It’s a Fact, Holidays Really Are Good For You!

A research report published earlier this year states that not only do you feel better while you’re on vacation, your health actually improves for some time afterward.

It’s not just the tan people are appreciating when they say you look well after you’ve been away, that healthy glow is exactly that; health! Research carried out by Kuoni and the Nuffield Health Group assessed the relative health of a number of participants who they sent off on holiday and a control who remained at home. The people who spent time away experienced all the health benefits you’d expect from taking a holiday, less stress, lowered blood pressure, and better mood. However, it was found that these benefits didn’t disappear as soon as the participants landed back at home but they experienced longer term benefits and of those some that you wouldn’t necessarily expect. After their medicals when they came home it was found that their gastrointestinal systems, bone health and reproductive systems had all shown improvement too.

Holidays Are Really Good For You!Werner Kunz / Travel Photos / CC BY-NC-SA

Luxury Holidays, In The Name Of Science

Nuffield health researchers selected a number of participants from all walks of life, a variety of ages and healthiness. Some of the participants were sent off to Peru, The Maldives and Thailand while a control group, matched for health and lifestyle, stayed at home. All the participants were asked to take certain steps to lead similar lifestyles over the course of the test and each wore heart monitors.

Those lucky enough to be sent away for a break in the sun came home and two weeks later received another round of tests to see what their holiday had done for them and it was found that on the whole their health was much better than those participants who had stayed at home. And no surprise, you might say. Who wouldn’t feel better after being whisked off to exotic locations or indeed feel worse having missed out on the opportunity to take such a break? But who expected those health benefits to carry on having an effect for weeks after the holiday was over?

More than just a tan and a welcome burst of vitamin D thanks to all that sunshine the participants who had been away also showed health benefits including:

•  Stress recovery. The vacationers’ ability to recover from stress went up 29% while those who had stayed home showed their stress recovery went down 71%.

•  Improved sleep patterns. Sleep among those who had been away improved 34 points while the others, theirs went down 27 points.
•   Blood pressure benefits. Blood pressure went down 6% in those who had gone abroad while the others’ went up 2%.

They also saw other benefits such as:

•   Better energy levels and overall mood

•  Improved body shape which is a sing of weight loss, lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes

•   Lowered glycemic levels, reducing the risk of developing diabetes

Jay Brewer, head of physiology at Nuffield Health Centres said:

“Blood pressure levels can be affected by stress which may increase your long-term risk of diseases such as heart disease. Your weight/hip ratio is important, because the more barrel-shaped you are, the more likely you may be exposed to risk of diabetes. Blood glucose levels can give a quick snap shot of diabetes risk.”

If you’re not in the position to take a holiday every time you’re starting to feel a little run down then Jay Brewer recommends trying some of these six techniques which mimic the effects of taking a vacation.

Sleep more. People are often far more tired than they realise, until they stop and give themselves a chance to unwind. People report having far better quality sleep while they are away which is energising. As well as finding time for a few more hours sleep, make your bedroom a place you like to be in, add a little luxury to your night time hideaway.

Take part in new activities. Taking time away from work and home is an opportunity to get perspective on your own life and see how other people live. You can’t replicate the weather or the lifestyle of people in far flung lands but you can do things at the weekend which are so different from your weekday routine that you meet a variety of new and interesting people with a different take on life.

Take a loved one out on a date. Vacations have been found to bring couples closer together. While on holiday you’re likely to be the only people you know and away from the daily stresses of home you get a chance to spend quality time together and reconnect. Going on a date once a week where you can concentrate on having fun and a little romance.

Make a ‘to do’ list. It’s been found that people on vacation often make life changing decisions about where they want to be when they get back home. Having time and space to get perspective gives you a chance to identify things you don’t like in your life and the time to plan how to solve them. Make time to identify those problems now and do something about them.

Avoid your computer at least one day a week. A holiday is supposed to be a chance to switch off your head and just let things happen instead of kowtowing to your routine. Instead of switching on your computer over the weekend and checking up on emails stay away, go for a walk instead, turn your phone off and do something where you can’t be reached.

Engage in family activities. While we’re at home the kids are off with their friends and you just want to relax and read the papers. Understandable but while you’re on holiday you are far more likely to spend time doing things you enjoy with your family. Why should that only happen while you’re away? You could go to a theme park or to the beach, even just go for a bike ride, only don’t force them, you’ll just make it worse!

Amy Fry writes about various subjects including personal finances, health and holiday destinations. For more information about exotic holiday destinations visit http://www.beaches.com/ or http://www.timeout.com.