How Many Vacations Does Our Brain Need To Truly Disconnect?
After a whole year of working, you may think that no vacation period will be enough. Studies indicate that It takes more than 3.5 hours of free time a day to feel a good level of life satisfaction , but what is the lower limit with days off? Is there a minimum that guarantees brain rest?
The truth is that the brain is an organ that benefits from daily activity and challenges, but that also deteriorates when these are excessive. The WHO reports, in fact, that in 2016, almost 400,000 people died from a stroke and 347,000 from ischemic heart disease, all related to having worked excessive hours. They also ensure that working hours of more than 55 hours per week significantly increase this fatal risk.
Therefore, it can be stated that Vacations are a matter of mental and physical health , and not just an opportunity to travel and stop getting up early. Giving the brain a break from daily work routines is linked to changes in neural chemistry and activity in different regions. This is what we are going to explore here: how our brain takes advantage of that well-deserved disconnection.
You’ve probably already noticed it subjectively, but the brain needs to rest. One of the key processes that takes place in the brain during rest is the reduction of activity in the stress response system Chronic stress and the constant demands experienced at work activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is involved in the release of stress hormones, such as cortisol. Well, during vacations, the decrease in work demands and exposure to relaxing environments allow this response system to gradually stop working. Therefore, cortisol and other hormones related to nervous activation will have a lower presence in the blood, favoring the reduction of subjective stress.
Stress reduction, while valuable, is not the only advantage of taking a vacation. Rest periods also promote brain plasticity , since, through exposure to new activities and environments, different brain regions are stimulated and the formation of new neural connections is encouraged. This can lead to increased cognitive flexibility, creativity, and learning ability once we return to our daily routines, studies show.
On the other hand, during rest periods the brain is allowed carry out your chemical regulation processes normally again An example of this is serotonin, the famous “happiness hormone”, associated with feelings of well-being. This hormone is regulated thanks to the hypothalamus, in charge of biological rhythms and which is allowed to function normally when the forced routines of work life are abandoned (getting up early, eating outside of normal hours, etc.).
In fact, a longitudinal study analyzed the consumption of antidepressants in a Swedish population over 10 years. He found that this was drastically reduced as the number of people on vacation increased.
Neuroimaging studies have shown that Vacations May Promote Changes in Brain Structure , such as an increase in volume in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, regions associated with relaxation and emotional regulation. Likewise, it has been observed that vacations are associated with an increase in connectivity between different brain regions, which translates into an improvement in the integration of information.
Psychological disconnection during the holidays
As you can see, the brain benefits enormously from a good vacation, the kind where it completely disconnects. Consequently, the psychological effects of prolonged breaks can also be seen in the following effects:
How many vacations does our brain need to really disconnect?
Now let’s get to the crux of the matter. A couple of days are not enough for the brain to recover its functions to healthy levels, but rather it requires at least 7 days, according to studies. It is during this period that the brain manages to disconnect, that is, calm down the neuronal activity typical of work periods.
Experts in work psychology suggest, however, that A longer period of at least 15 days is needed to achieve long-term lasting recovery In this way, in addition to deactivating the hypothalamic-pituitary axis that produces stress responses, other activations related to pleasure are encouraged and these connections are allowed to settle.
The pre and post-vacation effect
The psychological effects of vacations are not limited to the period itself. An interesting study published in the journal Psychology and Health found that there was a significant relationship between reducing the impact of stress on heart rate and the arrival of vacation. More specifically, that Stress already begins to reduce a week before the worker begins his vacation period
But, as said before, a long enough vacation means that the benefits they provide are maintained in the long term. This was found by another study published in 2020: although stress returned to its initial state in the first week back from vacation, exhaustion did not occur until 3 weeks later
The balance between quality and quantity
Although it is important to take longer vacations to completely disconnect, it is also essential to consider the quality of the free time we enjoy. Even if we only have a few days, we can maximize the psychological benefits by focusing on activities that give us genuine rest and pleasure.
However, not everyone has the privilege of taking a long vacation where they can completely disconnect. In those cases, Psychology professionals recommend reserving days or periods dedicated exclusively to self-care such as exercising, reading, meditating or spending time in natural spaces.
