The Choir Hangover: Why you Feel so Rubbish after Feeling so Brilliant

Ever woken up the day after Christmas, a party or a wedding and felt a bit… flat?
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That strange emotional dip, a kind of afterglow lull where everything feels a little grey and quiet?

Now imagine that same feeling - but the night before, you weren’t out drinking or dancing or celebrating.  You were at choir.

Surprisingly, the symptoms the day after choir can be almost identical: pounding head, aching body, emotional fuzziness - like you've been through something big.

It’s a phenomenon that many of my singers have come to notice over time, and one that I’m not immune to either, even as the choir leader.

So, what’s actually going on?  Why do you feel so awful the day after choir?

It’s a real thing!

Actors have apparently dubbed this feeling “post-performance depression”.  I call it “the Choir Hangover”.
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You can get a choir hangover after a fantastic performance, a trip, a workshop or even a great rehearsal.  In fact, any time that the happy hormones have been buzzing, you can expect some sort of comedown the day after.
 
But why do we get it and what can we do to support our singers (and ourselves) with our mental health moving forward?

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First comes the High...

Of course, it all begins with something that you and I know all too well: singing makes us feel AMAZING!  I’m going to guess that as a leader, singer or even audience member, there’s just something about a live choir that leaves you on a high, begging for more.

That natural high isn’t in your head. It’s biological.

Singing, especially in a group, taps directly into the body’s built-in regulation system.

When we sing, we:

• Extend our exhale
• Activate the vagus nerve
• Stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system – the one responsible for calm, connection, and safety.
  
  

Add group singing to the mix, and you also get synchronised breath, rhythm, and co-regulation - a potent cocktail that helps the nervous system settle and sync with others.

This connection isn’t just emotional - it’s physiological.  We literally feel more grounded, more connected, and more alive.

And you don’t actually have to be singing to feel the benefits!

If you're the choir leader, you’re often breathing with the group, moving rhythmically, and absorbing the collective energy (being out the front is the best seat in the house, amiright?!).

Even though you're not singing every note, your nervous system is still syncing with the choir’s. The act of leading with presence and empathy can activate your own parasympathetic system, especially when the group is grounded and connected.
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If you're an audience member, it’s similar. Listening to live singing, especially with harmonies (like choirs), can trigger the release of your own feel-good chemicals. That’s why you hear people so often say of landmark concerts: “You had to be there”: it’s just not the same on a recording or if you try to recreate the feeling on another occasion. You might notice goosebumps, tears, or a lump in your throat during the performance - that’s your nervous system responding to vocal vibration, storytelling, and connection, even from a distance.

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...Then comes the Crash

​During a performance (or even a high-energy rehearsal), your body is flooded with adrenaline, cortisol, and dopamine - a chemical cocktail designed to keep you focused, alert, and emotionally elevated. You’re in a heightened state of arousal: physically, mentally, and emotionally. It feels electric. Connected. Alive.  That’s what we love most about being in choir.

But when the concert is over, the nervous system swings back towards its baseline, sometimes way too fast. The post-performance crash is a very real response to an intense experience, and not a very pleasant one at that.
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It’s common for choir leaders, singers and even audience members alike to feel emotionally raw, empty, or disconnected after a big event.  Especially if you’ve worked long and hard for it or were particularly looking forward to something.  One day you're a rockstar, basking in applause and high fives, the next you're wandering up the supermarket aisles, comparing tins of beans and wondering if it was all just a dream.  It's very disorienting.

But here’s the truth: it wasn’t a dream.  You were a rockstar.  You did do something incredible.
And that moment still lives in your nervous system, even when the world feels quieter.

This is where post-performance care really matters. Without it, you risk getting stuck in the comedown - doubting yourself, feeling aimless, or emotionally wiped out.

You need to give your body and brain time to recalibrate and you can do that with a ritual of reflection and rest.

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How to Recover from your Hangover

​The key is normalising the crash and building in buffers: gentle decompression rituals, group debriefs, slow vocal resets, or simply space to rest and integrate. The same nervous system that sent you flying high needs a soft landing to recover.
 
Here are some ways I encourage my singers to move forward positively and build in the much-needed recovery time:
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1. Don’t forget to cool down your voice as it’ll also signal to your nervous system that it’s okay to relax.  Try some gentle humming, downwards sirens or straw work (SOVT).
2. Take some time to relive the happy memories.  Look at photographs from the event, listen to some recordings, read the happy comments in the choir WhatsApp groups (I know you have many of them!).
3. Reflect on your experience.  Remember that you achieved something really great and that it will take some time to come down from it.  Write down how you feel, send a happy voice note to another singer that you shared a moment with.
4. Time for some self-care.  What’s your favourite way to decompress?  Take a long walk, have an early night, nourish your body.  Maybe turn your phone off for a while.
5. Then, when you’re ready, think forward not back.  What’s next for your group?  What other exciting opportunities do you have to look forward to? 

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Final Thoughts

The Choir Hangover is real – and it doesn’t mean anything went wrong.

It means something powerful happened.

By honouring the intensity of choir life – the highs and the crashes – we become more emotionally-intelligent leaders, more compassionate singers, and more sustainable choir communities.

So next time you wake up groggy after a show, remember:
You didn’t overdo it, you showed up fully, connected deeply, and felt every last note.
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And that’s kind of the whole point of choir, anyway.