For many people, the comforting part of working hard from Monday to Friday is the fact that you know you have Saturday and Sunday to relieve the stress.
But this is often not the case while looking forward to the weekend, as it’s also tempting to jam unnecessary activities into the schedule, especially because Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for festivities like weddings, parties and religious engagements.
It is easy to get derailed by these ‘compulsory’ engagements, so much so that one could lose focus of what to do on weekends.
Experts say that 90 per cent of the time, people that dread going to work on Mondays are those that did not spend their weekends wisely.
According to wellness and rejuvenation expert with Healthy Living Academy, Wuse II, Abuja, Dr. Sandra Adejumo, not getting enough rest on weekends has consequences, not just on the body, but also on our health.
Adejumo says, “Research has showed that if an individual spends 30 out of the available 52 weekends to rest, sleep and stay with their families, they can add an extra four years to their life expectancy. The reverse also applies.
“The body is like a machine, you cannot use it round the clock all week and expect it not to break down or fall apart. The time you take out to rest helps your body to recuperate from all the hard work it has done from Monday to Friday.”
The wellness expert says relaxing during the weekends lowers a person’s risk for high blood pressure, by reducing the stress levels.
She states, “Taking a break to rest lowers your blood pressure. Between work, sitting in traffic and personal commitments, stress can really impact your wellbeing — and your blood pressure. Having high blood pressure (hypertension) puts you at risk for heart disease, stroke, dementia and many more.”
Also, a haematologist, Dr. Robert Allen, on healthwatch.com, adds that taking at least 14 hours to sleep on weekends boosts immunity levels and also addresses sleep deprivation.
He adds that denying the body time to relax after a busy week could also affect one mentally and socially, as lack of rest could reduce concentration and memory over time.
Allen says, “When you are stressed out and sleep-deprived, your mind can have trouble concentrating on the task at hand. So, remember, taking a break on weekends can actually improve your performance at work.
“When you take time to wind down from a busy day and week, you set yourself up to have a better night’s rest. As we have reported, sleep deprivation can be dangerous; so, take time for rest – your body and mind will thank you.”
He notes that relaxing during weekends is not just strolling around in night gowns or pyjamas and watching TV while eating, but that spending quality time with family and friends either indoors or outdoors helps.
