A Guide for Musicians Who Want to Improve Their Health

With all of the physical and emotional exertion that musicians have to put up with for their art, it is important that they are able to keep themselves healthy. This will enable them to carry on making music far into the future. So, if you are a musician who is struggling to know how to support your physical and mental health throughout your career, here are some of the top tips that you can follow to improve their health in 2024.

• Wear Ear Plugs

Although you might want to hear the full effect of your music as you play, if the music is too loud, itcan damage your hearing and lead to issues such as tinnitus, which can be incredibly frustrating. If you develop these issues, you might not be able to be the musician that you once were. Therefore, you should look around for ear plugs that might help you shut off the worst of the sound and wear them religiously. There are also many specialist ear plugs developed for musicians that can allow you to play your tracks and instruments and hear what is going on, without damaging your general health. However, these can be easily lost, so you should consider buying multiple pairs. In terms of hearing loss, you might also want to go for regular hearing tests, and should set limits on your phone and speakers to prevent you from accidentally listening to music at a potentially damaging level. 

• Talk a Specialist About Medical Cannabis

Musicians have to combat a lot of stress each day. This can lead you to experience low mood, as well as anxiety and depression. If this is the case, you should consider talking to a specialist about treatments that can help you, which might include medical cannabis. Medical cannabis still needs to be researched fully, and yet, with the right treatment plan, it could help you to relieve the tension in your body and to improve how you are feeling. It might also help you with any chronic pain that you have experienced from hunching over or using your fingers to play an instrument all day long. Many musicians also suffer from insomnia, which is something that medical cannabis might be able to support you with, but the results of that research are currently taking place, so this has not been proven yet. If you think that medical cannabis could help you with your career-related issues, you should speak to the experts at a medical cannabis clinic who will test your eligibility and develop a treatment plan for you if they agree that it could help. 

• Have Rest Days

If you want to improve your health as a musician, you should consider implementing rest days into your schedule, no matter how hectic it is. Rest days will give your body a break and allow you to focus on other hobbies and interests that you are passionate about, which can be good for your mental health. These rest days can support your immune system and prevent you getting too run down throughout the year. You might also use them to socialise with loved ones, exercise, and perform a mindfulness routine. By having at least a few rest days a month, you can better focus on your music when you return to the studio and produce some of your best art, especially if the freedom you enjoyed during your rest day enabled you to be inspired. 

• Stay Hydrated

The lifestyle of a musician might mean that you find it hard to stay hydrated, especially if you drink a lot of alcohol or if you keep to irregular sleeping hours. Staying hydrated is important for singers or anyone who uses their voice a lot as part of their act. It is especially important that you aim to stay hydrated if you are working in stuffy and crowded concert venues. This means that you need to make an extra effort to get enough water into your system. To do this, you should consider investing in a smart water bottle or a 2-litre option that you can carry around with you. By buying one of these, you will always know when you need to drink more and you will be able to track how much you have drunk throughout the day. You might also consider eating foods that are rich in water. If you do not like drinking water, you might consider opting for squash or other flavourings.

• Get a Counsellor

To make sure that you do not get burned out and that you do not struggle with any part of your music career, you should consider hiring a counsellor. They will be able to talk you through any emotional issues that you are having and get to the root cause of your anxiety and depression. They may also help you to come up with an action plan and to develop coping mechanisms that will allow you to face life with confidence. This can be particularly useful if you are struggling with a lack of career progress or are finding it difficult to look toward the future. However, not every counsellor will be right for you. This means it is important that you look around to find a therapist that you trust and who you believe is helping you to make active progress in understanding yourself and improving your emotional life. 

• Look at Ginger Shots

If you are worried that your dodgy immune system will hold you back, and if you are constantly cancelling shows due to illness, you should look into solutions such as ginger shots. This is a natural anti-inflammatory that may be able to maintain your health, prevent colds and flu, and reduce the severity of your symptoms if you do get under the weather. You will need to consume these shots often for them to be worthwhile, though, and you might want to consider alternatives such as ginger tea. You could also look at supporting your immune system with vitamin D and C, which can be taken in pill or gummy form, as well as effervescent tablets.