Last night I only slept 2 hours. Mostly because I was trying to go to sleep so I could get up early to get to a rehearsal. And then play 3 gigs. Everything went pretty decently. Except for parts of the rehearsal and playing the duet gig at the end of the day. Here’s some tips that I am giving myself that might help you out too some day.
- Try to get as much sleep as possible!
- Find time to take a nap
- Pace yourself for the whole day – make sure you are stretched out before lifting anything, etc.
- Understand and clearly communicate your revised limits based on your lack of sleep. i.e. no songs in 7/8 today
- If you haven’t slept enough, make sure you get enough to eat and bring snacks if you can. Try to eat healthy.
- If you haven’t slept enough, I think the body needs more water to stay hydrated
- Consider drinking yerba mate
- If you have an important performance, try to cancel or reschedule all nonessential parts of your day
- When you wake up and know you are tired, make sure you get your time as solid as possible as soon as possible
- Double check all your gear before you leave and when you break down
Try to get as much sleep as possible!
This is obvious. But sometimes this requires thinking ahead several days depending on your schedule. You may need to drop everything and sleep if you are really sleepy. It also means planning to get enough exercise throughout the week, and resolving other issues that may cause you to have sleep problems.
Find time to take a nap
Try to find time to take a nap. If you can get 20 minutes, this may help you depending on how your body handles napping. Another possiblility is doing meditation or a relaxation tape. You don’t actually sleep but you will feel rested.
Pace yourself for the whole day – make sure you are stretched out before lifting anything, etc.
If you are operating on a lowered level of energy, then try to gauge your usage throughout the day so you can make it through to end of the last gig in good shape. Using energy well is a whole other topic. But keep it in mind!
Understand and clearly communicate your revised limits based on your lack of sleep. i.e. no songs in 7/8 today
This is what got me on my last gig today. I didn’t clearly communicate my limits based on my lack of sleep. What I could have played well normally, or at least pulled off, was at best very wobbly! Part of the problem of being tired is lose of clear decision-making and judgement, though, so this one situation becomes more complicated.
If you haven’t slept enough, make sure you get enough to eat and bring snacks if you can. Try to eat healthy.
If you are tired, don’t be tired and hungry if you can help it. Have a creative breakfast! You may not have the Captain Crunch that you want but surely there is something legitimate buried in the fridge. Try to get snacks for the road and try to fuel up during the day. If you can, eat healthy, too, because bad food could just add to your problems, or make you more sleepy.
If you haven’t slept enough, I think the body needs more water to stay hydrated
I always need to drink more water when I haven’t slept enough. Remember to drink water before you leave in the morning or throughout the day!
Consider drinking yerba mate
Yerba mate is caffeniated and has other elements that supposedly give the drinker energy.
If you have an important performance, try to cancel or reschedule all nonessential parts of your day
Once you realize you may be overextended, try to cut back on things you were hoping to do that day and focus on the most important. Maybe you’ll be able to take a nap.
When you wake up and know you are tired, make sure you get your time as solid as possible as soon as possible
When I realize that I am tired and that I am going t o be playing a lot that day, I try to do as much work with as a metronome as I can. In general it is one of the first things I do in the morning. But when I am worried that my time might be shaky, I definitely take a few minutes before I head out the door.
Double check all your gear before you leave and when you break down
Amp, guitar, tuner, cable, pick, music, directions, music stand, wallet. Okay, I’m good. I do this anyways but I double check stuff.
Anyways, hope this helps this someone! Best wishes.