of stress, anxiety or depression. 

And you are not alone. 

According to the recent survey carried out by Record Union, 73% of music makers have experienced negative emotions such as stress, anxiety and depression in relation to music creation.

If you are one of these 73, I feel you. I’ve been there too, and it sucks. These kinds of issues can at best just get you down. At worst, they can be truly debilitating and have a severe negative effect on the quality of life. 

Luckily, mental health issues are something that have been destigmatized in recent years. Someone who lacks motivation due to depression is less likely to be seen as “lazy”, for example. And society has more patience and understanding for people who suffer from anxiety. Real efforts are being made within organizations to combat stress among co-workers.

We are getting better at understanding mental illness and its effects on those who suffer it. 

And, we are getting better at understanding what tools are available to us to help reduce these conditions. 

More and more studies are showing how effective mindfulness-based practices can be at reducing stress, anxiety and depression. Hundreds of universities are publishing research on the topic. There are even dedicated research centers at the University of Oxford and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. 

Now, your honest answer please. If somebody says the word “Meditation” or “Mindfulness” to you, are you suddenly struck by an intense desire to run very far away from that person as fast as you can?

Yes, I know. Meditation is hard! And boring! And it can be surprisingly difficult to motivate yourself to do even a quick, 7-minute practice, whether it’s because you’re feeling down and every cell of your body screams NO when you even think about it, or whether your schedule is simply so busy you have no idea how you’ll fit in it.

Well, I have some good news for you, and some bad news. 

OK, bad news first. If you want to de-stress and feel calmer and happier in your everyday life, you are going to have to slow down sometimes and get in touch with your inner world. There is no magic pill. We have to do the work. 

The good news? As a music maker, your greatest talent could also be your greatest tool for doing that work in a way that is enjoyable for you!

I am a classically trained singer and sound therapist, and this article is about how to use your passion in your favor and develop a mindfulness routine for yourself that is based around sound.

Mindfulness, in fact, is simply to be with yourself and notice, without judgment, what arises in your mind and body.

It allows us to become more aware of our thoughts, of our emotions and those of others. Also, it helps us to get to know ourselves better, and helps us regulate uncontrolled reactions to external circumstances such as losing our temper or becoming excessively anxious. It even reduces activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain that is heavily involved in the switching on of the body’s stress response. 

And the wonderful thing is that we can achieve very similar effects to those of meditation, simply by using sound!

Getting into the body

Have you ever been dancing or doing a form of sport and felt yourself get completely into a state of “flow”, get completely out of the mind and “into the body”?

Getting our awareness out of the mind and into the body is an essential component of mindfulness because it is so much about being present. Learning to be self-aware from moment to moment is a big part of what helps us regulate our emotions and reactions in everyday life, thus reducing conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression.

And so, a big part of mindfulness is about getting ourselves into the body in a conscious way.

It’s why many mindfulness practices involve focusing on the breath and how it moves through the body, or doing a body scan to notice how different parts of the body feel.

However, a lot of people find such practices boring and/or difficult to focus on when they already feel stressed or anxious.

In my practice, I have found that sound, and in this case, specifically, the sound of the voice can be a wonderful tool. A lot of people report that using sound can be a much easier and more sustainable way to bring awareness into the body.

For some reason, the body responds so well to sound vibrations (ever been at a concert and felt the bass in your chest? Yeah, baby ;)) that for many of us, time goes much faster and we get out of the mind and into the body much more easily than with conventional meditation or mindfulness practices.

Feeling curious? Give it a try with this short practice!

Short practice for using sound to get into the body

• Sit or lie in a comfortable position.
• Take three deep breaths and really notice the breath entering and leaving the body.
• Take a moment to notice how the body feels and observe any tensions or sensations.
• Set a timer for 5 minutes and simply hum or sing (any vowel sound) on a note that feels low for you. Take a breath whenever you need to and keep humming or toning, on the same note. 
• As you do this, focus very precisely on the sound vibrations and how they are felt by the body. Do you feel them in some parts of the body more than others? With some practice, you will be able to guide the hum around the body. Think of it as though you are giving yourself an internal massage with sound!
• When the timer sounds, just take a moment to be with yourself. Notice the difference between the sound you were making and the silence now. Notice the stillness left behind in your body now that the sound vibrations have gone. Do you notice any difference in how your body feels between now and when you started?

All done? Congratulations! You have just completed a mindfulness practice! Even the busiest bees should have time to incorporate this short practice at some point during their day. Doing so daily can have a noticeable effect on stress and anxiety levels. 

Sound and altered states of consciousness

Does the term “altered state of consciousness” give you images of hippies and hallucinogens? Don’t worry, I’m not about to suggest you start munching on magic mushrooms and dance naked around campfires.

An altered state of consciousness is just any psychological state that differs from normal waking consciousness. At higher brainwave frequencies (beta or gamma), the brain is alert and ready for action. But the brain also needs to be able to go into lower frequencies (such as alpha and theta) in order to repair cells, recover from stress, restore nervous system function, and for memory recall, among other things.

It has been observed that during meditation or hypnosis, people go into an altered state of consciousness (usually alpha or theta frequencies).

According to Dietrich’s hierarchy of consciousness, this could be part of the reason why we notice such an improvement in ourselves and our lives when we incorporate a mindfulness routine. We practice not only reacting to external stimuli and being caught up inside our emotional experience but also observing those reactions and those emotions, giving us a kind of higher level of awareness.

Our ability to be self-aware is precisely what distinguishes us from other life forms. Going into an altered state of consciousness gets us out of the “ordinary mind” and into another mode that can be much more successful at dealing with or healing from our problems. As Christa Smith, Psy.D. writes in an article for Psychology Today: 

“Healing requires getting into non-ordinary modes of mind, such as mindfulness. These alternate modes are beyond words. Whatever transpires in these states of mind does so in a different language than that of thought. Maybe that’s why non-ordinary states can be so transformative, because they offer something that thinking never will.”

It is thought that through a process called auditory driving, sound vibrations can pull the brain into a lower brainwave frequency, effecting the same kind of altered state of consciousness as somebody who is meditating.

In a passive sound therapy session, an individual simply lies on a couch and is subjected to sounds played at low frequencies. Long notes without melody or rhythm are played in order to bring the brain into an altered state of consciousness.

And when people take part in a sound therapy treatment, we observe the same signs of altered states of consciousness that we do in experienced meditators or people under hypnosis (e.g. seeing complex imagery while eyes are closed, having a different perception of time and space, audio-visual synaesthesia, among others). 

My clients report going into a deep state of relaxation during their session, and feeling lighter and more relaxed afterwards. Some report that being in such states can even bring on “Aha” moments about issues that they had seen no way out of before.

Most find that using sound is much more accessible than meditation, since it requires only lying down and listening to the sounds, rather than perfecting a meditation technique. 

Trying out sound therapy treatments

➞ Listen to this Soundbath on Spotify by Lyz Cooper of the British Academy of Sound Therapy

Listening to a recording is nothing like the real thing, but if you listen with good headphones you may experience an altered state of consciousness similar to hypnosis or meditation during the track.

The bottom line

One of the best things you can do for your mental health is to engage in regular mindfulness practice.

As a sound practitioner, I hear reports every day of people who find that harnessing the power of sound makes it easier for them to get out of the mind and into the body, and to get into a more meditative state of consciousness, both of which are the key elements to mindfulness.

I hope that you, as a musician, will give these tools a try as a way of using your passion in your favor and achieving a calmer, more grounded and more present you. 

Kim Gajraj graduated from Oxford University in 2013 (French and Spanish), has a MSc in International Development and is a classically-trained singer (ABRSM grade 8). Kim has felt the transformative power of tools that help us be more present and self-aware in everyday life and has since dedicated herself to sharing these tools with others. She has completed training in trauma release, breathwork and the wheel of consent and is on the Therapeutic Sound Association (TSA) Register. She has also trained in tantric and emotional release practices.

➞ Read more about Kim
➞ Find events and workshops facilitated by Kim
➞ Kim’s Facebook page

Mindfulness has gained enormous popularity during the last few years. But while many think it’s just a passing fad, mindfulness is actually a very powerful tool that’s here to stay. For the past two decades, American psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Jud Brewer has been working on a unique system based on the positive impact that mindfulness can have on our overall wellbeing and health. He has developed the app Unwind Anxiety where ancient practices meet modern-day science to help users feel less anxious. We had a chat with Dr. Brewer to find out more about how we can implement mindfulness in our everyday lives and how we can reap the benefits of being aware of ourselves and our actions.

Awareness and curiosity

What is mindfulness?

I think of mindfulness as bringing awareness with an attitude of curiosity to whatever’s happening. This awareness gives us space to skillfully respond to what’s happening, rather than getting caught up in needs and cravings. 

Mindfulness has a reputation of almost being “hippy-dippy”… like it’s not for me, it’s for someone else, someone more spiritual. If someone would ask, what would you tell them why they should get involved in mindfulness?

