A lot of people fall ill during the holidays. As fall and winter are the peak of cold and flu season, these busy holiday times can feel less joyous with a fever and a stuffy, Rudolph-red nose. U.S. residents catch about 1 billion colds every year, accounting for more than three colds per person.

In a new study by researchers at the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London, and Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of London, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Immunology, it is suggested that going on vacation may help people fight off illness and boost the immune system.

Well, not exactly.

Although both the Daily Mail and the BBC suggest that taking a break from home can boost the immune system, the study itself is more inconclusive.

The study used mice as the subjects. Two groups of mice were used to conduct an experiment. The first group lived in standard conditions consisting of a cage with sawdust nesting materials. The other group was put in an “enhanced” environment, with toys, better bedding, tunnels, wheels, and other playthings. The enhanced environment was meant to simulate a resort.

At first, the mice did not exhibit any immune system changes, primarily in white blood cell composition, but a more thorough analysis suggested that there may have been an effect on the mice’s helper T cells, which regulate other immune cells.

Mice and humans have few commonalities, and it’s unlikely that a doctor would prescribe a patient with a tropical vacation to cure your cold, but changing your environment or taking time to step out and clear your head may help you feel better in the winter months.