Why Time Off Is Good for Your Health

Short Breaks Reduce Stress and Boost Productivity

Short breaks (even those less than 10 minutes) can help boost well-being when it comes to reduced fatigue and increased vigor, research shows.

And longer breaks yield even more benefits when it comes to work performance.

Not everyone, of course, can choose how and when they take a break at work — some people have breaks at set times, with limited options for how to spend them. If this is you, the important thing is to still take those breaks when they come up.

“Your brain can’t focus all the time,” says Christine Carter, PhD, a sociologist and a senior fellow at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, whose books include The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less. “If you try to force it into the focus mode for too long, it loses its ability to do that.”

When to Take Short Breaks

If you do have the freedom to choose when and how you take breaks, do so wisely.

While you’re at work, look for mental or physical cues that you need a break — like taking longer than usual to write an email, or tension anywhere in your body. “Ask yourself, ‘What do I need right now?’” Dr. Goldman suggests. “The key is to get ahead of stress, to manage it before the stress manages us.”

Dr. Carter, who is also a member of Everyday Health’s Wellness Advisory Board, says that most people can’t focus on a task for more than 90 minutes before their minds start to wander. She suggests taking planned breaks to get refreshed before you hit that breaking point. “Pay attention to your own experience,” says Carter. “Most people notice a real difference after a 10-minute break.”

How to Make the Most of Your Breaks

In one study, informal “micro-breaks” of just a few minutes throughout the day improved energy, vigor, and mood — provided that workers spent this time doing something relaxing, social, or mentally engaging. No benefit was seen, however, from taking a snack break — which suggests that at least some of the benefit from breaks comes from doing something else with our brain, not just stopping our work.

Two activities that may be especially beneficial during breaks are physical movement (including walking) and meditation, says Wendy Suzuki, PhD, a professor of neural science and psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University in New York City.

One review found that physical activity was particularly helpful for improving well-being, while mindfulness exercises (including meditation) were especially good for improving workers’ moods at the end of the day.

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