The Science Behind a Day of Rest

For the longest time it was easier to take a day of rest in our week. Stores were closed on Sundays, there was no such thing as “online” and we got 3 channels on the TV. The pace was slower and we focused more on family time and our imaginations.

In an article entitled “A Day of Rest: 12 Scientific Reasons it Works” by Rhett Power and featured on Inc., Power focuses on the science behind a day of rest. Three points that resonated:

• “Time out gives you a chance to move. Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels. Too much sitting also seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.”
• “Time out restores mental energy. Studies show that people who do not know how to detach from work during their off time experience increased exhaustion over the course of one year and are less resilient in the face of stressful work conditions.”
• “When you take time out for yourself, you are more creative. Thinking is one of the crucial benefits of stepping back. Just as quality time off fuels energetic resources on the job, reflective time is critical to producing solutions and creative breakthroughs.”

Getting back to a day of rest in our week is a healthy choice; not only for ourselves, but for our loved ones as well. Less of a focus on work, our phones, the TV, and more of a focus on getting outside, planning an activity, fun and laughter. Let’s bring back our Sundays 🙂

To read the full article: https://www.inc.com/rhett-power/a-day-of-rest-12-scientific-reasons-it-works.html

Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@patriotbarrow