Vacation bursts stress, boosts immunity and metabolism

Vacation is the best way of feeling so great away from day-to-day activities by retreating to a relaxing resort. There is medical research to support vacation. The study revealed going on vacation relieves stress, refreshes the cells, and help fight ageing problems. Meditation during retreat also boosts the immune function and metabolism in human body.

A combined research effort from University of California, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Harvard Medical School examined 94 healthy women between the ages of 30 to 60 years old, who had retreated at a resort. Half of them included mantra meditation, yoga and self-reflection exercises. Their blood samples were collected for survey before and after their stay. It was tested for biomarkers associated with stress, cell health and ageing.

The result of same tests and examination after one month and 10 months experiences shows significant changes. Benefits of vacation strongly increased for the experienced participants during the period. They agreed to have better feeling. Their psychological effects also appeared to be lasting. Meditation during the vacation helped to improve metabolism by protecting cells long-term, where classic vacations may favour more short-term improvements in mental  well-being.

Rudolph Tanzi, professor of neurology at Harvard University said: ‘Meditation is one of the ways to engage in restorative activities that may provide relief for our immune systems, easing the day-to-day stress of a body constantly trying to protect itself. The prediction is that this would then lead to healthier aging.’

The research was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, published by Nature.