How to prevent swallowing air while playing

Iristone

Silver Member
I've noticed that, for about a year, after I play for any amount of time, I end up swallowing a lot of air, causing belching and bowel irritation. Anyone ran the same problem and how did you help with it? Maybe I should go and see the doctor?
 
I can’t say I’ve ever had that problem.
 
Is it diet related? Do you eat/drink before you play? I wouldn’t think it’s drumming related so much as exertion and diet? Hope you’re ok. (y)
 
Is it diet related? Do you eat/drink before you play? I wouldn’t think it’s drumming related so much as exertion and diet? Hope you’re ok. (y)
I don't think it's diet related. I'm thinking I'm not really breathing along with the beat? I've heard it's what you do for running - which I never catch on really well. :unsure:
 
Practice breathing in your nose only. It will take time. If you have sinus issues you may breathe thru your mouth at a fast rate and cause gas or belching
 
Are you trying to push yourself? Sometimes when we try to do more than we are used to our breathing changes to try and take in more air, and we start breathing heavily through our mouth.

I dont get the breathing with the beat either. For some people that would be a medical nightmare. Dream Theater songs for example, or anything extremely fast.

Just relax, breathe in and out through the nose. Learn to breathe deeply also using your diaphragm, not your chest. Your stomach should go in and out, not your chest inflate.
 
As someone put above.... Breathe in through your nose, not your mouth. There are even "breathing coaches" that typically cater to athletes and rehabilitative/trauma patients. You can probably get by with a couple of the "How to breathe" youtube videos, adjusting your posture, and a bit of practice and self-awareness.

You may also want to speak about this with your primary care physician, as it may indicate an esophageal malady, sinus issue, etc. You might also have adversely affected your jawline and need to correct it.

As a bit of a side anecdote.... When I was in my teens, I went into the US Olympic Development Program for soccer. I was evaluated and assigned a "running coach". Until that moment, I had no idea there was a right and wrong way to run/sprint/jog/etc. He worked on my posture, symmetry, breathing (When and how to breathe when running), foot placement and alignment, and many other facets that I had never considered. Before getting a coach, running was "go fast" and sprints were "go really fast". After coaching, I realized that running was a complex coordination of multiple disparate systems working in unison. It took my 2-mile down from 12 minutes to 10.5 minutes.
 
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Is this a real problem, or are you trolling? Why would you assume hitting stuff with sticks would force you to eat more air? I can't get my head around this.

Are you drinking beer or carbonated beverages while you play?
 
It's a very real problem, I can't see why either but it just happens. And no, I didn't drink anything but water or a bit of coffee.
 
Swallowing it seems to me...you're in control of that. Or is it involuntary? I would hope you don't swallow involuntarily. Swimming could be a big problem. Gain control of your throat and stop swallowing air is the only suggestion I can come up with.
 
In that case I'm with some of the other members here and I think you should talk with your doctor about the problem. It could be something medically oriented. Any other symptoms in your general life related to digestion, or acid reflux (heartburn)?
 
Does breathing with the mouth open increase saliva production? If so, that encourages swallowing.
 
Are you singing while you are drumming?
Regardless, If your symptoms are indeed caused by "swallowing air" in a literal sense, a breathing coach would be needed to correct this unnatural behavior.
 
Swallowing is a highly complex process of some 50 muscles- skeletal and smooth. Only the first oral phase is voluntary and the pharyngeal and esophageal phases involuntary. Stress/ nerves can cause people to swallow air causing belching and more swallowing air. Find your calm happy place
 
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