Can playing the didgeridoo help with stress, tension, and burnout symptoms?
As a didgeridoo teacher, I have been playing this unique instrument for many years. I personally find that playing calmly helps me release tension. The combination of breath, sound, rhythm, concentration, and vibration brings my attention to the present moment.
That's why I became curious when I discovered that scientific research has indeed been conducted on the influence of didgeridoo playing on mood, stress, and the autonomic nervous system.
Research into didgeridoo and stress
In 2019, Japanese researchers published the study Didgeridoo Health Promotion Method Improves Mood, Mental Stress, and Stability of Autonomic Nervous System.
The study involved 20 adults who had never played the didgeridoo before. They took ten lessons using a special Didgeridoo Health Promotion Method (DHPM).
The researchers looked at, among other things:
- mood and tension;
- heart rate;
- blood pressure;
- salivary amylase as a stress indicator;
- changes in autonomic regulation.
The lessons, incidentally, did not exclusively consist of didgeridoo playing. They began with approximately ten minutes of relaxing preparatory exercises. After that, participants made didgeridoo-like sounds with a plastic tube. A session lasted approximately an hour.
18 out of 20 participants showed improvement in mood
One of the most striking results concerned mood.
The researchers used the POMS2 questionnaire for this. This measures, among other things, tension, fatigue, depression, anger, confusion, and vitality.
For 18 out of 20 participants, the average Total Mood Disturbance score decreased. A lower score in this measurement means a less negative mood. For eight participants, the individual decrease was statistically significant.
It was also notable that people who had a higher negative mood score before the lessons showed a greater improvement on average.
Heart rate also changed
The researchers also observed physical changes.
During seven of the ten lessons, the average heart rate after the lesson was significantly lower than before. Across all lessons, 15 out of 20 participants had a lower average heart rate.
Something interesting was also found in the stress measurements. Participants who had higher values of the stress indicator used before the lessons showed a greater decrease on average. This decrease was also associated with a drop in heart rate.
This does not mean that playing the didgeridoo is proven to treat stress, but these are interesting indications of a relaxing effect.
What happened to the autonomic nervous system?
Perhaps the most interesting part of the study was the investigation into autonomic regulation.
This system is involved in various automatic bodily processes and plays an important role in our body's response to exertion, tension, and rest.
The researchers found changes in a measure of heart rate variability (LF/HF) during the lessons. They interpreted these as a shift towards greater parasympathetic dominance, consistent with relaxation.
Later in the program, certain values were even lower before the start of a lesson than at the beginning of the program. According to the researchers, this suggests that repeated practice may be associated with a more sustainable change in autonomic balance.
However, some caution is needed: LF/HF is not a simple direct meter that can prove that the parasympathetic nervous system is "activated". The results are interesting but should not be interpreted more strongly than the research allows.
What about burnout?
An important distinction is needed here.
This research does not prove that playing the didgeridoo treats burnout. The participants in the study were not people specifically selected due to burnout.
What the research does show are indications that a program with didgeridoo exercises and relaxation can influence mood, stress-related measurements, heart rate, and autonomic regulation. The researchers themselves even mention possible application in the workplace to promote employees' mental health.
The public scientific publication also concludes that the method may be useful for health promotion in the workplace and in local communities.
In my opinion, this makes the didgeridoo interesting for people looking for ways to create moments of relaxation and calm in addition to their regular guidance.
My own experience as a didgeridoo teacher
For me, the didgeridoo has always been more than just a musical instrument.
Especially during periods when I experience more tension and stress, I notice that playing the didgeridoo calmly can help me relax. You are working with your breath, concentrating on a single continuous sound, and at the same time feeling the vibration of the instrument.
During playing, my attention shifts, as it were, from thinking to breathing, sound, and feeling.
That is my personal experience and, of course, not scientific proof. But that is precisely why I find it so interesting that researchers have found effects that in some respects align with what I experience myself while playing.
Why is the didgeridoo so interesting?
Perhaps it is not one single component that provides relaxation.
Playing the didgeridoo brings together various elements: controlled breathing, longer exhalation, rhythm, concentration, music, sound, and physical vibration.
Moreover, you don't necessarily have to try to relax. You simply try to make a sound and are busy with that.
For me, that's what makes the didgeridoo special.
Promising, but more research is needed
The Japanese study is small. Only twenty people participated, and there was no separate control group. The researchers themselves mention this as a major limitation.
Therefore, we cannot say that it has been scientifically proven that playing the didgeridoo treats burnout or accelerates recovery.
What we can say is that there are interesting initial scientific indications for positive effects of didgeridoo exercises on mood, stress, and physical relaxation responses.
For me, as a didgeridoo teacher, this is a fascinating area that I would like to further explore and experience.
Because perhaps the didgeridoo is not only one of the most unique musical instruments in the world but also a wonderful way to be completely engaged in something very simple:
breath, sound, rhythm, and vibration.
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This article is for informational purposes only and describes scientific research and personal experiences. Didgeridoo playing is not a substitute for medical or psychological treatment for burnout, chronic stress, or other health conditions.
Source: Lee S. et al. (2019), Didgeridoo Health Promotion Method Improves Mood, Mental Stress, and Stability of Autonomic Nervous System, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. View the scientific study via PubMed