A new study mentioned in a New York Times article reveals what we’ve always secretly hoped to hear: Taking a vacation is really good for you. Not only that, but not taking any vacations is actually detrimental to your health.

Vacation or die?
The article quotes a study published in 2000 that for nine years followed 12,000 men who were at high risk for coronary heart disease. The men who did not take yearly vacations were 32 percent more likely to die of a heart attack and had a 21 percent higher death risk from all causes. In another study, which followed a group of women for 20 years, those who vacationed once every six years or less “were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack than those who took at least two vacations a year.”

In yet another study, this time on a group of travelers to New Zealand, it was found that after two or three days on vacation, people were getting an hour more than usual of quality sleep, and their reaction times were improved by 80 percent. Once the travelers returned home, they were still sleeping an extra hour and had a reaction time of 30 to 40 percent better than before they left for the vacation. There’s a catch, though, for the vacation to benefit your health — it needs to be relaxing. That means no smartphones glued to your hip or spending the majority of your time on the computer doing work. And no family drama.

The American way
So how many Americans need a vacation intervention? Many, as it turns out. An Expedia.com study found that nearly a third of working Americans don’t use all their given vacation days, usually leaving about three days unused. The survey also found that British workers get an average of 26 vacation days a year and the French get 37. We get 14 on average and don’t even use them all! And those are the lucky ones — some Americans get no vacation days. That’s because America, for some terrible reason, is the only industrialized country that does not require paid vacation days. Fortunately, the Times article says, some groups are lobbying to make paid vacation days mandatory.

My own vacation
This all feels quite relevant because next Thursday, I’m using all my vacation days this year to go to Europe for just over two weeks (the recommended time for a thoroughly replenishing vacation in the article). I am spending the first week in Scotland and England with my mom, who won a grant to study the Romantic poets where they lived and wrote. I’m then going to Germany for a few nights to stay with a friend who studied abroad at my high school for a year. We may or may not go to Amsterdam for a night. Then I’ll be spending a few days alone in Paris because several friends who will be in Europe during that time and I were not able to all coordinate our travel times. I’m disappointed I’ll be in the City of Love alone (with my boyfriend thousands of miles away), but I am also kind of exhilarated about embarking on an international adventure alone.

Anyway, back to my original point: I think this trip is much-needed for my sanity and stress levels. While all the traveling I’m doing will be stressful in and of itself, the fact that I will not be having to work or worry about anything serious will be wonderful. Enjoying a nice, long break from the daily grind is a precious gift I’m giving to myself. Some of my other co-workers take long vacations like this as well, but some never use vacation days, or forget they have them until the end of the year and use them all up during the winter holidays, just hanging out at home (our vacay days expire the following January). Not me, baby!

So the next time you’re thinking about forgoing work to attend to your work duties, stop and think about your sanity and health. Is your job really so important that you can’t take off for a week or two? Are there really not ways to delegate your duties to other people? Fortunately for me I’m still somewhat entry-level at my company and do not have any duties that can’t be handled by anyone else, but even for someone with many duties, it’s possible. Even if it means going to an Internet cafe every three or four days just to make sure there are no emergencies. Life goes on, and the world still spins even if you’re soaking up the sun in St. Barts. You deserve it. And when you come back, your health and happiness will be restored.

Do you ever forgo vacation because you feel too busy at work? Do you live by vacationing to maintain your sanity? Share your experience in the comment section!

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