Well, my one-word answer would be… science?! [laughs] 

The historical origins of mindfulness go back thousands of years. Some consider the Buddhist psychologists to be the first scientists to really look at the mind. There’s been a lot of hippy-dippy-ish relationship to meditation, but this was really about understanding our minds and using that understanding to help us change our behavior, not get caught up in things and suffer less. I have been studying this for 20 years, and my lab has uncovered a lot of the things that line up between the ancient practices and modern-day science. 

Do you think that in a way modern-day science is to blame that we’re so obsessed with modern medical solutions, drugs, operations? If a scientist confirms something, we just accept it without questioning it. 

Yes, sometimes people think of science as a modern-day religion. If someone did a study on something, then it must be true. Science is helpful for proving and disproving things, but just because somebody does science that doesn’t mean it’s true. We can all see this as a middle road between science and religion. Practices help us understand the mind, modern science helps us prove and disprove theories and hypotheses. We can actually bring these two together to take the best of both.

The benefits of mindfulness

Are there any positive effects that come from mindfulness that immediately jump to mind?

There are a number of positive effects, and some of them have been pretty rigorously researched. For example, mindfulness training for depression has been shown to have really nice efficacy, it’s even incorporated into the National Health System in the UK. Also anxiety and chronic pain to name a few. 

Is mindfulness something that you’re born with or is it something that you could develop?

I think awareness itself and the attitude of curiosity that comes with awareness is something that we’re all endowed with. Mindfulness is actually bringing these two conditions and their rewarding properties together. When I discovered this and started to understand how my mind worked, I could naturally concentrate on things for hours at a time without any effort at all. Curiosity is like a superpower in that respect. In the past, I had struggled for years to try to force myself to meditate because I was using my willpower and a Western kind of mindset. This is how I got through college. I didn’t know at the time that it wasn’t much about willpower but actually being interested in the subject and being really interested in learning. This is really at the heart of mindfulness and the essence of the practice, I just didn’t know it. 

Staying curious

It’s really interesting how curiosity is an amazing quality. When you are a kid, you should be curious but when you’re an adult, you should just grow up and do your job. What was that led you to curiosity as an adult?

There were a couple of things. One was that some of these ancient psychology writings, even back from the early times of the Buddha, had talked about that interest or curiosity as creating the conditions that support concentration in a way that’s not effortful. I didn’t understand it until I really got it experientially. We started looking at this in my lab and I started realizing that curiosity actually feels much better than things like cravings or getting caught up in anxiety. That lined up beautifully with how we understand reward-based learning and these differential rewards that come from different parts of the brain. When I started seeing people in our app-based mindfulness training programs actually talk about the power of curiosity themselves, I was seeing this play out in real life. The more we teach it, the more people say this is like a superpower. 

Following the progress

When it comes to mindfulness, it’s hard to measure if you’re making progress. Are there any particular signs or symptoms that people may experience that will suggest that they are making progress?

We see it in our Eat Right Now and Unwinding Anxiety programs (app-based mindfulness training) that there’s a general framework where cravings and anxiety feel more closed down, whereas curiosity, kindness and connection feel more opened up. From a very simple standpoint, when we feel fear, we feel closed and when we feel joy or curiosity, we feel open. This is something that we all know, it’s something we can look at in our own experience and see.

I grew up playing the violin. If I was trying to force myself to learn my part in a violin concerto, it got harder and harder as I clenched down and tried to do it. But later I realized if I just relaxed and opened to it, I could procedurally learn it much more easily. When I wasn’t worried about it, I could actually get into it and just enjoy playing in that expansive, more open, connected way. I found that this was especially the case when I was playing quartet music where there’s just a small group of people, completely connected.

Musicians and mindfulness

As music makers, there are so many pitfalls we can fall into. The environment puts a huge amount of stress on the individual. From late-night gigs to extensive touring, the schedule is very unpredictable. Are there any specific benefits that you think music makers would experience by adopting mindfulness? 

I think one of the most interesting areas where mindfulness could be helpful is performance anxiety. People have learned to associate anxiety with performing well. My PhD mentor used to call this “true, true and unrelated” as in we could have anxiety and we could perform well, but they might not actually be causally related to each other. We don’t necessarily need to be anxious to perform well. In fact, when we perform well, we’re not anxious, we totally lose our self-consciousness.

When we’re really in the flow, we merge with our environment and the music, we lose the sense of self. Mindfulness can be really helpful in helping us see when we’re starting to get caught up in worry or fear. It can also help us when we are trying to meet a deadline. The more we worry about deadlines, the harder it’s going to be to get those tasks done. Mindfulness helps us step out of that and enter the process of being.

We’ve spoken a lot about stepping back, being aware and being naturally curious. Are there any other things music makers could do in parallel with curiosity? Or is curiosity the main thing that feeds everything else?

I think the only other thing I would suggest is to bring in some kindness. It actually boils down to that anything that leads to contraction is not helpful, whereas anything that leads to expansion, is probably helpful. We can think of this as a kindness and curiosity checklist and ask ourselves if we are being hard on ourselves or on our team. We can ask ourselves if we’re actually being curious in the moment or we are trying to force something. The best thing about this is that we can get curious about the fact that we are not being curious.

Addiction and mindfulness

You have done studies with heavy smokers and drinkers. What were your findings when you applied mindfulness and a curious mindset?

It taught us something really fundamental about how the mind works and kind of reinforced some of these theoretical concepts that I’ve learned in my scientific training, but hadn’t really landed clinically.

As a young addiction psychiatrist, I was trying to help my patients work with cocaine addiction, alcohol and smoking. Brute force wasn’t working so we started looking at other ways to approach these addictions, based on really understanding how our minds work.

Our minds work based on reward-based learning, not based on behavior. Otherwise, we could just stop overeating and stop using cocaine. What happens when we eat junk food or smoke a cigarette is based on the results of the behavior. We learn to smoke when we are 13, when we’re being rebellious and think we’re cool. Years later, we are not actually paying attention to the result anymore. We make people start by bringing awareness into the actual act of smoking and we make them pay attention. We ask them what it tastes like, what it feels like going into their lungs, and what it smells like. That’s when they realize that smoking actually tastes like shit. When this happens, the reward value gets updated in their brain in real-time. 

So this helps people get rid of their addictions and bad habits?

I remember a person who reinforced the smoking process over 40 years, which is literally about 300,000 times. We had him pay attention and he was looking at his cigarette wondering how come he didn’t notice this before. He realized how unpleasurable it was to smoke a cigarette. This in itself helped him become disenchanted with the behavior so that he could start to break the habit in a non-effortful way. We see the same thing with overeating or stress eating.

This means that we need to pay attention to the process and how it makes us feel?

When people really pay attention, they realize that feeling guilty about eating and having a bloated stomach doesn’t actually feel good. After about 15 times the reward value goes from very high to almost zero. We can actually measure this as the reward value drops. Then it’s much easier for people to change that behavior because it’s not that rewarding anymore as they pay attention when they’re about to do it. 

How to get started with mindfulness?
I think just keeping in mind that kindness and curiosity are key. It’s a great way for all of us to get started with this. We have packaged things into our app-based mindfulness training programs, but I think anybody could start by just waking up one moment and checking in to see how they feel.

Watch this interview in video format!

Dr. Jud Brewer MD Ph.D. is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center, and Associate Professor in Behavioural and Social Sciences and Psychiatry at the Schools of Public Health & Medicine at Brown University. He’s also a research affiliate at MIT. His work has been featured on 60 minutes, TED Talks, Time Magazine, Forbes, BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera, Businessweek, and others.

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Guest post by Dr. Sara Mednick and Lisa Powell Mednick

Nearly 75% of music makers have experienced negative emotions such as stress, anxiety and/or depression in relation to their music creation. This is a troubling statistic rarely discussed that needs our attention. Sleep expert Sara Mednick and musician Lisa Mednick explore the relation between the science of sleep and the process of music making: the bad, the ugly, but also a lot of the good.

I was lucky enough to catch a show by the legendary poet, sorcerer, rocker Patti Smith in Hudson, New York in 2003. The most memorable moment of the show was actually the final bit of wisdom she tossed out to the crowd before her last song. She said “FLOSS! Take care of your teeth! Nobody tells you that when you are young, and all of us who have survived through everything else are left without any teeth.” (this is an approximation of her exact speech). And she’s right; musicians, like everyone else, should take care of their teeth and every other aspect of their physical and mental health. And she is also right that nobody ever tells them that likely because a conscientious, prudent, health enthusiast is not the image we have or want of our rock stars. “Better to burn out, than fade away,” is the rock ethos built up by the media, music industry, fans, and musicians themselves. 

A brutal roll call of young, dead musicians is a testament to our commitment to the mythology of a misspent youth. DIE YOUNG STAY PRETTY is as real now as it was in the NYC punk scene of the 1970s. 

Unsurprisingly, a recent survey by Record Union showed that 73 percent of music makers have experienced negative emotions such as stress, anxiety and/or depression in relation to their music creation. But, more importantly, they also found that musicians want to prioritize their mental health more, so Emőke at Record Union asked me to write a piece about sleep. As a sleep researcher, I have a lot I can say about the importance of sleep for mental and physical health. But what do I know about music makers? So, I asked my sister Lisa Mednick Powell, a life-long musician and poet, to collaborate with me on the topic of how sleep fits into the broader story of music making. [Lisa’s thoughts are marked in italics – Ed.].

