Taking rest is an important part of maintaining both physical and mental health. In our busy modern lives, many people struggle to find time to properly relax and recharge. However, research shows that taking regular rest breaks can provide many benefits to overall wellbeing. Here we will explore some of the key advantages of taking time for rest and relaxation.
Reduces Stress
One of the main benefits of taking rest is that it helps reduce stress levels. When we are overly busy, stressed or overwhelmed, our body starts to produce high levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. While these hormones help us cope in the short-term, over time they can start to have negative impacts on the body and mind. Taking time for rest allows the body to lower cortisol levels, heart rate and blood pressure, reversing the impacts of chronic stress.
Activities that are particularly good for inducing deep rest and relaxation include:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Reading
- Listening to music
- Spending time in nature
- Taking a hot bath
Even short 10-15 minute breaks focused on relaxing the body and mind can help lower stress hormones significantly.
Improves Sleep
Getting adequate rest and relaxation during the day can also greatly improve sleep quality at night. When we are overly stimulated and stressed, it can be difficult to fall asleep and to experience deep, restorative sleep. Relaxation induces the production of hormones like serotonin and dopamine which are necessary for healthy sleep cycles.
Some ways that taking daytime rests can improve sleep:
- Lowers cortisol which inhibits restful sleep
- Helps reduce anxious thoughts and repetitive thinking
- Allows the body to fully recharge for the next day
- Resets circadian rhythms which regulate sleep
- Creates a sense of relaxation and calm before bed
Getting consistent, high quality sleep each night provides enormous health and wellbeing benefits. Taking relaxing rests throughout the day supports the body’s natural sleep cycles.
Supports Immune System
Taking regular rest periods can also help boost the immune system and make the body more resistant to illness. When we are stressed and overtired, research shows that immune function becomes compromised. The body’s white blood cells, antibodies and other immune fighters are lowered when under stress. This makes you more susceptible to colds, flu, infections and generally falling ill.
However, when the body has a chance to fully recharge and rest, immunity is enhanced. Relaxation allows certain genes involved in immune function to become active once again. High quality restorative rest makes the body better prepared to fight off any viruses or bacteria you encounter during your day.
Improves Memory and Concentration
Taking breaks for relaxation and short naps has been shown to improve memory, learning and concentration. When the brain is burnt out from intense focus and work, it struggles to retain new information and focus properly. Rest allows the brain to process information and memories, as well as improve concentration spans moving forward.
Even brief 10-20 minute breaks to unwind can:
- Improve ability to absorb and retain new information
- Allow short term memories to transition to long term storage
- Clear mental clutter and distractions
- Help maintain focus and attention during tasks
Young children nap frequently during the day for this exact purpose – to allow their developing brains time to rest and integrate new information while they sleep.
Physical Recovery and Healing
Adequate rest and relaxation is vitally important for allowing muscles time to recover and repair from physical exertion. During exercise, tiny tears and damage occur in muscle fibres. When the body rests, repair processes happen to heal these tears and strengthen the muscles. Without sufficient rest between workouts, muscles remain weak and fatigued.
Other physical recovery processes that occur during rest include:
- Tissue repair
- Removal of lactic acid build up
- Replenishing cellular energy
- Rehydration and fluid balance
- Lowering of heart rate and blood pressure
Making sure to schedule days of very light exercise or complete rest allows the body this recovery time to fully repair itself, keeping you performing at your physical peak.
Mental Rest and Recharging
In the same way that physical rest is essential, so too is mental relaxation. Constant stimulation and demands on our brain leads to mental exhaustion over time. Taking relaxing breaks provides mental recharging and cognitive rest.
Mental relaxation looks different for everyone. Some examples of mentally recharging activities include:
- Reading fiction books
- Creative arts like painting or playing music
- Enjoying nature
- Light exercise like walking
- Laughing and spending time with friends
- Pursuing hobbies like gardening or puzzles
Any activities you find calming, enjoyable and distracting from daily stresses can help provide mental rest. This cognitive recharging makes you more focused, creative and productive in your work and activities.
Boosts Mood and Relieves Anxiety
Relaxation and rest is also vital for balancing mood and relieving anxiety. Chronic stress and being overly busy can easily lead to feelings of irritability, depression and general anxiety. Taking time to properly rest counteracts these negative emotional states.
Benefits to mood and anxiety levels include:
- Lowers stress hormones like cortisol
- Releases mood boosting neurotransmitters
- Provides feelings of calm and peace
- Clears mental clutter and rumination
- Allows you to refocus and gain perspective
Without adequate rest to provide this balance, it easy to end up in vicious cycle of stress, anxiety and exhaustion. Taking relaxing breaks preemptively improves mood stability and enjoyment of life.
When Should You Take Rest?
The ideal amount of rest and relaxation varies based on your own needs and current state of health. Some general recommendations for getting sufficient rest include:
- Take short 5-15 minute breaks every 90-120 minutes during work
- Take lunch breaks away from your desk to mentally unwind
- Have dedicated relaxation time before bed to unwind and destress
- Take at least 1 rest or leisure day per week where you lightly exercise at most
- Go on longer vacations 2-3 times per year to deeply recharge
- Schedule mental health days occasionally as needed for additional rest
Listen to your mind and body’s needs, and aim to build relaxing rest into each day and week as an essential practice for wellbeing.
Conclusion
Rest and relaxation is too often neglected in modern life, yet research shows it has profound benefits for both physical and mental health. Taking time each day and week for rest allows your body to recharge, mood and anxiety to balance, immunity and memory to improve. While it can be difficult to slow down, rest provides the recovery and renewal needed to maintain peak performance, focus and enjoyment of life. Instead of seeing rest as unproductive time, view it as an essential investment in your long term health and happiness.