The effect of Vacations, Retirement on Your Health, from the Harvard Men's

Health Watch

BOSTON, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Long hours and high stress on the job
pump out stress hormones, raise blood pressure, and increase the risk
for atherosclerosis and other heart problems. To counteract these
factors, men need to work balance and relaxation into their lives. The
February issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch discusses whether
vacations really have health value, and how men can make the most of
retirement.

In one study, men who took the most vacations were 29% less likely to
be diagnosed with heart disease and 17% less likely to die over the
nine-year study period than those who did not take regular vacations.
However, vacations are not equally good for all men. Psychologists in
the Netherlands have identified a group of men with "leisure
sickness," a set of psychosomatic symptoms that are triggered by time
away from work. Still, this condition is rare; for nearly every man,
vacations are healthy, says the Harvard Men's Health Watch.

Unlike a vacation, retirement is a permanent change in status, with
important effects on a man's self-image. If retirement is preceded by
realistic anticipation and planning, it can be a happy and healthy
change. A successful retirement requires planning for the loss of
income, work relationships, and identity as a worker. A man should
cultivate interests to make the leisure of retirement as rewarding as
the challenges of work. People who develop interests and relationships
before retirement should be able to anticipate this change with
eagerness.

The Harvard Men's Health Watch suggests that ideally, men should
strive for a career with room for both work and play, a lifestyle that
is based on good health habits, and an environment that supports
strong interpersonal relationships and interesting activity.

Also in this issue:

-- Osteoarthritis: Causes and diagnosis

-- Disorders of ejaculation

-- A doctor answers: ACE inhibitors and aspirin: Are two drugs worse than

one?

Harvard Men's Health Watch is available from Harvard Health
Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for
$24 per year. Subscribe at http://www.health.harvard.edu/men or by
calling 1-877-649-9457 (toll free). SOURCE Harvard Health Publications