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To fully benefit from your summer vacation and completely disconnect from work, a certain number of days off must be respected, according to Science.
Many of us have already taken a week of vacation… without having managed to “disconnect”. The fault lies with social networks, your email inbox, social pressure… or even timing. According to researchers, the number of days taken would indeed have a great influence on your state of relaxation. Explanations.
A peak of well-being after 8 days of vacation
French employees are among the lucky ones: they benefit, on average, from 5 weeks of paid vacation per year. These “off” days allow workers to take time to rest, recharge their batteries and spend time with their loved ones.
That being said, what is the “ideal” length of vacation to feel truly rested? A Finnish researcher from the University of Tampere, Jessica Bloom, took a closer look at the link between vacations and well-being.
To do this, she studied the behavior of 54 people who had taken 23 days of vacation. The result? The peak in well-being is felt after eight days of vacation, before gradually decreasing.
“We noticed an improvement in the quality of sleep, energy, tension…” she explains.
On the other hand, after this period, weariness and boredom (re)surface and can alter the initial benefits of the vacation.
Increase the number of short stays
According to another study, this time by researchers from Radboud University in the Netherlands, the ideal would be to “divide” these vacation weeks to make the most of their positive effects.
Understand: do not take 3 weeks in a row but rather favor more short stays throughout the year. And this, in order to maintain a better mental and physical state throughout the year…. and then achieve a healthy balance between professional and private life.
Indeed, a break that is too long (and too monotonous, without varied activities) would be of little benefit. And it would be even more difficult to find a “normal” rhythm afterwards.
Once back in the daily routine, the effects of the holidays fade very quickly. Science indicates that after just one week (maximum 2), fatigue and (bad) mood return.
You have now been warned!
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