A midwife from Bushey has been selected to take part in a UK wide experiment which will involve her holidaying in the Maldives.
 

The holiday is part of a unique experiment called The Holiday Health Experiment, which seeks to better understand the health impact of different types of holiday on the body and mind.
 

Sarah Denning, 53, was one of 2,845 people across the UK to enter the competition open during April to June 2012. She will take friend Sarah Bastida with her she said, to make the experiment a "girls’ holiday".
 

Competition entrants were asked questions such as "why they felt they needed a holiday?" and "is my wellbeing affected by work?". 
 

Ms Denning said: ""Is my wellbeing affected by my work?  Absolutely.  Helping new life into the world demands 100%, 24/7, as a physical and emotional commitment.
 

"There is no room for an ‘off-day’ as the lives of two people are relying on me.
 

"I can’t mother new mothers if I don’t mother myself.  
 

"It’s a treat to have time to focus on my wellbeing. 
 

"To make this a girls’ holiday where two great friends can chill-out together, not having to worry about make-up and men, is an added bonus."
 

The competition was organised by UK healthcare charity Nuffield Health and travel company Kuoni.
 

Two other couples were selected to travel on very different types of holiday to Sarah Denning and Sarah Bastida’s, these include travelling to Amazonian Peru.
 

Before during and after the trips, Ms Bastida and Ms Denning will undergo a variety of medical and psychological tests to look at the effects "everyday life" has on the body and mind.
 

The data will then be compared to that gathered during and after the holiday.
 

This experiment is the first of its kind conducted by a UK travel company in conjunction with a medical team consisting of doctors, physiologists and a psychotherapist.
 

They will travel with Kuoni to Meeru Island in the Maldives for 12-days of rest and relaxation, departing August, 17. 
 

They can look forward to sand floor bars, open restaurants, swimming in the warm Indian Ocean, playing a variety of sports and relaxing on the beach. They will return to their homes and reality on  August, 30.
 

Chris Jones, Head of Physiology at Nuffield Health, said: "On a day-to-day basis, our bodies give us subtle physical signals for stress or tiredness that may be caused by our busy modern lives and we all intuitively know that a holiday can help us re-charge our batteries. 

 

"This case study-based experiment will give us an interesting insight into how holidays may impact on a person’s wellbeing. 

 

"I am looking forward to analysing the data from this unique experiment which will hopefully focus people’s minds on the importance of managing everyday stress and worries - perhaps from work - and ensure time is built into their busy lives to improve their wellbeing."