Lisa also happens to be the person who bought me Patti Smith’s album ‘Horses’ when I was 10, and she’s just about the coolest person I know. Our conversations led us to the thesis that sleep affects musicians in three main areas of life:

1) Sleep and circadian rhythm are critical for creativity,

2) Sleep and circadian rhythms may help form an early predilection to a musical vocation,

3) Sleep deprivation can sometimes help – and sometimes hurt – the artist.

First, we hear from Lisa about the intertwined and unconventional relationship between a musician’s life and her sleep.

You can find many musicians wide awake during hours when the rest of the world is asleep. If you are a musician, you work mostly at night and you must be awake to do your work. So there you are – awake at night. Of course, there is the audience. They are also (one hopes) awake and listening or dancing. But then they go home and to bed. What happens to the musician after the show? Well, she doesn’t usually brush her teeth (and floss) and go straight to sleep. Sometimes she has to drive for a few hours. Sometimes she is hungry. So she eats pizza on the bus, because that’s what’s available. Sometimes she stays up for a party.

Driving often requires the use of stimulants, and then, when you get to your destination, you need something else to help you sleep…

When you are traveling with a band, your time is not your own. You have this itinerary and you have to stick with it, or else you might get left behind. If you are supposed to be in the lobby of the hotel at 8 for a six-hour drive, then you just have to be there. Some people can sleep in the van, others can’t. Either way, you don’t get to pick your sleeping schedule.

Sleep troubles don’t always mean we suffer silently – or alone. I have been on the tour bus and heard the screaming night terrors of a bandmate struggling with some unseen demon who joined him in his bunk. I am guessing that this is not restful sleep. I believe these problems affect the waking life as well. Coleridge describes these terrors in his poem “The Pains of Sleep:”

So two nights passed: the night’s dismay
Saddened and stunned the coming day.
Sleep, the wide blessing, seemed to me
Distemper’s worst calamity.
The third night, when my own loud scream
Had waked me from the fiendish dream…¹

Sleep, circadian rhythms and the creative process

Along with clean air and water, nutrient-rich food, and shelter, sleep is essential for human survival. Although medical science and basic research can explain everything related to the first four needs and how they function in our bodies, until very recently, sleep was completely disregarded by science and medicine. This blind-spot about something that every living thing does for one-third of their lives is dangerous and sometimes lethal. 70 million Americans live with a sleep disorder and 40 million people are not properly diagnosed or treated². 

Sleep disturbance is one of the first signs that something isn’t right with your body and/or mind. And chronically poor sleep has been shown to be highly associated with mortality, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, anxiety and depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, attention and memory deficits³. So, all this to say, sleep needs our attention.

Sleep’s sister is our internal biological clock that tells us when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time to go to bed. This circadian rhythm, from the Latin circa meaning around, and dia meaning a day, governs the functioning of every cell in every animal and plant on earth. Our daily rhythm dictates the hours in the day that we will feel most alert and keeps time by a complicated set of inputs from genetics, bright blueish light, and common behaviors, such as eating and exercise. In the morning, we need the blueish morning sunlight to stimulate our arousal system and inhibit melatonin, the circadian hormone. In contrast, in the evening, the light we are exposed to should mimic a sunset or candle flame, (i.e., no blue light) in order to signal release of melatonin and sleep onset⁴. This explains why LED screens that emit blue light are so harmful to health, as they suppress melatonin and prevent snoozetime. 

This might affect the audience as well, but it is worth noting that musicians are usually bathed in blue and purple stage lights while performing. No wonder we need to wind down after work!

People who have jobs that keep them at odds with the traditional circadian schedule, such as night-shift workers, are at greater risk of drowsiness and falling asleep on the job and have higher rates of many chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer⁵. 

Considering the lifestyle of a musician, sleep disturbance may be quite common. Unfortunately, it is often ignored and left untreated. 

I think about the term sleep disturbance and wonder if it means just that a person does not get the normal prescribed amount of sleep. Or does it mean that during the time when one should be sleeping one is continually awakened by people nearby yelling or bright lights that don’t get switched off or dogs that howl in the night…

It’s both.

Sleep, and dreaming specifically, is highly related to the creative process. Many anecdotes from famous discoveries involve the dream world. Paul McCartney thought of the song ‘Yesterday’ in a dream; Fredrich Kekule dreamed up the structure of the benzene ring, which won him the Nobel Prize; Salvador Dali used the surreal nature of dreamtime to inform his artwork. Work from my sleep lab has shown that naps containing more of the dreaming stage of sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, increased creativity by 40%, compared with naps without REM and time awake in quiet rest⁶. (On a side note, this was a collaboration between my lab and our dad, Sarnoff Mednick, a research psychologist who, along with Lisa’s mom Martha Mednick and his brother Edward Mednick, devised a creativity measure called the remote associates test in the 1960s. The Mednicks have a long-running interest in creativity. 

Makes me wonder why Sarnoff and Martha were so shocked when I became an artist, but I digress…

Actually REM sleep is likely the optimal state for creative meandering. Because the pattern of brain activity includes brain areas involved with emotion and memory (amygdala, and hippocampus), attention and motivation (anterior cingulate), while conspicuously silent are brain areas devoted to inhibition, judgement, and rational decision making (frontal cortex)⁷. This characterization of a highly emotional and intensely exuberant Id wreaking havoc through the brain, without the proverbial adult-in-the-room, is a pretty apt description of the quality of dreams. REM dreams pull from seemingly unrelated, highly evocative memories, that together don’t usually make a lot of sense, and yet somehow, they do. If you think about the creative mind-set, it’s one that is able to put ideas together in an original and interesting way, to be playful and think outside the box. So, it’s no wonder that dream time is the right time for sprouting new tunes or lyrics.

I have written lots of songs in dreams. Then I wake up and cannot remember them. I always tell myself that if I can’t remember something I wrote, then no one else will. And if you don’t have a hook, why finish the song? But, every now and then, something will stick. For example, when I lived in Austin, I had a dream that my friend Townes Van Zandt was singing to me a song that had some certain lyrics – just one couplet – and of course there might have been more to it, but that was the part I remembered. So the next time I saw Townes, I asked him if he had a song that went like that. “Nope” he said, “that’s yours.”  I have yet to finish the song but I keep it in my heart all the time. Some songs take a long time to finish. One of the songs on my latest album took 30 years to finish. 

The creative moment for a musician requires consideration for both the state of the brain and the state of the environment. Along with REM sleep, the waking brain also needs to stay open to the muse, which may mean keeping slightly out of touch with the daily grind of reality. 

People walk on the edge of reality to keep open the “doors of perception” (William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell)⁸. You are dormant while waiting for ideas to come in. Coleridge was often on the edge of reality. I can see why people use drugs to get to that state, to slow down, perhaps to invite that state of mind. A person can use narcotics to screen out the world. It doesn’t always work but it can put one in a state of calm reception. It is worthwhile to be receptive to one’s own thoughts while the world cannot intrude. Some artists can, with no “help from their friends,” tune out the world and focus only on their work. Most artists (especially musicians) really need solitude to create.

The awakening of a young artist

Next, let’s consider, how sleep and circadian rhythms may influence the development and lifestyle of a musician. Creative people tend to be more often night owls, as their circadian rhythms are reported to be set a few hours later then non-creatives. This means their internal clock wants to wake up later in the day and go to sleep later in the night⁹. Interestingly, compared with morning larks, night owls will sleep into the late morning, a time when REM and dreaming dominate sleep, making them more in touch with that free-associative brain state. However, it also may make them more vulnerable to depression, as people with depression have excessive REM sleep, which has been related to their negative bias in thinking⁷. The reason for this is not known, but considering the brain areas that are active/inactive during REM sleep, we have a high amygdala and low prefrontal cortex, which can lead to deep-diving into the emotional swimming pool. Differences in circadian rhythm between people may be biologically-driven (genetic), as these predilections for late nights usually start to show themselves in adolescence, but sometimes even earlier. 

“Sonic space” is a term I coined as a result of living in a tiny house with my husband, who is also a musician. If one of us is practicing, the other person can’t. There is just no room in the airspace. Both of us play large acoustic instruments – double bass and piano – so it is not an option to just go outside and work on a song… But we now have built another shed so I will soon have my own sonic space. 

As a kid I stayed up past bedtime, reading by flashlight and later on listening to music… memories are fuzzy… I also remember waking up before it got light out and coloring with crayons before I could see the colors… all of that time I was alone and not afraid of the dark. I was too young to realize it of course, but I was taking advantage of the solitude and the rare chance to control my own time. For an artist, that is crucial – to be able to have control over how you spend your hours. Even at the age of six, believe it or not, I think I knew that. I am sure that is one reason why creative people train themselves (or maybe they’re wired) to be awake and alive while the world – the authorities! – sleep. I mean you can work sort of “outside the radar” I suppose. Otherwise, everyone else is directing your thoughts and activities…at least that is how it can feel if you’d rather be left alone with your dreams and actually create something worth having spent your time on!

