The science of vacations
Doctor's orders?
Our world has become faster and more connected through technology. The advances in technology have exceeded what we can keep up with and even though most of our technology is to enhance life or make it easier, it sometimes does the opposite, creates more stress.
The availability of information at the blink of an eye has opened a world of knowledge and helps us do things we may not have been able to do before. There is a world of information open to us that is unfiltered and overwhelming.
We are connected to each other now 24/7 and the world has gotten smaller because we are also connected globally via the internet. As with any good, there is a down side so too is there one for all this technology and connection.
Our minds are on constant alert and the down time we had in the past had been replaced with more technology and the effects of this are physical.
Our stress levels are higher which mean more of those chemicals and hormones are released which create physical illness and specifically inflammation.
In the past, a vacation was something that those lucky enough to take were to have fun and do something different but these days a vacation can reverse health problems or prevent them.
One of the best articles, Health Benefits of Taking a Vacation, written by Jill L. Ferguson, sums it up perfectly.
A Farmington Study, published by Journal of the American Medical Association cited lack of vacations among factors that contributed to Heart Disease and Heart Attack in women.
A study published by University of Massachusetts wrote the following in the report:
Conclusions: The frequency of annual vacations by middle-aged men at high risk for CHD is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and, more specifically, mortality attributed to CHD. Vacationing may be good for your health
It makes you wonder if in the future a physical with the doctor won’t include a vacation prescription along with the rest of the advice.
Get a promotion, fall in love again, inspire your kids or be a kid again
The benefits are not limited to health but every area of life.
From bonding with family or your spouse or partner to increasing creativity, vacations can positively impact every part of your life
It’s easy to imagine how being so connected to the external world means a disconnect to those closest to us. We are busy and distracted plus our down time is no longer the same. Instead, we engage in social media or the unlimited sources of information on our devices and tv. It is rare to find people spending time together without most if not at least a couple checking their phones or communicating with someone else.
A vacation away, leave the devices at home or at least to a minimum, means we connect with one another face to face. We aren’t rushing or distracted by everything else and when we engage this way we become closer. Our kids have a higher self-esteem and we all feel more valued and appreciated.
Just the facts:
A few of the articles written on this subject.
A article in Health Net at healthnet.com writes about the benefits of vacations and how they can reduce depression, increase productivity and sites the study done on following 12,000 mean, reference above.
Use the link below to read the full article
An article in Health Net at healthnet.com writes about the benefits of vacations and how they can reduce depression, increase productivity and sites the study done on following 12,000 men, reference above.
Use the link below to read the full article
An article published in the New York Times (see the link below) written by Alina Tugend reports on additional studies showing the health benefits of vacation.
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