top of page
Search

Summer Time, Vacation Time, Brain Health Time

  • Writer: Patricia Faust
    Patricia Faust
  • Jul 18, 2019
  • 3 min read

ree


The countdown begins a couple of weeks before that long anticipated vacation time. Excitement builds as you get closer to the vacation trip. Stress and anxiety make an appearance too! That can’t be good. This trip is meant to calm shattered nerves. No worries – your brain actually works well on some positive stress. With all of the details to attend to, your brain needs the extra motivation to push through to completion. This is good stress because it is something you are looking forward to and you have control over the situation.


The Health Boost of a Vacation

Whether you are traveling for a brief vacation or you are traveling during retirement, you are giving yourself a health boost. A study commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, the Global Coalition on Aging, and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found that traveling benefits are both mental and physical, the result of “physical activity, cognitive stimulation, and social engagement”. These are big brain health categories. You are not only giving your brain a good dose of healthy living; you are also helping your heart. This same report found that women who vacation two times a year have a significantly reduced chance of heart attacks or coronary deaths. There were similar results for men. Men who don’t take an annual vacation have a 20% increased risk of death and a 30% risk of death from heart disease. A simple vacation has a lot of power.


The Value of a Novel and Complex Environment

Your brain loves novel and complex environments. When you are navigating your way through an unfamiliar city or country, your brain responds by growing new dendrites – extensions of brain cells which result in increased brain resiliency. What results is that your brain reacts to the challenge and processes all the new incoming information on a deeper level.

Do you get the same physical and mental benefits if you go to your favorite vacation spot at the beach every year? You definitely reduce you’re your stress hormones that age your brain. But since your brain reacts to new discoveries and activities it is good to check out a few new things. Even trying new restaurants and local attractions will stimulate your brain.

Group trips offer additional brain health benefits. Spending time with new people increases your brain benefits from socialization. Guided tours and activities give all of the novel exposure without the tenseness of getting lost or being unable to communicate. New friends, a refreshed and energized brain are valuable assets of group vacations.


Staycations Offer the Same Benefit

It is not necessary to go to exotic locales or beautiful white sand beaches to benefit from these vacation health perks. Staycations can be just as valuable. There are always new locations, activities, and events that are happening close to home. Do a little research to get the most out of your vacation days. Your brain will benefit if you just treat it to new, novel, and complex activities.

The toughest day of vacation time is when it is over, and you go back to your regular life. We continue to feel the benefits of relaxation a few days after we reenter reality. And even though we sense that we are back in the rat race, our hearts and brains continue to benefit from our vacation break. The perspective on that next vacation might change since you understand these benefits. What is now a ‘might take a vacation’ could very well turn into a ‘must take vacation’. Whether you are vacationing at home, taking a road trip, or flying to foreign lands, your vacation can be the very best gift you can give to yourself and your brain.


References:

Noel,J. (Jan.28,2014). Travel as a health regimen. Not only is travel shown to improve your health, but it makes your brain grow. Tribune Travels. Retrieved July I, 2015 from http://www.chicagotribune.com.


O’Brien,E. (Jan. 15, 2014). Travel that keeps the heart and brain healthy. Studies suggest that leisure travel can boost cognitive and cardiovascular health. Retrieved July 1, 2015 from http://www.marketwatch.com/story/travel-that-keeps-the-heart-and-brain-healthy-2014-01-15.


 
 
 

Comments

Where did summer go?  It was a goal of mine to be intentional each day of summer to appreciate the warm weather, the long days, and believing we are in the lazy, hazy days of summer.  Turns out that wasn’t exactly how the summer went.  At the beginning of summer, we had a lot of rain.  I mean enough rain to flood the Ohio River and its tributaries.  Everything was wet! Then we went into the heat mode!  At the end of June, we went camping for a long weekend.  We are tent campers!  I think we were the only tent campers in the entire campground.  It was obvious that RVs and Motor Homes were the way to go on this particular camping trip.  Their air conditioners filled the night air with their compressors whirring.  Not to be outdone, my sister-in-law and her husband brought an air conditioner to cool off their tent!  We were really roughing it!!  The 100+ degree temperatures will give us lots of stories to tell about how we survived the heat and still had a great time.

​

Then there was July and August and I have no idea what we did to mark those months as memorable.  And now it is September.  This is the best month of the year.  The weather is temperate, and we have an overlap of professional sports in Cincinnati.  The Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team is finishing up the season.  The Cincinnati Bengals National League Football team is starting their season. The FC Cincinnati Major League Soccer (MLS) team is amid their season. 

​

Octoberfest is at the end of this month.  Cincinnati has the second largest Octoberfest festival in the world, second only to Munich Germany!

​

September is really all about Raising Awareness for the Aging Population!​

  • Healthy Aging Month (Brain Health)

  • National Senior Center Month

  • National Assisted Living Month

  • Falls Prevention Awareness Week

  • World’s Alzheimer’s Month

  • National Suicide Prevention Month

  • National Recovery Month

  • Substance abuse and mental health services

This list is mostly positive references to senior events/awareness.  Suicide Prevention Month and National Recovery Month might not seem like they should be in this list.  But the statistics of seniors taking their own lives is the highest of all age groups.   I did a little research to confirm that statement.  What I found was unsettling.  My next newsletter will include a blog on senior suicide.  This is really important information for all of us.

 

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is less than a month away!! Yikes – I told you I lost a couple of months of the summer!!!  Here are some facts on the personal impact of Alzheimer’s for families, friends, and caregivers.

​

  • Today, more than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s.  By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million.  This is a direct correlation to the large size of the Boomer generation.

 

It is hard to conceptualize the impact of these figures if you are not aware of the devastation Alzheimer’s disease leaves behind.  So, let’s make this more personal:

  • Are you a Boomer?  The last group of Boomers will pass through the 65-age threshold in 2030.  Age is a non-modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s.  The percentage of getting Alzheimer’s and other dementias starts to increase rapidly the older you get.  Boomers are now in the high-risk group which accounts for the huge projection of those with Alzheimer’s by 2050.

  • Do you have a parent, grandparent or other relative or friend that are in the over-65 age group?  You will likely experience Alzheimer’s as a caregiver or friend/relative of a caregiver.  Alzheimer’s will impact your life in many ways.

  • Do you have parents in this over-65 age group and children still living at home?  You are now part of the sandwich generation, responsible for care of your parents and your children.  The results of the extreme stress and financial burden will make for a very difficult time in your life.

 

The Alzheimer’s Association is fully aware of the impact of this horrible disease.  Their goal is to Find the First Survivor.  The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is their largest national fundraiser.  Please support/join Team My Boomer Brain as we too fight to bring an end to Alzheimer’s. 

​

Link to donate:  http://act.alz.org/goto/faust

​

Thanks to all, 

 

Pat

BWFlowers.jpg
bottom of page