Integrating these musicians’ anecdotes and scientific ideas together, it’s possible that the genetic predetermination that keeps some kids awake, in solitude, may naturally encourage these kids to find something to do by themselves while everyone is sleeping, art, for example. Of course, if you have been up late at night you are unlikely to be bounding out of bed at dawn to attend early morning activities such as sports practice. Do these morning/evening preferences potentially contribute to the early partitioning of children into cliques and types, jocks vs artsy-fartsy kids? It’s a fascinating idea that our biology may in part influence the particular muse we are drawn to as children, which may potentially drive our future career choice and social networks. 

There is also another factor perhaps to consider which is that sporty kids – that is kids who partake in team sports and who like to compete – are conformists. If you are a nonconformist you will go the other way, and that won’t be popular with most parents. I think parents probably prefer knowing that their kids are doing something regimented and orderly at a certain time of day with other kids who are all doing the same thing and wearing uniforms – instead of bushwhacking their way through the dangerous wilds of the imagination… But I don’t know because I did not have children.

Misalignment between an individual’s natural circadian clock (i.e., morning lark vs night owl) and society’s structures (i.e, school start times, bedtimes and rise times, 9-5 job times) can be harmful to well-being. This is because it puts you in a state of perpetual jet-lag in which the world around you is operating on a clock that is shifted from your own. Scientists call this effect “social jet-lag” as it causes much the same set of symptoms including poorer health, worse mood, and increased sleepiness and fatigue¹⁰. Each hour of social jet lag also is associated with an 11-percent increase in the likelihood of heart disease¹¹. This is true for children who are night owls. They tend to be more depressed and have mood problems, which may be related to the fact that they are not getting the same quality or quantity of sleep, due to early school start times. To quote Tennessee Williams from ‘The Glass Menagerie’, “Every time you come in yelling that God damn “Rise and Shine!” “Rise and Shine!” I say to myself, “How lucky dead people are!”¹²

I am wondering if the “night owl” characteristic is learned or bred in the bone. Like, did I develop the habit of staying up late to avoid other people?? It could be that someone who is in high school, and who is a creative type of person, might exhaust themselves trying to keep up with homework, AND whatever other project they might like (or feel compelled) to work on. OR they become depressed because they do not get the time to freely delve into the reservoirs of their imaginations and create a work of fancy… because their time and energy are used up by school AND they might be underachievers (or whatever we are called now) because they have brains to spare, but use most of their time trying to shoe-horn the required schoolwork and curricular demands into their lives. And that does not even address the plight of kids who have to work two jobs before or after school to help keep their parents’ household running!!

Putting these ideas together, the artist may develop from a myriad of biological and environmental factors. First, she may have a genetic predilection for being more alert in the wee hours, which is also when sonic space is in abundance, setting the right context for opening doors of perception. Being a night owl, she may spend more time in dreamy REM sleep, a creative space if there ever was one. But, sleeping late might mean that she misses out on early morning activities, which may have social consequences as well as engender the outsider mystique. Furthermore, too much time in REM sleep may bias her towards more negative thinking and depression. This picture may suggest that her path leads to the non-conformist artsy type; but artists come in all colors. As such, a conformist, night owl may find herself fighting with her artistic instincts, and instead she may force herself to take part in activities that don’t allow for sonic space and imagination. Either way, there is an emotional cost. The night owl artist can be depressed and moody due to sleep deprivation or too much REM sleep, and the conformist may feel hopeless because she is not following her muse. Thinking practically, these considerations raise important questions. What are the optimal conditions for raising a budding artist? How can the adult artist honor her or his own preferences in order to open the right doors at the right times? How can the industry of art and music be more supportive of the healthy growth of artists?

Sleep deprivation can help and hurt the artist

Any discussion about the real-world impact of sleep can’t avoid mentioning what happens when we don’t get enough. Sleep deprivation has been shown to cause significant impairment in alertness, vigilance, attention, perception, emotional processing and memory¹³. Sleepiness increases the risk for job-related accidents and injury¹⁴, and sustained wakefulness has been recognized as a serious health concern¹⁵. It is will come as no surprise that musicians are somewhat lacking in this basic need. 

Well, especially on the road, you can really exhaust yourself and not realize it. It is common to suffer from lack of sleep when you’re on a tour. It is not self-imposed in that you will have to play late, stay up sometimes to talk to people and unwind, and then sleep only a few hours and then get up and be ready to go early in the morning. (For the lucky few who travel by bus this is not an issue since the drivers usually sleep during the day and the band can sleep in bunks during the overnight drive or any time they want…)

One of the oft-quoted studies on sleep deprivation and performance compares sleeplessness to alcohol consumption¹⁶. Studies have shown that motorists who get only six hours of sleep are more likely to cause a crash than are those with a blood alcohol level of 0.05. With each additional hour of sleep deprivation, we are ordering another cocktail. After 24 hours of sleep deprivation, the impairment is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of .10, which is well past the legal limit in every state. Also, these studies warn us that the effects increase with each additional night of insufficient sleep. “It’s just as bad as having five drinks and getting in the car,” says Mark Hammer, spokesperson for New York’s Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research¹⁷. And similar to the slurred claim of the inebriated “I’m OK to drive”, sleepy people overestimate their abilities dramatically, which explains the statistics on the road. More than 100,000 highway crashes per year, causing 71,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths, are at least in part due to sleep deprivation¹⁸. 

A musician can perform sleep-deprived. If someone is an expert at what they do, they can probably do it in their sleep, as they say. Take driving as an example, usually an experienced driver can be safe enough on an uneventful, straightaway. But if there’s an unexpected circumstance, such as a sharp curve in the road or a patch of ice, the ability to regain control of the wheel comes too slowly and you careen off the road. It’s similar with music. We musicians practice and drill and learn how to play even when we are not in the mood. We have layers of resources at our disposal if we are sleepy or if we are ill. But if there is a distraction, or if your mind goes blank it is hard, when you haven’t slept enough, to get back on track in the middle of a song if you mess up. Same when you have a high fever. The back-up systems can be harder to access. But most of the time you make sure that it doesn’t affect your performance. You just push through somehow, sometimes with a little help from your chemical friends.

This anecdote is reflected in research on insufficient sleep, reporting that it may not necessarily impair the highly trained skills, e.g., playing the same song you have played a million times. Instead, sleeplessness appears to shut down the brain’s frontal lobe functions the most, which leads to a decreased ability to assess subtle or fast changes in the environment and flexibly switch to a different tack. Our reactions are sluggish and unable to adapt to the multitude of complex inputs happening at any one time. Research with the military, a severely sleep deprived lot, shows that sharp shooters lacking adequate sleep are extremely accurate with hitting bullseyes, but if the intel changes, they will be unable to update their judgement and might wind up putting a mark on an innocent person instead of an enemy.

Finally, lack of sleep and poor sleep can have a significant effect on our emotional state and our ability to regulate our feelings. In fact, insomnia (problems initiating or maintaining sleep that negatively affects well-being) can increase the risk of depression¹⁹. As we mentioned above, depression can be associated with too much REM sleep, but also being anxious, worried and depressed can lead to an inability to get to sleep. It is not clear which comes first but treating sleep problems has been shown to ease depressive symptoms¹⁹. Women are more prone to depression and insomnia¹⁹, this fact combined with a career in a male-dominated industry can create the perfect storm for increased risk for both problems²⁰. 

I really think depression can come about due to real problems that feel insurmountable. Once the depression starts it is impossible to make it go away. The usual problem for musicians in my class or at my level is financial insufficiency. It is hard to let the muse take over when you are worried about paying the rent or buying gas to get to the gig. One can start to feel worthless. Lack of recognition for one’s work – or even the refusal of others to recognize that what we do as musicians IS work at all (See “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits) can lead to paralyzing disappointment and depression. 

But have heart, Dear Reader…

A work of art remains long after the artist has moved on, and the muse is always beckoning, just out of reach. There is comfort in both of these truths. Take, for example Keats’ Grecian Urn where the young men are forever chasing the young ladies around and around in the painted design of the vase. The ecstasy of the chase is eternal, and the beauty of the artifact is everlasting. A creative person might wake up one day feeling they have nothing left to offer; she should think about that Grecian Urn…

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, – that is all
Ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know”²¹

Sleep tips for the musician

Let’s wrap up with some sleep tips developed specifically by Lisa and me for the musician. 

“Sleep! Nobody tells you to take care of your hippocampus!

1. Sleep as much as you can. 

When touring, try to resist the temptation to see the sights or visit with friends. Ask for late check out so you can sleep in if you have a day off.

2. Keep as much of a consistent schedule as possible. The more regularity and consistency in your schedule, the more your brain and body can adapt. Use meal and exercise times to help set your circadian rhythm²².

This is difficult as the timing of travel is dictated by so much more than that which is in control of the manager. I always took a walk after soundcheck and before the show – where I felt safe enough to do so, that is. You usually don’t have transportation back to the hotel and clubs are often in dicey neighborhoods. So you don’t have much to work with. 

