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Brenda Sanchez

Professor Moore

English 1302.08

2 April 2017

Minor in Education, Major in Stress

Feeling stressed out is an unavoidable situation, as everyone has felt overwhelmed with

responsibilities at some point in their life. Stress can be described "as a demand, either internal or

external, that results in emotional arousal and requires a change in behavior" (Pederson). Stress

can be due to many different circumstances. For example, students can become stressed when

they go to college since it requires more independence than in high school. These changes

require more effort from the students and not being able to adjust can be a key factor of stress.

The stress that students feel can affect them in several ways. Some of the students are better able

to cope with stress. However, there are students that can begin to feel the stress more rapidly. A

small amount of stress can be beneficial for students to become motivated to do their work, but

large amounts and for long periods of time can have a negative side effect on the student's health.

An increase of stress in college students can be caused by trying to meet academic goals and not

getting enough sleep that could then lead to unhealthy habits and long term effects.

Students attempt to attain high grades in all of their classes can make them feel

extremely stressed. Some have said that the stress felt by the students comes more from family

obligations than from school obligations. However, a survey stated that "for both college men

and women, spillover generated by the family is lower on average than spillover that stems from

school" (Pederson). Finding a balance between their classes, projects, and exams can make a

student feel overwhelmed. Worrying about completing assignments on time and the pressure to
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earn good grades can cause the students to become tense. A "National College Health

Assessment" survey, "reported that almost half (46.3%) of all undergraduate students surveyed

felt trauma or overwhelmed in regard to their academic responsibilities. Almost half of students

surveyed reported they have more than average or extreme stress" (Schuder). It can become hard

for students to adjust to the higher expectations that are demanded by college classes. Regardless

of the year they are in, in college, students are affected by excessive homework and assignments

that they might not understand. In an "mtvU Associated Press survey", it stated that, "more than

half of students (60%) reported that severe stress interfered with their ability to complete their

schoolwork more often than once" (Schuder). Academic achievements become a main priority

for students in order to be able to get accepted into the school they desire. College achievement

is also important for the students to be able to obtain success in the future. Having good grades

can be stressful for the students because it is not only important in keeping financial aid, but also

for future opportunities. Performing well in college courses is a major factor that causes stress in

the students.

Stress causes students to lose sleep due to excessive worrying over school

responsibilities. Irregular sleep schedules, sleep deprivation, and fatigue is seen often in college

students. Struggling with inadequate sleep "has been associated with higher levels of stress"

(Wagner). Not getting enough sleep could be "problematic to college students and can result in

lower grade point averages, increased risk of academic failure, compromised learning, and

impaired mood" (Hershner and Chervin).The students' inability to stay alert and listen to the

lecture causes a negative impact in performing well in school, which could then make the

students become stressed. All-nighters before exams are also common in college students in hope

to get a better grade. The correct amount of hours to sleep to feel fully rested is unknown, but
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"most college students are sleep deprived, as 70.6% of students report obtaining less than 8 hours

of sleep" (Hershner and Chervin). College students lose hours of sleep in attempt to take care of

their responsibilities. When the students do not get enough rest, it has a negative impact on them

and causes them to become more stressed.

Some college students turn to habits that are unhealthy in attempt to distance themselves

from situations that are stressful to them. Unhealthy behaviors are seen often in college students

as they try to find a way to cope with the stress. One unhealthy habit that many students go

through is binge drinking. A survey reported that "approximately four out of five college students

drink alcohol, with nearly 40% of men and women reporting binge drinking at least 4-5 drinks in

a row" (Hershner and Chervin). Another bad habit that college students may develop is smoking.

Smoking cigarettes is seen by students as a way to reduce their anxiety and ease their depression.

Students tend to smoke more often when they are going through stressful events. Consuming an

unhealthy diet is also a habit that college students may develop. Some students have a tendency

to overeat when they are feeling stressed. However, others tend to eat less and not receive the

proper nutrition when they are feeling under stress. College students are also extremely likely to

rely on energy drinks on a regular basis to be able to have enough energy and stay awake to get

their work done. All of these unhealthy habits that the students get into could make the stressful

situation worse instead of actually helping them get through it. College students go through

stressful situations that cause them to participate in unhealthy habits in the process of trying to

alleviate their problems.

The stress that students go through during their college years can have negative long term

health effects on them. When constantly under stress, it can have a negative impact in students

"physical, mental, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral functions" (Dricoll). Long periods of
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feeling stressed can affect the whole body dramatically. When stress levels are high, it has "been

shown to increase anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among students, and also increase

the likelihood of physical illness" (Pedersen). Stress does not only cause minor illnesses, it could

also lead to suicidal thoughts in some cases. Students under stress can become more vulnerable

to acute and chronic diseases. Some of the long term illnesses a student may develop are heart

problems, high blood pressure, and even diabetes in some people. Stress also affects a students

sleeping cycle, which could then make them more prone to illness because the body will not be

able to recover without rest. The body needs to be at a balanced level in order to be able to keep

it healthy. A negative long term health effect in college students can be due to becoming too

stressed and for a long period of time.

College years can become extremely stressful for many students. However, some students

are better able to deal with a stressful situation than others. The stress that students in college go

through can be due to a variety of reasons. The most common reasons are due to academic

achievements and not getting a sufficient amount of sleeping hours. Attempting to get high

grades can become challenging for students. Inadequate sleep can increase the levels of stress

because it makes students feel restless and fall behind in school. Being stressed can often make

college student fall into unhealthy habits. In most cases, those bad habits just end up causing the

students more damage. Long term effects like physical illnesses could also arise due to the stress

that the students experience. It is common to see college students feeling stress. That is why it is

important for college students to have awareness over how stress could affect them in the long

run if they do not find a way to cope with it.

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Work Cited

Dricroll, Emily. "Stress in College: What causes it and How to Combat it." FoxBusiness, n.p.,

2011. www.foxbusiness.com/features/2011/03/31/stress-college-causes-combat.html.

Accessed 13 March 2017.

Hershner, Shelley and Chervin, Ronald. "Causes and consequences of sleepiness amoung college

students." NCBI, Dove Medical Press Limited,

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4075951/#!po=92.7419. Accessed 13

March 2017.

Pedersen, Daphne E. "Stress Carry-Over and College Student Health Outcomes." College

Student Journal, vol. 46, no. 3, Sept. 2012, p. 620. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=79547319&site=ehost-live.

Accessed 27 Feb 2017.

Schuder, Kirsten. "Statistics on College Students Stress." lovetoknow, n.p., 2014,

stress.lovetoknow.com/Statistics_on_College_Students_Stress. Accessed 13 March 2017.

Wagner, Meredith and Rhee, Yeong. "Stress, Sleep, Grief: Are College Students Receiving

Information That Interests Them?." College Student Journal, vol. 47, no. 1, Mar. 2013, p.

24. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=f5h&AN=92757380&site=ehost-live. Accessed 27 Feb 2017.