New York, July 21, 2007
Give It A Rest!
Vacations Are More Than A Mental Health Break -- They're Good For Your Whole Body
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Play CBS Video Video Teacher Gets St. Kitts Getaway Only On The Web: Dave Price gives a Savannah teacher a tropical getaway to St. Kitts as part of the "Great American Vacation" series on "The Early Show."
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Video Deserving Dad Awarded A Trip Only On The Web: Dave Price introduces you to Bryan and Tammy Cornell, the latest Great American Vacation recipients. Tammy nominated her dedicated husband, Bryan, for his family commitment.
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Video Cop, Wife Get A Vacation Only On The Web: Dave Price introduces Key West police officer Kurt Stephens and his wife, Carol, who received a trip to the Caribbean as part of the Great American Vacation tour.
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Section Summer Hot tips for a cool summer: movies, books, destinations, food, fashion and more.
These are all symptoms exhibited by workaholics, and new research shows that the constant stress of a job can harm more than just your home life (and your thumb, for the BlackBerry-addicted).
Dr. Mallika Marshall was on The Saturday Early Show to explain why a little "R & R" is not only good for your peace of mind, but for your overall health as well.
Don't skimp on time away from your daily grind, she says, because vacations are actually good for your health.
"Let's take stress, for example. People with chronic stress tend to produce more fight and flight hormones in their body, like cortisol and epinephrine, which can raise your blood pressure and put extra strain on your heart," Dr. Marshall explained. "It also puts you at higher risk for obesity, depression, stomach upset, and infections like the common cold due to a weakened immune system."
The best way to handle the excessive stress, she says, is to "take a break from your stressful situation … break the unhealthy cycle, so to speak. And several studies have suggested over the years that people who take vacations on a regular basis have lower rates of stress and therefore are at lower risk for some of these health problems. They also tend to report being happier in their marriages."
For the workaholic, just the idea of taking a break "can be daunting," says Marshall, and "these people may actually suffer from something called 'leisure sickness,' where they actually develop headaches, fatigue, muscle pains, and stomach upset during weekends and on vacation."
"Interestingly, one of the number one causes of deaths on vacation is heart attack," Dr. Marshall said, "usually in the first couple of days on vacation. They tend to be people who work long hours, who were eager for a vacation. The risk is very, very small. I'm not telling people they're going to die if they take a vacation! But there are negative health effects as well."
According to Dr. Marshall, there are some planning steps the vacation averse can take to make their transition easier.
According to researchers, says Marshall, "Studies have found that people's stress returned to pre-vacation levels within three weeks of their return, but that even having a short, stress-free period in-between can have positive physical effects."
Even if you can't take long breaks, "just periodically winding down and recuperating from stress can be beneficial," advises Marshall. "And the more often you take vacations, the less likely you are to feel stressed overall."
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