A relaxing holiday cuts blood pressure, reduced blood glucose and stress levels
Going on holiday not only makes you feel good while you're there - you reap the health benefits for months, new research shows.
Jetting off to exotic destinations such as the Maldives cuts your blood pressure, helps you sleep better and bounce back from stress, it found.
The benefits last at least a fortnight longer than the vacation and can be felt for months in some cases it is claimed.
Experts say workers should always take their full holiday entitlement each year - as many as one in three don’t - to reap the benefits.
The study compared key health markers in holidaymakers visiting Thailand, Peru or the Maldives, with people who stayed at home and continued working.
The average blood pressure of those on holiday dropped by six percent while the workers saw their blood pressure rise by two percent over the same period.
The sleep quality of holidaymakers improved by 17 percent while that of the non-holidaymakers deteriorated by 14 percent.
The study also found the ability of vacationers to recover from stress - known as the stress-resilience test - improved by 29 percent.
There was a 71 percent fall in stress resilience scores among workers.
Tests showed a fall in blood glucose levels, reducing the risk of diabetes, trimmer waistlines and enhanced mood and energy levels, with the effects sustained for at least two weeks after returning home.
The Holiday Health Experiment was conducted by tour operator Kuoni and Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity.
新研究显示，度假不仅让你在当时感觉良好，而且给你的健康带来的益处可维持数月之久。
研究发现，乘飞机到马尔代夫等颇具异国情调的旅游目的地度个假，不仅会让你的血压降下来，而且有助于改善你的睡眠，帮助你从压力中恢复过来。
度假带来的益处可在假期结束后持续至少两周，据称有时还能持续数月之久。
专家认为，员工应当充分享受其每年的休假权，从中获益——而事实上，多达三分之一的员工没有休掉年假。
此项研究将去泰国、秘鲁或马尔代夫等国度假的人的主要健康指数与留在家里继续工作的人进行了对比。
度假者的平均血压降低了6%，而同一期间继续工作的人的血压则上升了2%。
度假者的睡眠质量提高了17%，而不度假者的睡眠质量则下降了14%。
通过压力恢复力测试，研究还发现，度假者从压力中恢复过来的能力提高了29%。
假期工作的人这一能力的得分则下降了71%。
测试表明，度假者的血糖水平降低了，患糖尿病的风险减少了，腰围变细了，情绪和精力均有所改善，而且这种影响可以在度假回家后持续至少两周。
这项度假健康实验是由瑞士旅业集团与英国最大的健康慈善机构纳菲尔德健康中心联合开展的。
resilience: 恢复力
blood glucose: 血糖