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8 REASONS TO TAKE A VACATION
Most people think vacations are a luxury provided as part of an employment package. However, they are a necessary for a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle just as important as exercising and eating well. Here are 8 reasons to make your vacation a precedence in your life!
1. Vacations Reduce Stress Stress, of course, is a physiological response meant to help and keep us safe. Stress releases hormones such as epinephrine and cortisol for the fight or flight syndrome that was necessary for early man. However, in today’s society, lingering stress can be detrimental to our bodies. Taking routine vacations and
leaving our everyday stresses give us a break from the continual high levels of stress hormones and a chance to mend some of the harm.
2. Vacations Help Ward Off Heart Disease Stress is a significant contributor to high blood pressure and heart disease. Through studies in both men and women have shown that vacations can minimize the risk of heart attack and heart disease. Men who went on vacation regularly were more than 32% less likely to suffer a heart attack. For women who vacation often, that number jumps to 50% less likely to undergo a heart attack. (Framingham Heart Study)
3. Vacations Help Maintain Focus Lingering stress can affect the portion of the brain that hinders goal-directed activities and causes problems with memory. Endless work with no breaks or vacations can make people feel frustrated and confused, and have problems focusing. Surveys show almost three-quarters of people who vacation regularly feel invigorated and ready to face responsibilities.
4. Vacations Help Prevent Illness There’s a field of research called psychoneuroimmunology that locates stress and its adrenal dysfunction can adjust your immune system and make you vulnerable to several illnesses. Stress can enhance your chance of getting infections like the flu, as well as more serious conditions. Several researchers believe that long-term stress may somewhat contribute to cancer.
5. Vacations Make You Happier Neuroscientists have found that the brain can be distorted by chronic exposure to stress hormones causing anxiety and depression. Women who do not take vacations are three times more likely to be anxious and depressed. This validates a survey that found people who take vacation time reported feeling exceedingly happy with a sense of well-being compared to those who did not vacation. Most feel these effects beyond their actual vacation.
6. Vacations Strengthen Relationships Vacationing with your family or loved ones help build closer bonds. Studies have found those who take vacations with significant others and spouses claim feeling more satisfied with their relationships and marriages. There is also a link between children’s academic performance and summer family vacations. These shared experiences encourage family bonding, which is invaluable. Family vacations create more memories, thus highlighting that people place a greater value on the shared vacation experiences than the material possessions they have acquired.
7. Vacations Make You More Productive at Work Contrary to what may seem, vacation time for employees in fact increases business productivity, and has proven to reduce the number of sick days taken off. Plentiful vacation policies create a better quality of life for employees, which converts into improved work quality. Overall staff reports feeling more creative and satisfied with their jobs after taking regular vacation time.
8. Vacations Improve Your Sleep Quality Studies show that people who travel regularly reported a roughly 20% improvement in their sleep. During time off, they averaged an hour more of quality sleep, which continued when they returned home.
Taking vacations can keep you young at heart. Chronic stress is believed to speed up the biologic aging process. Do yourself a big favor, make your health a priority, take a vacation and travel!
Dr. Leigh Vinocur contributed to this article