Written by Carrie Company
Vacation fosters physical wellness and improves happiness & family bonding!
Is there any scientific research that shows taking time off is good for health? Yes!
“Health is not about the weight you lose, but about the life you gain.”
In addition to the well-documented business benefits of vacation (higher productivity, stronger workplace morale, and higher retention rates), time off provides added health benefits.
1. Stress Reduction. A study released by the American Psychological Association showed that time off works to reduce stress by removing people from the activities and environments that they associated with stress and anxiety.
2. Heart Disease Prevention. Many studies have found the cardiovascular benefits of taking a vacation. One study even found that men at risk for heart disease who skipped vacations for five consecutive years were 30 percent more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who took at least one week off a year. And women who took a vacation once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop heart disease, have a heart attack, or die of a coronary- related cause than those who took at least two vacations a year.
3. Better sleep. Vacations help interrupt the negative habits that disrupt sleep, research suggests.
Working late at night, screen time after hours, and work-related stress all can disrupt your sleep. Taking time off helps you to reset your sleep pattern.
4. Improved memory. Dopamine is one of the “happy hormones” produced by the brain that plays a role in learning. Dopamine is released when we experience something new (like on vacation) and helps us to form memories.
5. Combat depression. It has now been proven in research that vacations help the brain to ward off depression. A study of women who did not take regular vacations was two to three times more likely to be depressed than women who take them regularly.
6. Keeps your brain out of “calorie” crave mode. Being on vacation and without stress, which can signal your body to crave calories, can actually help you keep your weight down. With added additional physical exercise from not sitting all day, you can really boost a calorie burn on vacation. Fresh summer fruits and vegetables with added exercise and less stress can all lead to a positive impact on your weight!
