When you first hear physicians advising their patients to go on a vacation regularly, the question that will pop up in your mind is, is travel good for health? The simple answer is yes and this article discusses some of the health and other benefits of traveling.
Traveling is good for your heart
Traveling has the ability to lower the risk of suffering heart attack. This is not a mere theory or belief. It has been confirmed by two separate studies. The one carried out on men showed that men who take yearly vacations have 30% less chances of dying from heart failure than their counterparts who do not. The second study was done on women and it showed that women who take a vacation at least twice a year are less likely to encounter any heart diseases than those who take vacations once in six years or more.
Traveling reduces stress
Of course, everyone is aware of this. However, what they may not be aware of is the health dangers attached to stress. If not checked, stress can lead to anxiety, anger, lack of motivation, and on rare cases, depression. Stress can also cause muscle pain, stomach upset, chest pain, and some other medical conditions. It is safe and correct to say traveling reduces the chances of suffering from depression.
Traveling boosts creativity
Researchers once found that fashion designers that have traveled to different countries are usually more creative than the ones that remain in the same country. People in different parts of the world do things differently, they have different likes, and most importantly, they have different beliefs. It will make you a better person to travel all over the world and meet different people. It will also help you learn about different cultures and beliefs. You will be able to make more important decisions than someone who has never left his country.
For example, West Africans used to believe all wild animals were meant to be killed until some of them traveled to Europe and saw how much was being made from tourism with those animals in zoos. So, traveling does not only boost creativity, it also promotes enlightenment.
It improves sleep quality
A lot of people sleep better on vacation, because they worry less. When you are on vacation, your mind will be freer. So, you will be more relaxed and you will sleep better and deeper. Sometimes, taking a vacation helps you get over a traumatic situation faster. A study was carried on fifteen travelers. Devices were worn by these travelers to measure the quality of their sleep. They started wearing the devices to bed three days before their vacation and they still continued to wear them up till three days after their vacation. It was found out that the quality of their sleep improved by an average of 80% when they were on vacation and this quality did not drop even when they got back home.
It boosts your creativity
Taking a vacation refreshes, re-energizes, reinvigorates, and revitalizes you so much that when you return to work, your level of creativity, innovation, and productivity will increase tremendously. This is the reason some companies encourage their employees to go on vacation at least once in a year.
In conclusion, it is a bad idea to skip vacations, because traveling is necessary for your health and productivity. It does not have to be a luxury trip all the time. There are ways to minimize your travel cost.
