Vacation or illness? Every fifth has to struggle with Leisure Sickness”!

Vacation or illness? Every fifth has to struggle with Leisure Sickness”!

More and more workers in Germany are suffering from the phenomenon known as "Leisure Sickness", which manifests itself through symptoms of illness during leisure time. A current study by the IU International University shows that 19.3 % of the respondents regularly experience that they are sick on weekends or on vacation. This study, which interviewed 2,004 people from age and gender between January 24 and February 6, 2025, explains the far -reaching effects of stress and work on the health of employees.

particularly worrying is the fact that 71.9 % of the employees are familiar with the term “leisure sickness”. The symptoms are diverse and in particular include tiredness, sleep problems, headaches and symptoms. According to the results of the study, 36.1 % of the respondents complain about fatigue and exhaustion, while 14.2 % experience of colds -like symptoms.

recovery versus working pressure

A central result of the survey is that 40.1 % of the respondents do not find their private life sufficiently relaxing in order to meet the requirements of professional life. For employees under the age of 25, this proportion is even 50.5 %. Younger employees tend to make their free time more passive, for example through social media and streaming services, which has a negative impact on their feeling of relaxation.

The study also emphasizes that 54.4 % of those surveyed indicate that the accessibility outside of working hours affects their recovery. In this context, 33.5 % of employees have the feeling of having to be accessible in their free time, while 47.4 % also access professional emails outside of working hours. Among the respondents, 80.6 % are even willing to work regularly overtime, with 42.9 % of up to two hours a week.

causes and consequences of Leisure Sickness

The cause of the symptoms is suspected, especially in high work pressure, lack of support and an unfavorable work-life balance. 46.4 % of the participants report high work pressure, 9.2 % feel overwhelmed. These loads are responsible for the fact that many employees find it difficult to switch off after work, which feels 38.4 %.

Another interesting point is the recovery ability of the respondents: 49.8 % manage to make their free time balanced, while 17.0 % mostly spend them passively. The study shows that people with active leisure activities suffer less often from "Leisure Sickness", a realization that underlines the importance of a healthy work-life balance.

The implications of this study are clear: it is becoming increasingly clear that an excess of stress and constant accessibility not only affect the quality of life of the employees, but can also lead to serious health problems. In order to meet these challenges, it is crucial to raise awareness of the causes of leisure diseases such as "Leisure Sickness" and to develop strategies to improve work-life balance.

More details about the study and the results can be found on the pages of Bo.de and iu.de