3. Get an all-spectrum light and use it for 15 min when you wake up to signal your circadian arousal system, and decrease exposure to blue light after 6pm by using filters on your screens and wear anti-blue light glasses²³.

4. Take naps! Naps are shown to be just as effective as a full night of sleep for creativity and memory and emotional regulation¹⁷. 

If you are on tour, the best practice is to use time that will not interfere with the operation of the tour. So you should sleep in the van or the bus (get an eye mask and earplugs!!), and get a healthy snack at the gas stop. These days it is much easier to find fruit when you are on the road. I used to eat baby food: apricots and applesauce from the convenience store shelves. We have somewhat better choices now!

5. Incorporate regular exercise as well as deep breathing, mindfulness, and yoga practices to decrease anxiety and depression, as well as increase deep slow wave sleep, the most restorative stage of sleep for the body and mind²⁴.

6. Decrease consumption of stimulants, they may keep you alert in the short-term, but they will prevent sleep when you want it, which increases the need for downers, and this puts you at risk for entering a cycle of drug-dependence²⁵. 

AMEN. Only use coffee in the morning and if you really, really need it!

7. If you are feeling depressed, avoid sleeping late into the morning. Studies have shown that decreasing REM sleep can reduce depression symptoms¹⁹.

8. Keep a journal by your bed to write down your dream-inspired musical innovations.

Yes – write it down as soon as you wake up. If you can do that before you feed any beasts in your house or take care of any other chores you have to do. Easier done at home. But if you have a little pad and pen in your bag, you can write down those insane dreams that come to you in the van…

9. Be great parents to your circadianly-challenged children, you might be breeding the next Patti, and she’ll need her sleep and sonic space in equal measure! 

Yeah, I had TERRIBLE fights with my mother when she woke me up in the mornings during jr. high and high school. I could not wipe the tar from my eyes. And she took me to a shrink who advised her to buy me an alarm clock! It was not until the advent of radio alarm clocks and progressive FM radio (when George Harrison could wake me up instead of me mum!) that I could even begin to be human of a morning…

References

1. Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “The Pains of Sleep” Perkins, David, ed. . English Romantic Writers. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1995. 
2. https://www.consumerreports.org/sleep/why-chronic-insomnia-and-other-sleep-problems-get-ignored/
3. Grandner MA Sleep Med Clin. 2017 Mar;12(1):1-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2016.10.012. Epub 2016 Dec 20. Sleep, Health, and Society
4. L. C. Lack and H. R. Wright, Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 64 (2007) 1205 – 1215
5. Kecklund G, Axelsson J. Health consequences of shift work and insufficient sleep. BMJ 2016;355: i5210. 
6. Cai D, Mednick SA, Kanady J, Drummond SPA, Mednick SC, Priming Associative Networks: REM, Not Incubation, Improves Creativity. Proceedings from the National Academy of Sciences USA June (2009). 
7. Els van der Helm1 and Matthew P. Walker Psychol Bull. 2009 September ; 135(5): 731–748. doi:10.1037/a0016570. 
8. Blake, William. “The marriage of Heaven and Hell.” Perkins, David, ed. . English Romantic Writers. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1995.
9. Ram-Vlasov,N Tzischinsky, O, Greem A, Shochat T, Psychology of Eastetics Creativity and the Arts 10(3), 270, 2016
10. Malone, SK, Mndoza, MA, Patterson F, Chapter in Sleep and Health. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815373-4.00018-6
11. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170605085326.htm
12. Williams, T, The Glass Menagerie, 1944.
13. Kilgore, WD, Prog Brain Res. 2010;185:105-29. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53702-7.00007-5.
14. Knott M, Classen S, Krasniuk S, Tippett M, Alvarez L. Accid Anal Prev. 2020 Jan;134:105234. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2019.07.010. Epub 2019 Aug 20.
15. Van Cauter E, Spiegel K, Tasali E, Leproult R. Sleep Med. 2008 Sep;9 Suppl 1:S23-8. doi: 10.1016/S1389-9457(08)70013-3.
16. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/drowsy-driving-vs-drunk-driving-how-similar-are-they
17. Mednick, Sara & Ehrman, Mark, Take a Nap! Change Your Life. Workman, 2006. 
18. The National Transportation Safety Board
19. Franzen, PL, Buysse, DJ, Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2008 Dec; 10(4): 473–481.
20. Mauskapf, Michael, Noah Askin, Sharon Koppman, and Brain Uzzi. Columbia Business School, 2019.
21. Keats, John. “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” Perkins, David, ed. . English Romantic Writers. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1995.
22. Shaw E1, Leung GKW2, Jong J3, Coates AM4,5, Davis R6, Blair M7, Huggins CE8, Dorrian J9, Banks S10, Kellow NJ11, Bonham MP12. Nutrients. 2019 Oct 6;11(10). pii: E2383. doi: 10.3390/nu11102383. 
23. Lowden A, Öztürk G, Reynolds A, Bjorvatn B. Ind Health. 2019 Apr 1;57(2):213-227. doi: 10.2486/indhealth.SW-9. Epub 2019 Jan 31. 
24. Rusch HL, Rosario M, Levison LM, Olivera A, Livingston WS, Wu T, Gill JM. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2019 Jun;1445(1):5-16. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13996. Epub 2018 Dec 21.
25. Tselha T, Whitehurst LN, Yetton BD, Vo TT, Mednick SC. Behav Brain Res. 2019 Sep 16;370:111940. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.111940. Epub 2019 May 9.

Dr. Sara C. Mednick is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Irvine, where she directs the Sleep and Cognition (SaC) lab. Her research led to her book, Take a Nap! Change Your Life (Workman), which put forth the scientific basis for napping to improve productivity, cognition, mood, and health. Along with running a seven-bedroom sleep lab, teaching and public speaking, Dr. Mednick has engaged in several media projects, including being featured on three episodes of National Geographic’s Brain Games; creating an online course to help people enhance their sleep; and delivering a TEDx talk entitled Give it up for the Down State. She resides in San Diego, CA.

➞ Sara’s website
➞ Twitter

Lisa Mednick Powell makes art with words and music and lives in Twentynine Palms, California with her husband, bassist Kip Powell. As a keyboard player and accordioness, she has worked on stages and in studios from New York to New Orleans, and from Austin to Auckland. She has produced three critically-acclaimed albums of original songs: Artifacts of Love, Semaphore, and, most recently, Blue Book. Fred Mills of Blurt Magazine calls her new work “songwriting gold,” and Dave Cantrell of Stereo Embers writes, “Similar to the Band’s mythic epiphanies or the sand mandalas of Tibetan monks, the songs on Blue Book seem held in this sort of tension of timelessness that makes them feel both fleeting and stamped forever on your music-listening heart.” Her writings have appeared in diverse publications, and include the new book Finding the Azimuth (Cholla Needles Press). Lisa has spent her life relentlessly pounding the piano, tirelessly tapping the typewriter, and faithfully serving her muse.

➞ Lisa’s website
➞ Bandcamp

Feeling exhausted after an extensive jam session? Worn out after you’ve been working from home all day and spent the whole evening fine-tuning your latest track in social isolation? If you had a long day and feel super tired but still sleep like crap, something might be up. This could happen due to various reasons. You might just be sabotaging yourself with small things without even noticing it. That’s why we’ve collected 11 common mistakes that you can easily avoid before bedtime. 

There’s nothing worse than lying in bed in the middle of the night, feeling beyond knackered yet unable to fall asleep. Tossing and turning is not only frustrating but could also have long-term negative effects on your mental health. It’s not enough to be tired before bedtime, you need to be sleepy in order to fall asleep. But a lot of things can stop you from getting sleepy when you’d need it the most. Here are a few things you can stop doing right now for a better night’s sleep. Try to be mindful of your actions before bedtime, and see if you notice any difference.

To get better chances for a good night’s sleep: 

1. Don’t exercise too hard

Recent studies suggest that you can exercise in the evening. But it’s recommended to avoid intense activities for at least one hour before bedtime. A strenuous workout will make you dehydrated and it releases adrenaline in your body. This will make you more alert and stimulated, which is the total opposite of what you’re aiming for before sleep. Steer clear of too much sweating. If you desperately feel the need for working out before heading to slumberland, choose a light activity such as walking or stretching.

2. Don’t stare at screens

This is probably the most obvious one we’re all aware of, yet we still keep doing it. It’s so easy to watch some show on your laptop under the warm comfort of the blanket, text with your friends or just catch up with your social feeds, mindlessly scrolling when you should be asleep. However, the blue light emitted by these screens suppresses melatonin and tricks your brain into thinking that it’s not bedtime yet. Ban all your electronic devices from the bed, and try reading a paper book instead. You’ll feel the difference in just a few days.

3. Stay away from alcohol

While having a nightcap to wind down after a busy day might sound like a good idea, it’s actually not doing you any favors in the sleep department. Booze might help you fall asleep quicker but it interferes with the quality of your sleep, it disrupts your rapid eye movement (REM) phase. Alcohol has a direct effect on circadian rhythms, and research indicates that it can reduce melatonin production by nearly 20 percent. Also, alcohol is a diuretic, a substance that increases the production of urine, so between two dreams you might end up having to visit the toilet.

