Time out: We all need a three-day weekend

Date:
April 13, 2023
Source:
University of South Australia
Summary:
As a four-day work week is trialed in countries across the globe,
health researchers say they're 'all in' when it comes to a long
weekend, especially as new empirical research shows that the extra
time off is good for our health.


Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
As a four-day work week is trialled in countries across the globe,
health researchers at the University of South Australia say they're
'all in' when it comes to a long weekend, especially as new empirical
research shows that the extra time off is good for our health.


========================================================================== Assessing changes in daily movements before, during and after holidays, researchers found that people displayed more active, healthy behaviours
when they were on holiday, even when they only had a three-day break.

Across the 13-month study period, people generally took an average two to
three holidays, each being around 12 days. The most common holiday type
was 'outdoor recreation' (35 per cent), followed by 'family/social events'
(31 per cent), 'rest and relaxation' (17 per cent) and 'non-leisure
pursuits' such as caring for others or home renovations (17 per cent).

Specifically, it showed that on holiday people:
* engaged in 13 per cent more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
(MVPA)
each day (or five min/day more)
* were five per cent less sedentary each day (or 29 min/day less)
* slept four per cent more each day (or 21 min/day more).

UniSA researcher Dr Ty Ferguson says that the research indicates that
people display healthier behaviours when they are on holiday.

"When people go on holiday, they're changing their everyday
responsibilities because they're not locked down to their normal
schedule," Dr Ferguson says.

"In this study, we found that movement patterns changed for the better
when on holiday, with increased physical activity and decreased sedentary behaviour observed across the board.

"We also found that people gained an extra 21 minutes of sleep each
day they were on holiday, which can have a range of positive effects on
our physical and mental health. For example, getting enough sleep can
help improve our mood, cognitive function, and productivity. It can
also help lower our risk of developing a range of health conditions,
such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression.

"Interestingly, the size of these changes increased in line with the
length of the holiday -- so the longer the holiday, the better the
health benefits." The study used data from the Annual rhythms in adults' lifestyle and health (ARIA)study where 308 adults (mean age 40.4 years)
wore fitness trackers 24 hours a day for 13 months. Minute-by-minute
movement behaviour data were aggregated into daily totals to compare
movement behaviours pre-holiday, during holiday and post-holiday.

Senior researcher UniSA's Prof Carol Maher says that the study offers
support for the growing movement for a four-day week.

"A shorter working week is being trialled by companies all over the
world. Not surprisingly, employees reported less stress, burnout, fatigue,
as well as better mental health and improved work-life balance," Prof
Maher says.

"This study provides empirical evidence that people have healthier
lifestyle patterns when they have a short break, such as a three-day
weekend. This increase in physical activity and sleep is expected to
have positive effects on both mental and physical health, contributing
to the benefits observed with a four-day work week.

"Importantly, our study also showed that even after a short holiday,
people's increased sleep remained elevated for two weeks, showing that
the health benefits of a three-day break can have lasting effects beyond
the holiday itself.

"As the world adapts to a new normal, perhaps it's time to embrace the
long weekend as a way to boost our physical and mental health."
* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Fitness # Mental_Health_Research # Workplace_Health #
Chronic_Illness
o Mind_&_Brain
# Child_Development # Mental_Health # Depression #
Disorders_and_Syndromes
* RELATED_TERMS
o Health_science o Healthy_diet o Public_health o Epidemiology
o General_fitness_training o Medicine o UV_index o
Vulvovaginal_health

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_South_Australia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Ty Ferguson, Rachel Curtis, Francois Fraysse, Timothy Olds, Dorothea
Dumuid, Wendy Brown, Adrian Esterman, Carol Maher. How do 24-h
movement behaviours change during and after vacation? A cohort
study.

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity,
2023; 20 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s12966-023-01416-2 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230413011820.htm

--- up 1 year, 6 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)