How to rest with maximum health benefits. 10 effective tips from a doctor

endocrinologist, mentor of the Health Buddy health restoration and preservation project

How to rest properly to feel good after a vacation?

Rest is one of the tools for restoring energy and therefore an integral part of keeping the body healthy. Learn more about how vacation affects your health and how to properly help your body recover below.

Strengthen your immune system

Going on a vacation trip, it is worth remembering that the flight, the change of climate and time zone, a new cuisine to which the body is not used to – all these are challenges for the immune system. Increases the load and the very fact of reduced performance, because the body needs rest, and prolonged fatigue is accompanied by a decrease in immune response, so the body in a new environment is most susceptible to acclimatization and adaptation (it is much more difficult to maintain an immune response at a sufficient level).

This is why you should not forget about antioxidants and vitamins during your vacation. Fruits and vegetables in variety are also suitable for immunity support, if tablet or capsule forms are not available.

Remember that only taking vitamins or foods rich in useful substances is not enough to fully maintain immunity during life. You need a comprehensive and systematic approach, which includes: sports, care of mental health, adequate sleep. Taking care of your health is always a complex approach, never a single recommendation.

Keep your diet under control

Eating new exotic dishes and overeating can lead to abdominal bloating and other types of gastrointestinal disorders that can ruin your vacation.

To help the digestive system, it’s worth taking probiotics and supplemental enzymes. To select the appropriate medications and get recommendations for their use, it is worth contacting a specialist.

Limit alcohol consumption

If you consume alcohol uncontrollably, there is a risk that such a vacation will not be good for your health. Here are some of the reasons:

• Alcohol has a negative effect on the nervous system. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, long-term heavy drinking causes changes in neurons, such as reducing their size. If a person suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, the study shows that alcohol use causes fatigue to increase;
• excessive alcohol consumption can negatively affect the immune system, thereby limiting the body’s ability to adequately defend itself against disease and infection;
• the effects of drinking alcohol on vacation also include liver function problems, dehydration and swelling due to the effects of ethyl alcohol, which retains water, weight gain – even moderate alcohol intake increases the desire to eat fatty and spicy foods, people who drink large amounts of alcohol have a higher risk of obesity.

Maintain water balance

To maintain water balance, you should consume the right amount of water per day – about 35 ml per kilogram of adult body weight. If you’re traveling by air, water is especially important when you’re on the road. If the water content in the body decreases during the flight due to pressure fluctuations and low humidity, it is recommended to consume 0.5 liters of water per hour to help the metabolism pump blood and oxygen. It is also important to get enough drinking water if you have spent a lot of time in the sun to avoid dehydration.

Stay active

Use vacation time as an opportunity to add more physical activity to your daily life. Walking tours, hiking or simply jogging in the park will relieve accumulated stress, make you feel invigorated and add stamina.

Also in your free time you can pay attention to learning new sports: horseback riding, tennis, aqua aerobics, yoga, Pilates, various types of dance and fitness.

Keep your energy levels up

For energy balance and well-being, in addition to exercise, you can use calmer practices on vacation. Meditations, walks in the woods, barefoot walks on a sandy beach or grass replace foot massage, because the feet have a large number of innervation points for internal organs. You can enroll in clay modeling, sketching (sketching), art therapy and other courses. Such classes can not only become your hobby, but also have a positive effect on your psycho-emotional state and give pleasant emotions, it is a kind of meditation.

Keep stress under control

A vacation should be positive and relaxing. However, while traveling, you may encounter various stressful situations, such as flight delays or difficulties navigating a new area. Try to give yourself more time to relax afterwards. For example, by getting a massage or taking a relaxing bath. The amino acid L-theanine, which increases stress tolerance, can also help.

Get enough sleep

Worldwide, 62% of people have trouble sleeping. On vacation, the situation can get worse, as the lack of a clear schedule disrupts the routine. When traveling, the natural mechanism of falling asleep often fails due to time zone changes and disruption of melatonin production. That’s why it’s worth taking melatonin additionally during long and complicated flights – you can use an online calculator to calculate the time and dosage or ask a specialist for help.

Protect your skin

Whether on a cruise, in the city or out of town, a person on vacation is usually outdoors more often. Make sure you wear clothes made of natural fabrics that allow air to pass through, and be sure to bring sunscreen to avoid sunburns.

Socialize more with people

Spending time with family and friends gives you a chance to boost your happiness hormones. It is also good to meet new people and practice foreign languages in another country. This will help boost levels of dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and other compounds that affect our mood, physical and mental well-being.