Rock Hard. Rest Harder

The Muso’s Guide to Sleep, Recovery & Staying in the Game

Image thanks to Pressmaster

SOUNDTRACKERS & WEEKEND WARRIORS

You work your day job Monday to Friday.
Then Friday night hits — you pull on the gig shoes, throw gear in the van, and BOOM — you’re back on stage like a rockstar with a tax file number.

You live a double life — and the one thing that gets slaughtered in the process?
Your sleep.

By Sunday night, you’ve done 3 shows, loaded gear up and down stairs, driven 500km, eaten servo food at 2AM, and your eyelids feel like sandpaper.
But guess what?
You’re back at the desk Monday at 8AM.

Welcome to circadian chaos.

The Science Says...

According to Frontiers in Psychology (2025), musicians who juggle gigs on the weekend and traditional work hours during the week have some of the worst sleep metrics in the industry — including reduced cognitive recovery, poor decision-making, and increased mental fatigue.

In plain speak?
You’re frying your nervous system.

So if you want to keep doing this without collapsing face-first into a snare drum, you need a sleep strategy.

🔥 SLEEP TIPS FOR WEEKEND WARRIORS:

1. Nail Your Pre-Gig Nap:
   Schedule a 60–90 min nap Friday and Saturday afternoons. It’ll buy you 3–4 hours of alertness later.

2. Keep It Dark, Quiet & Cold:
   Blackout curtains, fan on, white noise app. Your bedroom = a sound booth for your brain.

3. Magnesium + L Theanine Wind-Down:
   Skip the beers post-gig and go for a sleep stack. Helps your nervous system come down without knocking you out chemically.

4. Avoid the Gig Hangover:
   Hydrate before bed. Snack with protein. Stretch. No screens in bed (and no, Insta stories of your set don’t count as recovery).

5. Monday = Reset Day:
   Block time Monday night for proper sleep — early dinner, no caffeine, in bed by 9. Let your body clock catch up before Friday hits again.

6. Ditch the “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” Culture:
   That’s not rebel — that’s reckless. You’ll just end up tired, bitter, and blaming the industry for what your body was never trained to do.

Real Talk

You can soundtrack the whole region every weekend and still keep your health in check — but only if you prioritise recovery.
No more calling fatigue “part of the job.”
That’s not pro. That’s avoidable.

TOURING ARTISTS ON THE ROAD

Different beast.
Different rhythm.
Still the same core problem: You’re not getting enough damn sleep.

Your show kicks off at 10PM.
You load out at 2AM.
You reach the hotel at 3:30AM.
And someone’s knocking on your door at 6:45AM for lobby call.

Repeat. For 6 weeks.

No one’s meant to live like this — and definitely not create like this.

Why It Matters More Than Ever

Dave Grohl once said:

“The real killer wasn’t the gigs — it was the four hours of sleep before the next city. It nearly broke me.”

And he’s not alone.
Frontiers in Psychology confirms that long-term touring artists experience neurological burnout, memory loss, and weakened immune function — all from chronic sleep deprivation.

And guess what breaks first?
Your voice. Your mood. Your relationships. Your business.

SLEEP TIPS FOR TOURING ARTISTS:

1. Pre-Tour Sleep Bank:
   Stack extra sleep in the week before tour starts. Just like athletes do before comps. Your body remembers.

2. Post-Show Protocol:
   Wind down ASAP post-gig. No after-parties. No midnight maccas runs. Chill, hydrate, and start your recovery routine.

3. Hotel Hack Kit:
   Travel with blackout eye mask, white noise machine, earplugs, and your preferred supplements (Melatonin, Theanine, Magnesium Glycinate).

4. Plan Nap Slots in the Schedule:
   Daily 30–60 min naps matter. Protect that time like it’s your vocal warm-up.

5. Use Sound Tech Strategically:
   No bunk next to the snorer. Noise-cancelling headphones on the bus. Protect your energy between sets, soundcheck, and sleep.

6. Travel Days = Sleep Days:
   If you don’t need to talk, don’t. Use that plane, train, or van time to rest and recharge.

7. Stop Normalising Breakdown Culture:
   You’re not weak for needing sleep. You’re wise. This is the secret sauce to career longevity.

Longevity Requires Discipline. If you want to be gigging at 60 and still loving it, you need more than talent. You need better sleep hygiene.

This is how we de-glamourise burnout and reclaim the real rockstar life — the one with longevity, clarity, power, and health.

Whether you're a part-time legend or a full-time road warrior —
your body doesn’t care what the gig pays. It only cares whether you’re letting it recover.

Stop treating sleep like an afterthought.
Start treating it like your headline act.

With love, pillows, and a three-hour nap,

Written by Nichola Burton. I work in partnership with Agents, Artist Managers and Event Producers, who juggle a diverse range of relationships in the Musoverse, to curate, manage and measure data in systems, experience, creative and content to support the entire Musoverse operation in my enterprise A Little Pitchy Copyright 2025