Want To Live Longer? Take A Holiday: Here's Why

Vacations can increase longevity in men: study

Many people underestimate the value of taking holidays to an unprecedented extent. Work and family commitments make it difficult for people to take a leave and go for a break. But taking vacations is extremely important for good health and overall well-being. A new study has found that taking at least three vacations in a year amidst your work schedule can increase longevity, especially for men. In the study, it was found that people who took shorter vacations - worked more and slept lesser, as compared to the ones who took longer vacations. This had a negative impact on their health and also affected their life span.

Men who took three weeks or lesser leave annually were 37% more likely to die early, as compared to those who took leave of more than three weeks from their work schedule. 

The study also implies that living a healthy lifestyle cannot make up for working too hard and not taking any holidays, experts said, reported IANS.

Taking vacation can improve longevity in men
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Vacations provide that much required relief from the monotony of life and also helps in reducing stress. Being in constant stress can increase risks of many health conditions like obesity, high blood pressure and depression.

The study was presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Cardiology in Germany. It included over 1,200 middle-aged working males, all of whom were randomised into a control and intervention group.

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In every 4 months, the intervention group received oral and written advice for including physical activities, eating healthy, trying to achieve a healthy weight and quit smoking.

Taking a vacation and spending time with your loved ones is important for living healthy
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Men in the control group, on the other hand, received usual healthcare advices and were not checked or monitored by the researchers.

In the intervention group, people who took shorter vacations were found to be associated with excess deaths. In the control group, no impact of vacation time was seen on risk of death.

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It has to be noted that here that the study does not imply that health education is harmful for people. The idea is to reduce stress in order to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases and other risks to health caused by stress.

Other health benefits of taking vacations include:

1. Reduced risk of heart diseases: There have been various studies which prove that people who take long and relaxing vacations regularly are at reduced risks of heart diseases.

2. Taking vacations can reduce depression and stress: Visiting a new place and taking out time exclusively for yourself and family or friends makes you believe that there is so much more to look forward to in the world. Taking vacations is a great way to alleviate job stress.

3. Improved productivity: Taking vacations can help in improving your productivity at work. You come back with a fresh mind and fresh motivation to deliver better at your workplace.

Thus, take a break and go for a vacation. It is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.