As exciting and fun as it can be to explore the world with the latest travel accessories and tech at hand – there’s more to a great vacation than what you bring with you. In fact, according to many personal opinions and studies alike – it’s what you bring home that really has the power to change your life.
Despite popular opinion – at least within the U.S. – Vacations aren’t actually a luxury – they’re a necessary way to help us blow off steam, de-stress, and revitalize after weeks, months, or even years completing the same standard tasks at work, and at home. The right vacation is just as important as getting exercise and eating well when it comes to achieving a fully balanced and holistic lifestyle.
Following, we’ll cover just some of the main reasons why vacations really matter, and why you should consider putting your travel accessories and waist money belt to use right now.
1. Vacations Help to Alleviate Stress
Uncomfortable though it may be – stress is actually a common physiological response that is designed to keep human beings safe, and inform them when they’re pushing themselves too far – emotionally, physically, or psychologically. Stress releases hormones like epinephrine and cortisol – which trigger the flight or fight response that was essential when we were just starting out as a species.
Unfortunately, today, chronic stress can work to destroy our own bodies, and getting away for regular vacations so that we can leave some of that everyday stress behind is a great way to give our systems a break from that constant onslaught of hormones. Just make sure to take the right travel accessories, to help lower the common anxieties of traveling – such as a waist money belt to keep your cash safe.
2. Vacations Can Prevent Heart Disease
Stress acts as one of the primary contributors to heart disease and high blood pressure. Studies that have been conducted long-term into men and women alike have shown that regular vacations have the capacity to reduce the risk of heart attack and heart disease by lowering the levels of damaging hormones within the human system.
Men who took regular vacations were 32% less likely to die early from a heart attack, and for women who vacation regularly, that number jumped to 50% less likely.
3. Vacations Strengthen Your Immune System
In the world of science, there’s a field of research known as “psychoneuroimmunology” that helps to seek out the causes of stress, and finds reasons why it’s adrenal dysfunction can lead to alterations in the immune system that makes people more susceptible to a range of illnesses. Too much stress can lead to you getting common infections like the flu, alongside more serious conditions such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
In fact, some researchers even believe that too much long-term stress may be a factor in the development of cancer. If that’s not an important reason of why vacations really matter – we don’t know what is.
4. Vacations Make You Happier
If you’ve ever been on a vacation before, then this benefit should be relatively obvious. Vacations simply make you feel better, by exposing you to exciting new experiences and giving you the space that you need to relax and unwind. Too much exposure to the common stresses of life over time can quickly build up and leave you feeling burned out.
However, studies have found that people who take vacations regularly report feeling extremely happy, with a feeling of overall wellness – in comparison to those who did not take vacations. Many people even reported happiness that lasted long beyond the actual vacation itself.
5. Vacations Improve your Relationships
One of the reasons why vacations really matter – is that they can strengthen existing relationships. Taking the time to explore new experiences with your loved ones and family can help you to forge closer bonds with those people through long-lasting memories. Studies have found that women who take regular vacations with their spouses’ report feeling happier with their marriages. Research has also uncovered some connections between academic achievement in children and family vacations in the summer.
From a romantic perspective, vacations can also improve your sex life. Studies have shown that high cortisol levels that are typical in people suffering from stress, are responsible for creating a negative feedback loop in the brain – lowering levels of sex hormones and reducing libido.
6. Vacations Enhance Productivity
Although many people assume that time away from work would actually be bad for their careers – studies indicate that extra vacation time for workers will actually help to increase productivity, and has also been found to lower the number of sick days’ people take. Liberal policies for vacations generally create a better quality of life for employees, and workers often report feeling more creative after taking time off.
The idea of improved productivity makes sense if you consider the fact that vacations can help you focus. Studies have found that chronic stress restricts the part of the brain that deals with goal-oriented activities. Continuous work without breaks can leave people feeling burned out and distracted – and a vacation can be just the refresher they need.
7. Vacations Lead to Better Sleep Quality
Finally, research has found that people who grab their travel accessories and strap on their money travel belt often report a 20% improvement in their sleep. While on vacation, most people average around an hour of extra sleep, which can carry over when they return home too.
If that’s not enough, this combination of better sleep and reduced stress can also help to make people thinner. Often, overweight people who are regularly exhausted and stressed eat mindlessly as a response to their internal discomfort. People who discover for themselves why vacations really matter therefore have an opportunity to get rid of that dangerous stress, and begin to create more positive habits for themselves, which continue long after they get home.
