Why do I get sleepy whenever I play the guitar?

Question:Is it because it's exhausting or boring? I love playing guitar so it can't be because it's boring!

Do you tend to feel sleepy too when you play it?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Is it because it's exhausting or boring? I love playing guitar so it can't be because it's boring!

Do you tend to feel sleepy too when you play it?

Sometimes when people are concentrating very hard, they hold their breath. If that's what you're doing, you're getting sleepy due to oxygen deprivation--your brain is going into shut-down mode.

So you need to train your body to pay attention to what the oxygen/carbon dioxide sensor nerves in the lungs are telling it.

Actors train to do this in a very simple way: stand, knees relaxed, feet shoulder width, weight balanced. Simply pay attention to your breathing. You'll get a stimulus to inhale; let it happen. Shortly, you'll feel the need to exhale; let it happen. Do not force yourself to breathe in any particular way--do not worry about how fast or slow you seem to be respirating--mostly you just wait for the lungs to signal the brain, and you then respond to the signal. Continue for five or ten minutes or so.

If you feel yourself getting sleepy when doing this exercise, you're not sensitive enough to the "breathe" impulses--simply pay more attention to them. If you find yourself getting dizzy or hyper, then you're not waiting for the signals, you're breathing impatiently and hyperventilating a little.

Do this exercise daily for a couple of weeks and you should be more sensitive to your body's need for air--and then we can see if my diagnosis was correct if you don't nod off while strumming. :-)

Your a savage beast.....They say music will tame a savage beast....

Breathe more. Seriously.

You might need to rest more. I get sleepy sometimes when practicing piano, but I don't rest enough, and I tend to practice at night. Also, concentration on one pattern or lick or passage or figure, over and over and over, can get boring. So yeah, it could be:

boredom
exhaustion

Practice during a time of day when you have the most energy, and cut down on longer sessions if you can. Also get a good night's sleep.