I don’t know about you, but when I get home late after a singing rehearsal I find it hard to sleep.
I don’t feel particularly over-excited, but something inside me must be! What can we do about this?
Whether you’re a teacher of songs, a choir leader or a singer, singing with a large group can be very stimulating. Singing together, especially in harmony, demands a lot of our minds and bodies.
After rehearsal we can often have songs stuck in our head, playing on a loop. Or maybe we tap into the social side of things and pop to the pub with our singing friends. Or we might feel the excitement (or disappointment) of really nailing (or not!) a song, and being amazed at the resulting sound. Or we may take it all in our stride and think nothing of it.
But something happens in singing sessions that goes deep. It often means that we are too wired to sleep (we know we’re buzzing after the session) or just find it hard, but can’t explain why.
In either case, we need to find a way of winding down and quieting our minds in order to sleep.
This is where I come up short: I’ve tried many different things, but none of them seem to work!
I’ve tried taking a bath, reading, listening to relaxing music, meditating, conscious breathing, watching TV, having a milky drink, but still I can’t sleep.
Maybe it’s just something that we have to learn to live with. A small price to pay for the joys of singing together.
Unless you know of a fool-proof winding down technique. In which case, I’d love to hear from you!
Chris Rowbury
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