4. Don’t drink too much water

Unfortunately, it’s not just alcohol that should be avoided before bedtime. Drinking too much water also has its drawbacks. Even if you forgot to slurp up your daily dose of H2O during the day. If you need to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom (maybe even several times), you might be having a condition called ‘nocturia’. The more interruptions you experience during the night, the more disrupted your sleep cycle will be and you will feel less rested in the morning. To avoid this, drink your last glass of water a few hours before going to bed.

5. Avoid consuming caffeine

If you depend on a cup o’ joe to wake you up in the morning, we don’t blame you. But don’t count on your magic brew to lull you to sleep in the evening. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine’s effects than others. But it’s common knowledge that high doses can make it quite difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Caffeine is a stimulant and it increases alertness. So try to avoid coffee, tea and artificially caffeinated beverages such as cola drinks and energy drinks when it’s time to hit the sack.  

6. Don’t smoke

Do you like to smoke before bedtime in order to wind down and relax after a long day? Well, your sleep cycle doesn’t! Nicotine is a stimulant and instead of relaxing your body, it will make you more alert and restless while it changes your natural circadian rhythm. Depending on how much you usually smoke, your cravings might kick in while you sleep, causing you to sleep less or have less quality sleep. Smoking also increases the risk of developing sleep apnea, insomnia, and snoring. Put this info in your pipe and smoke it!

7. Don’t get hyped on sugar

Sweet dreams are definitely not made of sugar. You’re probably aware of the fact that eating too much sugar throughout the day can have many negative health effects. But you might not know that consuming too much sugar can also lead to some seriously poor quality of sleep. Eating sugar before bedtime overstimulates you, just like caffeine and nicotine. Sugar also uses up magnesium, which you need for a good night’s sleep. You should especially stay away from late-night snacks such as chocolate, that contains both sugar and caffeine among other stimulants.

8. Don’t turn up the heat

Getting your beauty sleep in a nice warm room might sound cozy. Especially if it’s cold outside, but it’s counterproductive if you’re after a good night’s sleep. And why wouldn’t you be? For optimal sleep, the bedroom temperature should be somewhere between 60-65ºF (16-18°C). The reason for this is that your body heat reaches its peak in the evening and then gradually drops to its lowest levels after you drift off. If it gets too warm when you sleep, you will experience restlessness. If it’s too cold, you might have issues falling asleep.

9. Don’t eat certain foods

We love food just as much as we love sleep, but the two don’t really go together. Generally, you should avoid heavy meals before bedtime to give your digestive system a rest while you’re resting. High-fat foods (sorry, pizza and bacon cheeseburger), spicy dishes and protein-rich meats can all sabotage your sleep. If you really need a bite, make it a small one and try cherries (contain melatonin), dairy products (contain tryptophan, a sleep-promoting substance), sweet potatoes (muscle-relaxant potassium) or bananas (good source of magnesium).

10. Don’t go straight to sleep

Even if you feel tempted to jump straight into bed and close your eyes instantly, it’s beneficial to have some time to wind down before going to sleep. If you often find yourself overflooded with thoughts, and feel stressed, it’s a clear sign that you need to relax first before heading to dreamland. Or you’ll bring all that noise with you to the other side. Just take 30 minutes and don’t do anything stimulating. Focus on activities and unwinding rituals that will make you feel good. Do a little gratitude meditation, read something (on paper!), listen to some music… you name it!

11. Avoid bright lights

Exposure to light stimulates the brain. Getting too much of it before bedtime can make you feel wide awake and prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep. Make sure you get all the sunlight you need during the day and keep it dark during the night. Dim the lights before going to bed. Besides staying away from electrical devices, you should also invest in good light-blocking curtains or an eye mask. It’s been scientifically proven that red light helps you sleep better because it doesn’t shift your circadian rhythm and doesn’t suppress melatonin.

Now good night, sleep tight, and don’t let the bedbugs bite!

The Wellness Starter Pack is a collection of videos, interviews and articles that explore some of the most challenging health issues music makers experience today: Sleep, Positivity, Nutrition, Exercise and Mindfulness. Think of it as a toolbox for health, specifically created with music makers in mind. 

The information within The Wellness Starter Pack is provided for general informational and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the advice of a physician or a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Guest post by Melissa A. St. Hilaire, Ph.D.

The opinions in this article are solely my own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Brigham and Women’s Hospital or Harvard Medical School.

There’s nothing more refreshing than a good night of sleep, so why is our relationship with sleep so complicated? 

The circadian rhythm

Musicians face unique challenges when it comes to sleep: late-night gigs and frequent travel during tours can disrupt your body’s ability to get high-quality sleep. This happens due to the disruption of your circadian rhythm¹. You can think of your circadian rhythm as your internal body clock. Your internal clock controls the timing of many processes in your body, including the window of time when you are able to get the most restful sleep. When you try to sleep outside this window, you are less likely to get 7-9 hours, which is the ideal recommended amount for adults (teens and children need even more!)². You are also more likely to have trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep, which can lead to symptoms of insomnia like daytime sleepiness³. 

Going to bed early one night and late the next night can disrupt your circadian rhythm⁴; so can travel⁵. When you travel across time zones, you can immediately reset your watch to the new local time, but your internal clock does not reset immediately. It may take a few days for your internal clock to sync to the new time zone⁶. If you are on tour and in a new time zone every few days, then it can be difficult for your internal clock to keep up with the local time. The symptoms of jet lag you experience are due to this disruption of your internal clock and should improve as your internal clock syncs to local time. 

Lack of sleep

In addition to insomnia-like symptoms, lack of sleep can affect your ability to learn or refine a skill. The brain rehearses many skills, such as motor sequences, during sleep. Several studies have shown that participants who learned a simple keyboard sequence during the day performed the sequence quicker and more accurately the next day if they were allowed a full night of sleep compared to participants who did not sleep⁷. This finding is particularly important for musicians who are trying to learn a new instrument or master a new song. 

REM and creativity

Sleep – particularly rapid eye movement (REM) sleep – may also be the secret to creativity. During sleep each night, we cycle through several stages of sleep, including non-REM and REM. REM is the stage of sleep associated with dreaming. Although we cycle through various stages of non-REM and REM sleep approximately every 90 minutes throughout the night, most of our REM sleep occurs during the latter part of the night. Studies have shown that REM sleep enhances creative thinking⁸. Individuals who do not get 7-9 hours of sleep per night may experience less time in REM sleep, which may have an impact on creativity. 

Lack of sleep can also impact other aspects of health. Less than 7 hours of sleep per night is associated with weight gain and cardiovascular disease⁹.  Lack of sleep can make you more susceptible to the common cold and other illness¹⁰. Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, adequate sleep is critical to your overall well-being.

Given the lifestyle challenges that musicians face, what can you do to improve your sleep? Here are a few tips and suggestions!

Tips and suggestions 

• Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every night. If late-night performances are common, then plan a late bedtime every night and do not schedule any appointments too early in the morning.
• Try to give yourself an 8-hour window of opportunity to sleep every night. However, if it takes you more than 20-30 minutes to fall asleep, get out of bed and read or listen to music until you feel tired again. Establish a bedtime routine (e.g., a warm bath, reading a book, meditating) to prepare your body and brain for sleep.
• Get into bed only when you are ready to sleep. Avoid using electronic devices ― phones, tablets, computers, and TV ― before bed. The light from electronic devices can trick your internal clock into thinking it is daytime, making it more difficult to fall and stay asleep. 
• Try to expose yourself to light as soon as possible after you wake up; this will tell your internal clock that it is daytime and keep your internal clock in sync.
• Create a calm environment in your bedroom to promote sleep. Keep your room at a cool temperature. Consider blackout shades for your bedroom windows if they let in light from the street.
• Do not drink coffee or consume any products that contain caffeine for at least 8 hours before you plan to go to sleep. 
• Although alcohol may make you sleepy and help you fall asleep, alcohol disrupts your natural sleep cycle, and in particular, reduces REM sleep. Try to limit alcohol consumption before bed. 
• Melatonin is a hormone in your body that signals to your brain when it is time for you to go to sleep. Melatonin is available as a supplement and can help you to fall asleep if you take it before your bedtime, although it may not help you stay asleep if you tend to wake up in the middle of the night. 

References

¹Dijk DJ, Czeisler CA. Paradoxical timing of the circadian rhythm of sleep propensity serves to consolidate sleep and wakefulness in humans. Neurosci Lett. 1994 Jan 17;166(1):63-8.

²Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, Alessi C, Bruni O, DonCarlos L, Hazen N, Herman J, Adams Hillard PJ, Katz ES, Kheirandish-Gozal L, Neubauer DN, O’Donnell AE, Ohayon M, Peever J, Rawding R, Sachdeva RC, Setters B, Vitiello MV, Ware JC. National Sleep Foundation’s updated sleep duration recommendations: final report. Sleep Health. 2015 Dec;1(4):233-243.

³Schutte-Rodin S, Broch L, Buysse D, Dorsey C, Sateia M. Clinical guideline for the evaluation and management of chronic insomnia in adults. J Clin Sleep Med. 2008 Oct 15;4(5):487-504.

