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Why Taking a Vacation Is Good for Your Health

Do you feel as though you’re burning out? Maybe you’re starting to feel depressed or you’re just incredibly bored of having to do the same mundane things every day? All these signs point to one thing: you need a vacation.

Taking time away from your job is not just good for your soul, it’s good for your health. According to research conducted by psychotherapy and health care experts in conjunction with long-haul travel specialist Kuoni, who sent three pairs of people on two week holidays to Thailand, Peru, and the Maldives, and monitored three pairs who remained at home and worked during the same period. What the study found is that those on holiday had their blood pressure drop by six percent, while those working had their blood pressure increase by two percent during the same period.

The quality of sleep while on holiday improved by 17 percent, compared to sleep deteriorating by 14 percent for those still at work. And those on vacation were also given a stress resilience test which proved that they were 29 percent more likely to resist stress, compared to the 71 percent fall in stress resilience by people still hard at work.

In another study, sports dieticians found evidence which shows that going on vacation is a great time to lose weight, and if you do a small amount of exercise daily while on holiday you could lose up to two pounds a week. In addition, experiencing new food while on holiday could also improve your cooking skills.

Besides getting healthy, or kickstarting a new healthier way of life while on holiday, holidays can also reduce stress—with studies previously confirming this—and help prevent heart disease. In fact, INC. noted that research showed that those who miss out on vacations are at an increased risk of heart disease, with men who skipped vacations for five years in a row becoming 30 percent more likely to suffer from a heart attack, while women who only had a break once every six years were eight times more likely to suffer from a heart-related illness.

And, unsurprisingly, the overall level of stress while on holiday decreases dramatically. However, according to INC. a survey revealed that the average U.S. employee only takes half of their vacation time. And while they were on holiday, a quarter were contacted by a coworker, and 20 percent were contacted by their supervisor to discuss a work-related issue.

What should this tell you? It’s time to take a break!

[Image via Shutterstock]

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