The contribution of various types of activities to recovery

TLDR

Work‑related stress and fatigue necessitate daily recovery periods to prevent long‑term mental and physical harm. The study aimed to examine recovery during a typical week, hypothesizing that increased work time impairs recovery while leisure activities enhance it. Forty‑six participants recorded daily fatigue, sleep, and time spent on social, physical, and work‑related activities over seven days using diaries. Physical activity and good sleep quality significantly improved recovery, whereas low‑effort social activities did not, and weekend respite benefits diminished by Sunday evening.

Abstract

Stress and fatigue caused by work require daily recovery periods to offset future deleterious consequences to mental and physical health. The aim, therefore, of the current study was to gain insight into recovery processes during a normal week. The main hypotheses were that more time spent on work and work-related activities will have a negative impact on recovery, while more time spent on specific leisure activities would have a beneficial impact on recovery. Using diaries, 46 respondents (average age of 35) provided daily measures of fatigue, sleep, and time spent on recovery activities over 7 days. Recovery activities included time spent on activities that were social, physical, and work-related. Results indicated that whilst low effort and social activities are nonbeneficial to recovery, physical activities significantly predict recovery (i.e., the former increase fatigue whilst the latter decrease fatigue). Sleep quality also emerges as a significant predictor of recovery. The weekend respite appears important to recovery; however, the effect seems already to wane on Sunday evening in anticipation of the Monday workload. The article provides insights into leisure activities and the experience of fatigue.