⁴Phillips AJK, Clerx WM, O’Brien CS, Sano A, Barger LK, Picard RW, Lockley SW, Klerman EB, Czeisler CA. Irregular sleep/wake patterns are associated with poorer academic performance and delayed circadian and sleep/wake timing. Sci Rep. 2017 Jun 12;7(1):3216.

⁵Reilly T, Waterhouse J, Edwards B. A review on some of the problems associated with long-distance journeys. Clin Ter. 2008 Mar-Apr;159(2):117-27.

⁶Revell VL, Eastman CI. How to trick mother nature into letting you fly around or stay up all night. J Biol Rhythms. 2005 Aug;20(4):353-65.

⁷Walker MP, Brakefield T, Seidman J, Morgan A, Hobson JA, Stickgold R. Sleep and the time course of motor skill learning. Learn Mem. 2003 Jul-Aug;10(4):275-84.

⁸Cai DJ, Mednick SA, Harrison EM, Kanady JC, Mednick SC. REM, not incubation, improves creativity by priming associative networks. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Jun 23;106(25):10130-4.

⁹Grandner MA, Alfonso-Miller P, Fernandez-Mendoza J, Shetty S, Shenoy S, Combs D. Sleep: important considerations for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Curr Opin Cardiol. 2016 Sep;31(5):551-65.

¹⁰Prather AA, Janicki-Deverts D, Hall MH, Cohen S. Behaviorally Assessed Sleep and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. Sleep. 2015 Sep 1;38(9):1353-9. 

Melissa A. St. Hilaire, Ph.D. Associate Biostatistician, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Instructor in Medicine, Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School

When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep? You went to bed and instantly fell asleep, for example. Or you had a long uninterrupted rest and woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy. Getting some quality rest during these quarantine times might be even more challenging. If you can’t even remember the last time you felt well-rested, you came to the right place. So then if your routines need an upgrade, The Wellness Starter Pack is here to help you get started.

Books | Apps | Podcasts | Videos

When you’re a musician, the combination of late-night gigs, day-long recording sessions and tours can do some serious damage to even the healthiest sleeping patterns. Lack of quality rest can be the cause of many problems, including serious mental health issues if you ignore the screaming signs. Take matters into your own hands, and check out this hand-picked selection of our favorite books, apps, podcasts and educational videos that will give you a totally new perspective. 

You will learn why sleeping is important, and how you can try to get more of it. We will also share some cool tools that might actually help you. Different things work for different people, therefore we tried to compile an eclectic selection where (hopefully) everyone can find something to their liking. You never know, you might even find yourself waking up refreshed.

(This post contains non-affiliate links.)

Books

Matthew Walker – Why We Sleep

“The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.”

In order to take your sleep seriously, you need to understand why you should take it seriously. In his groundbreaking book, neuroscientist Matthew Walker ruthlessly presents a bunch of disturbing facts about what happens when you don’t get enough sleep. This one should be obligatory reading but beware of nightmares. After overcoming the initial shock, you will have a hard time not believing in this miracle drug, a revolutionary new treatment also known as sleep.

W. Chris Winter, MD – The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It

“Long-term poor sleep is like bad cosmetic surgery: risky, costly, and not pretty.”

With more than two decades of experience as a neurologist and sleep expert, W. Chris “The Sleep Whisperer” Winter knows a thing or two about sleep. In his best-selling book, science meets his fantastic sense of humor and the result is a research-based yet easily digestible compendium. Here’s everything you always wanted to know about sleep but were afraid to ask. From bacon to drooling and insomnia, this book has it all figured out. 

Shawn Stevenson – Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.”

Now that you know sleep is the secret ingredient, it’s time to tackle how to sneak it into your daily life. This is quite an easy read, packed with tons of useful tips, tricks and how-to’s that you can start practicing right away. You can even track your progress with the accompanying 14-day sleep makeover journal, a great way to see what’s been working for you, and what you should be focusing on.

Apps

Sleep Cycle

Say hello to your brand new sleep assistant and smart alarm clock! This clever little app analyzes your sleep and wakes you up in your lightest sleep phase. The app senses and tracks your sleep movements which then are turned into some nice stats that you can compare on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The app is free, but if you don’t know what to spend your money on, sign up for the premium version for some extra fun, like listening to your own snoring.

Price: Free with optional premium subscription, 1-month free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Relax Melodies

Relax Melodies is the most positively reviewed app in the history of the AppStore, and for a good reason. The app aims to help your journey towards blissful sleep with a combination of personalized soundscapes that actually work. You get access to tons of guided sleep meditations and you can mix a vast library of sounds and bedtime stories that will help you get into a relaxed state to get your zzz on. 

Price: Free with optional premium subscription, 1-week free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Pzizz

A super simple app with a sleek interface that wants you to do just one thing: get some quality rest. Pzizz utilizes science-based psychoacoustic principles to create sound sequences called “dreamscapes”, tailored to various parts of your sleep cycle. The app promises sleep at the push of a button, but it can also help you focus to get more stuff done or sneak in a power nap during the day to eventually… get more stuff done! 

Price: Free with optional in-app purchases, 1-week free trial

Download for iOS / Download for Android

Podcasts

Sleep Junkies

If you’re a sucker for science and want to learn everything there is to know about sleep, this podcast will definitely satisfy your needs. Science, culture, and technology come together in these in-depth conversations with experts and thought leaders. Learn more about the science of music and sleep, the truth about the super-hyped melatonin. In addition, you can find out how to conquer your fear of insomnia and how to optimize your sleep when you work night shifts.

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

In Our Time: History

This live BBC radio show hosted by Melvyn Bragg (who’s 80 years old!) explores a wide range of historical topics. The program has been running for more than two decades, and it’s packed with distinguished experts having academic discussions. While this one is not specifically aimed at sleep, Bragg’s soothing British accent and the minuscule details of Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow will put you to sleep before you know it.

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Sleep Meditation Podcast

If you don’t like too much babbling in your ears, this one’s for you. This soothing podcast showcases relaxing nature sounds, ambient music, and ASMR triggers to lull you to sleep with little to no effort. Nearly 300 episodes are waiting for you, packed with sleepy ocean waves, dreamy tropical islands, purring cat sounds, and binaural beats. Turn on, tune in, zone out! 

Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean

Videos

Jared Minkel: How to Calm Your Worries and Sleep Better: A Scientist’s Tips for Falling Asleep More Quickly

There’s no such thing as a quick fix. However, this 3-minute super cute animated video with scientist Jared Minkel’s favorite tactics for calming the mind before bedtime is a great start. Check out the worrier’s guide, illustrated with the average life of an average koala. It showcases some really simple tips and exercises you can try yourself when it’s time for your next slumber.

Claudia Aguirre: What would happen if you didn’t sleep?

Reports have shown that in the United States, 30% of adults and 66% of adolescents are suffering from sleep deprivation. Staying awake can cause some serious problems. This animated video aims to convince you about the seriousness of this issue. In 1965, 17-year-old high school student, Randy Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours. That’s 11 days. What happened to him and what could happen to you? Watch this video to find out!

Matthew Walker: Sleep is your superpower (TED)

Matthew Walker’s name must ring a bell by now! We snuck him in again because you should really check out what this smart guy has to say. In less than 20 minutes you’ll get a crash course in the basics. For instance, you’ll learn about the amazing things that happen when you’re sleeping, and the dreadful things that happen if you don’t. You, too, can unlock your superpower.

The Wellness Starter Pack is a collection of videos, interviews and articles that explore some of the most challenging health issues music makers experience today: Sleep, Positivity, Nutrition, Exercise and Mindfulness. Think of it as a toolbox for health, specifically created with music makers in mind. 

The information within The Wellness Starter Pack is provided for general informational and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the advice of a physician or a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Catnap, forty winks, shut-eye, snooze, catching some Zs, hitting the sack, sleeping… A dear child has many names, yet we tend to neglect it anyway! Dan Gartenberg is a professor and entrepreneur. He has spent more than 10 years developing apps that help us sleep better. He is currently conducting grant-funded research. This consists of developing sound environments to diagnose and treat sleep disorders, improve sleep quality, and optimize daytime alertness. In our interview for The Wellness Starter Pack, Dan shares his expertise on the importance of sleep, topped with some of his best tips for how to make the most of your sleep.

The importance of sleep

Why is sleep so important? 

When you look at the science of why we sleep, one of the fascinating things is that every single organism on the planet sleeps. What we recently found out is that sleep isn’t just for preserving energy. It’s literally how we construct our realities. Sleeping is how we take in all that information from the day and make meaning out of it into our lives. This is a pretty big deal.

Now that you put it that way, it sounds like sleep deserves some respect! 

Indeed. We have this “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” culture, especially in the United States. Well, death could literally happen, because research shows that sleep is related to basically every chronic health disease. There are really strong links with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.

Why do you think sleep is something that we often neglect?

