Did you know that approximately 15% of employees in the U.S. who had paid vacation time last year, didn’t end up using it? There are many reasons this happens. Some employees feel that the office would fall apart without them being there, or believe that the work they need to get done couldn’t be finished if they took a vacation, thus locking them in place with quotas.

Others see taking less vacation time as a way to impress their bosses and pull ahead. A 2012 German study indicated that there may be some truth to this: on average, employees who didn’t take their full vacation time earned 2.8% more the following year than those who did.

There are, however, many reasons that even people with a career in sales need to take a break sometimes. Here are three main reasons.

1. Health Problems

Did you know that women who don’t take regular vacations are more likely to suffer from depression, and are 50% more likely to develop heart disease? Men have similar issues — for them, the risk of dying from a heart attack goes up 33%. You might advance your career in the short term, but you’re risking your health in the longterm.

2. Productivity Drops

While you might think that you’re pumping out work by not going on vacation, the reality is that employees are actually causing their companies to lose money by not taking time to de-stress. The price tag of lost productivity thanks to people not taking their paid vacations is estimated to cost companies $344 billion a year, according to Market Place. This is the cost of day-to-day productivity as well as stress-related health care costs.

3. Your Attitude for Your Sales Job is Improved by Vacation

Sales jobs can be stressful, that’s no secret. One thing that helps people do their job better, though, is having a refreshed mind. This helps you to see potential solutions for customers you might not otherwise conclude. Your sales career path shouldn’t involve risking your own mental and physical health just for the sake of making more money — especially since it might not even work.

Do you have a career in sales? Do you take all the paid vacation time you receive? Let us know in the comments. Read this website for more information.