For anyone who has ever struggled with guilt over taking time off work, scientists have worked out the perfect formula when it comes to travel and vacations, with a new paper that reviews the short and long-term benefits of taking time off and the best ways to spend it. Holidays are advantageous for our mental and physical wellbeing, the public health team at Syracuse University found, and can substantially reduce the risk of dying from heart-related conditions.
While there are immediate positive consequences when one goes away, the effects of taking regular holidays over time are impressive. People who took a vacation once a year for nine years in succession increased their lifespan by a whopping 20%, one study included in the review found, with the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases cut by 30%. Overall, metabolic syndrome — a range of factors that can trigger heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes — drops by 25% in those who take regular time off. So, with beneficial effects on blood pressure, blood sugar levels, as well as cholesterol and triglycerides, holidays could really be said to be everyone’s heart’s desire.
Getting the most benefit from a holiday
The type of activities indulged in on holiday is an important factor when it comes to their health and wellbeing value, the scientists found. Disconnecting from work and participating in physical exercise were among the most powerful behaviours for producing a positive result.
Vacations provide a buffer against chronic stress and inflammation — both of which wreak havoc on the body.
Professor Brooks B. Gump told the Washington Post
Meanwhile, co-author Sune Lehman highlighted the way holidays allow sleep-deprived people to get some much-needed shut-eye. “My guess is that if someone doesn’t sleep a lot at home, then sleeping someplace new might be an opportunity to catch up,” the social data science professor from the University of Copenhagen, told the newspaper.
Employers should provide “as much vacation as possible”
There are takeaways for employers, the researchers suggest, noting that the findings indicate “organizations should provide employees with as much vacation time as feasible, and encourage employees to use all of their vacation time.”
But despite the clear positive relationship between holidays and health, data shows some people do not feel comfortable prioritising their vacations. One poll undertaken by YouGov revealed that as many as 58% of American millennials feel guilty about taking even one day away from work. That percentage was slightly smaller among Gen Z, at 55%, while Babyboomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, feel holidays are significantly less problematic, with less than half of them experiencing any guilty conscience about how they spend their time off.