Honestly, a lot of this is a cultural thing. We live in a super capitalist society and our economic model was built around excessive work. Big business wants you to work all the time. What I think they’re starting to realize is that sleep is essential for creativity and thinking divergently. Humans are not meant to work continuously for 8 hours. We’re meant to take breaks. If you’re stuck in a train of thinking, you use sleep to actually integrate what you’re thinking about. Then you can see the forest instead of the trees and maybe come up with a different approach to things. Both Einstein and Edison knew that you sleep in order to ideate. 

Common mistakes

What are the common mistakes people make that are getting in the way of a good night’s sleep?

I do coaching services and we have our software Sonic Sleep Coach that tries to personalize suggestions to people. One of the things that makes it really hard to solve this problem is that what might work for one person is very different from what might work for someone else. For example, if you’re an insomniac, I would never suggest you take a nap. Whereas if you’re an optimizer, someone that doesn’t have problems falling asleep, then sometimes it’s best to do a little power nap during your circadian dip, which is around three o’clock in the afternoon.

The National Academy of Sleep Medicine has a consensus report amongst the top researchers in the field that humans need 7 hours of sleep on a regular basis. But it can actually fluctuate anywhere from 7 hours to 9 hours. Another thing to also keep in mind is that everyone has their unique circadian rhythm, which is a 24-hour cycle. That dictates when you ought to be alert and when you ought to be tired.

Is there something we can do to identify if we’re night owls or morning larks?

A lot of it is your subjective sense of things. But also keep in mind that being a night owl or a morning lark is shiftable. And that going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can entrench this rhythm. Once you start doing those things, you’ll start falling into a pattern. That being said, there are genes for whether you are a morning person or an evening person. You can even get this evaluated using 23andMe because we have genes indicative of this. But these genes get expressed based on environmental cues that can activate or inhibit these genes.

It’s a continuum, but about 30% of the population are larks, 30% are night owls, and 40% are more shiftable. Older people shift into their early bird special mode and as young people, it’s easier for us to go to bed later. Some evolutionary biologists claim that this serves a competitive advantage – where by ensuring there is always someone awake in your tribe, you can, therefore, protect it more vigilantly. 

How much is enough?

How much sleep do we need?

A lot of people ask this question. The short answer is that basically, you shouldn’t feel tired during the day. If you’re chronically tired throughout the day, that might be a bad sign. For example, apnea is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders and it affects 10% of the population. They have this horrible quality rest and wake up as many as a hundred times per hour, while they have no conscious awareness of this at all. So if you feel tired all day, you should seek out a medical doctor.

If you are someone who’s struggling with chronic sleep deprivation or insomnia, what are the short and long-term effects if it does go untreated?

In addition to being grumpy and mean? Personally, that is one of the main reasons why I take my sleep so seriously. It just makes me a nicer person. [laughs] I don’t have the stats but I’d be really curious to see how many violent crimes in some way correlate to people not healing themselves with sleep. But as I said before, it literally impacts every single organ of the body. We think that sleep is probably more important than what a lot of people think is the foundation of health, like diet and exercise. Because when you sleep well, you eat better and have a better workout. High performers have known this for a long time, bodybuilders are famous for doing 12-hour sleeping sessions. Some famous athletes have previously reported that sleep is their secret weapon for performance. 

If sleep is so important, why isn’t getting good sleep simpler?

It’s a really complicated problem. The recommended treatment for sleeping disorders is actually cognitive behavioral therapy. That’s a six-week therapy session with a trained behavioral sleep medicine expert. No one does that because it’s costly and there are minimal people trained in it. Instead, many people get a drug prescribed which is most often anti-anxiety medication. Insomnia can be related to anxiety, to the circadian rhythm, hormone changes, or even to your work schedule.

If you’re an artist and you’re doing these late-night gigs, you’re basically a shift worker. Research shows that night shift work actually produces carcinogens. Even though the answer oftentimes is drugs, many drugs make your sleep quality worse and can exacerbate the problem. Everyone wants the easy way out. Where Western medicine has really failed us is the science of behavior change. We’re really good at identifying a broken bone with MRI and fixing it with surgery. But when it comes to actually changing your behaviors, and sleep is about that, we’re really bad.

Musicians and sleep

You mentioned musicians being shift workers, that’s a really interesting way of putting it. What can musicians do when it comes to getting poor sleep because they’re doing late-night gigs or late night sessions?

For example, there’s something called delayed sleep phase syndrome. There are certain days of the week when you wake up really early. Like Monday to Friday you wake up at 6, and then you go out late on the weekends. This throws off your circadian rhythm and you start having a really hard time sleeping. If you’re a musician with late-night gigs, you can’t control that. One thing that you could try to do is that if you know you will have a late night on Friday and need to wake up early on Monday, make Friday the later night. Try to make Saturday a little bit earlier, and don’t sleep in too much on Sunday. Possibly take a little power nap.

If you’ve had a late-night gig performing for a bunch of people, you’re pretty hyped up when you come home. Don’t expect to fall asleep right away. In sleep science, we say that sleep happens half an hour before sleep. So having some kind of ritual that maybe doesn’t focus on alcohol so much could be useful. I have a red light in my apartment, which is shown to be good for promoting sleep. When I say “Hey Siri, I’m going to bed!”, everything turns red. Then I do this little gratitude meditation which seamlessly transitions into ocean waves. And then pink noise to block out noise pollution. If I know I’m particularly wound up from the day, I might also take a bath. And take a relaxation concoction like Dream Light, which has a very small dosage of melatonin (.25 mg – 3 mg). 

There is this idea that if I have a beer or a glass of wine, I’ll sleep better. Is that the case? And if it’s not, why not?

It’s 100% not the case! While a single glass isn’t a huge deal, if you fall asleep, you’re perceiving that you’re sleeping better. But it’s due to the fact that alcohol is knocking you out. You’re not getting deep quality sleep that’s regenerative. The thing that we study is not only the quantity but the quality. What you want is more REM and more deep sleep, which helps us recover. Recovery and dreaming is how we integrate all the information that we take in during the day and regenerate our cells.

What happens when you drink alcohol is that you reduce your REM, which is not good. Cannabis does this too, but maybe not to such a horrible degree, CBD is okay. If I were to smoke weed, personally, I would know that I would need like half an hour more sleep that night. Because it affects the quality and I’m going to be getting less regeneration.

So it comes down to understanding how you work and operating within those parameters. 

Yeah and that’s why it’s so hard to express this in the media. The media is always like “everyone should get 8 hours of sleep” and trying to make these sweeping generalizations. But it’s very specific to you and success relies on you understanding yourself. I don’t have strong opinions on what relaxes people. It could be weird ASRM things… I do ocean waves and a gratitude meditation, which I find really nice. Progressive muscle relaxation is a big one that they recommend in sleep science where you tense different muscles in your body. It’s nice because it has both a physical and a cognitive aspect to it. 

We would love to hear more about what you and your team discovered. How do you manipulate brain waves to get more deep sleep?

I’ve been at this for 10 years now, trying to develop something that could accurately measure your sleep. It’s been discovered that you can play sounds that emulate the frequency of your brain waves in deep sleep. These are delta waves. If you play sounds at the same pulse rate when you’re in deep sleep, your whole brain oscillates at this frequency. We’ve shown that you can produce more of these deep sleep brain waves with sounds. This is what we’ve been exploring in our National Institute of Health-funded research. The NIH is interested in funding this research. Because as you get older, you produce less of these deep sleep brain waves. We’re trying to demonstrate that we can give you a better night of sleep using sound, light, and temperature, along with guidance from a trained expert, to optimize your sleep quality.

Quantity or quality

You mentioned the quality of sleep and that people obsess with the quantity. Is one more important than the other or are they both equally as important?

I would say focus on quantity first, then optimize for quality. They’re both really important. The main thing is to sleep until you’re not tired anymore. The quantity can vary from night to night. People don’t talk about this in society much, but even healthy people go through manic states sometimes, based on their environment. I’m an entrepreneur, and when I’m in a stressful period, I’ll get into a little manic mode, especially around the release of a product. During this stressful period, I’ll not sleep as much. Then I will have a recovery night when I sleep 10-11 hours. Just be conscious about how you’re feeling. Focus on your sleep environment to make the most out of your rest. It’s good to have a consistent schedule and to separate work from relaxation. But first and foremost sleep to effect and make sure you get enough sleep. 

Could you give our readers some tips on how to get the healthiest sleep?

1. Get natural sunlight during the day. Sun is actually the oldest drug there is, it reinforces your body’s circadian rhythm and inhibits melatonin production. If you don’t have access to direct sunlight, get a happy lamp that mimics the real thing! 
2. Have a consistent bedtime.
3. Have a relaxation ritual before going to bed, it’ll empower you to train your subconscious. A lot of people unwind watching mindless TV, which can be okay. But I practice having a bedtime ritual and setting an intention, which I find to be a game-changer.
4. If you are interested, sign up for a coaching session with me HERE! 

Watch this interview in video format!

Dan Gartenberg is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Penn State University and the founder of Sonic Sleep Coach, an app that aims to help its users to get more sleep. He’s an entrepreneur who has spent more than 10 years developing apps that track sleep quality and play sounds that can help us sleep better.

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