Too often we give up our entitled leave for the sake of the company, the team and the security of our jobs. Our unfounded fears result in lowered productivity, compromised well-being and stymied creativity.

believe it or not, paid vacation is a human right

Believe it or not, paid vacation is a human right. Article 24 of the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights spells it out clearly along with reasonable work hours. Surely it was through careful consideration that it was added to the Declaration, so why aren't we doing it and why should we?

In a study by Project:Time Off cited by the Harvard Business Review in 2015, the myth of job insecurity was debunked. In fact, going on vacation was found to increase one's chances of being promoted or receiving a raise by 6.5 percent.

A Nielsen study reported 71 percent of vacationers felt satisfied with their job, compared to only 46 percent of people who didn't vacation. In the same study, 56 percent of vacationers felt healthy, compared to just 28 percent of those who never went on vacation.

These positive effects are mostly consistent across various studies that look at the impact of taking vacations. Reporting higher life satisfaction is closely linked to overall well-being, according to the OECD. This becomes more evident when considering the impact vacations have on sleep, which affects heart health and ultimately our well-being and mortality.

The flow-on effect of going on vacation has been reported to occur within a few days of being away. In an Air New Zealand commissioned NASA study, sleep quality was generally found to improve within two to three days of a vacation. This is in part due to the relaxing effect of being on vacation and sleep going hand-in-hand with relaxation and stress level. When we work continuously for long periods, we never get a chance to fully relax and that could be damaging our health in the long-term.

Evidence that vacations lead to a longer life goes back to the mid-twentieth century, when the Framingham Heart Study conducted its first study that associated more vacations with longer and healthier lives. So if we are in fact becoming busier, shouldn't we be doing less work and more holidaying?

Productivity and creativity are often quelled by high levels of stress; vacations remove us from stressful environments we become accustomed to. With lower blood pressure and stress hormones, vacations present an opportunity to think outside the box, write, draw, create, design or creatively solve complex problems that had you stumped previously. Furthermore, travel to new destinations is said to trigger new or different brain synapses that could result in new ideas as more neural pathways are opened up.

You also return to work in a better state allowing you to exploit the benefits longer. And according to the World Health Organization, vacations also reduce stress-related sick leave that can leave you feeling more insecure about your job than a scheduled vacation.

A 2010 Dutch study by the GfK Leisure and Tourism Panel found people who had taken a vacation over the past 12 months reported being happier than those who hadn't. Surprisingly, it also found vacation length didn't increase happiness levels; neither did the number of vacations. Positive effects were found to be had mainly during the vacation itself, but the effects in other studies, such as improved sleep and cognitive ability, were found to last up to a month after a vacation.

When we're stressed, depressed, anxious or suffering in pain, nothing can be done, it's as simple as that. The evidence is there - taking vacations makes us happier and healthier. If you're in a situation where your manager or company culture doesn't support taking time off, consider a serious chat, shorter but more frequent getaways or maybe a new job. There are many more jobs in the sea, but you have just one mind and body.