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Restorative Breaks

Meaning

Restorative breaks are planned, short-duration periods of disengagement from cognitive or physical demands, strategically implemented to facilitate recovery, reduce allostatic load, and prevent the cumulative buildup of stress-induced hormonal dysregulation. These breaks are designed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby dampening the continuous output of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and promoting a shift from a catabolic to an anabolic state. They are a core component of chronotherapeutic and stress management protocols.