Health Reasons to Plan Your Vacation Now

I admit it I am a workaholic. I have been one since I was 14 at my first job at a local ice cream store.  At one point in college I had three jobs.   Studies seem to back this as Americans got 14 vacation days in 2012 and took 12 of them compared to the French who used 30 of the vacation days given to them. Workers in Spain get a minimum of 22 paid vacation days plus 12 national holidays.   Working all the time can be bad for your health, the body and mind need to rejuvenate every once and a while.  Here are five health reasons you should plan that vacation today!

1.  Helps you reduce stress 

Even just a day playing golf or a weekend getaway can help reduce stress hormones and even lower your blood pressure, studies show.  So, imagine what a week or more could do for you?!  From making you look and feel younger to being able to fight off more colds during the year, eliminating stress can work wonders.

2. Gives your heart a break

Studies show that your heart needs a vacation, too. In fact, maybe it needs two vacations a year. The Framingham Heart Study showed that women who take at least two vacations a year are eight times less likely to have coronary heart disease. A study done with men who had an elevated risk for coronary disease, showed that those who didn’t take an annual vacation were 32% more likely to die from a heart attack than the vacationers.

3. Helps you get closer to your family 

Getting away from day-to-day stresses helps families connect, a Purdue research shows. Those new, shared experiences promote closeness and positive ties that last far after the vacation ends.  We certainly know this one is true from travelling around the world with our boys from, the Southwest, Alaska, Italy, France, Spain, and Croatia.  These are memories we will never forget.

4. Makes you smarter at work

A vacation really can be the pause that refreshes—especially if you spend it disconnected from electronic devices and catching up on sleep. You may even be better at your job. That’s because stress can have an impact on decision making, according to research done by the National Institutes of Health. After a few days free of the daily stresses, you may be able to make more thoughtful decisions at work.

5. Makes you happier

A Wisconsin study showed lower levels of tension and depression among people who took vacations more frequently (once or twice a year) versus those who vacationed less often. In fact, it turns out that even simply anticipating a vacation is a mood booster, according to a Dutch study.

Happy Cruising!