The Hill Has Eyes
SPRING HILL HIGH SCHOOL NEWS
Stress in Schools
November 2018 edition
High School Stress and How it Can Affect You
by McKenzie Priest
Nowadays, high school students have tons on their plates. From worrying about their futures to rushing to finish assignments so they can go to bed at a decent hour, you could probably guess many high school students become stressed out at some point during the four years they spend in high school.
Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand. Stress is usually caused by anything negative, such as an exhausting work schedule. Many high school students become stressed because of the fear of failure, struggling with the responsibilities of more challenging classes, negotiating social pressures like fitting in and having friendships. In addition to those worries, students also worry about the future such as whether or not to attend college and if so, which college to attend and how to pay for it. On average, teens report their stress levels to be 5.8 on a 10 point scale. Surprisingly, compared to teens, adults report their stress levels to be only 5.1. Teen stress is limited to a few students, 45% of high school students reported that they feel a great deal of stress according to the Global News Wire. Sara Wainright, a sophomore at Spring Hill says that her stress level is a number 10 on a scale of 1-10. But what kind of effect does this much stress have on you? |
Stress can have many negative effects including effects on your mood and behavior, body, and mind. When stressed, teenagers may feel overwhelmed or depressed, lack the ability to focus, lack motivation, feel anxious, withdraw social life, and/or respond with angry outbursts. Stressed teenagers are also more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. High schoolers have also reported feeling more depressed because of high stress levels. In addition to the emotional effects of stress, physical effects may also occur. These include a weakened immune system, sleep problems, headaches, and muscle pain or tension. To learn more about how stress affects your body, check out Vishwa Diwan’s article (below). Natalie Weaver said, “I think I'm stressed because sophomore year is harder than last year; I don't have much free time.”
Though stress is a problem for many high schoolers, it is not a problem that cannot be solved. There are many different ways for teens and adults to manage their stress such: using relaxation methods like yoga and meditation, breathing techniques, physical activity, having time to themselves, and talking to a parent/guardian or trusted adult. (See Abigail Shirley's article at the bottom of this page for more practical stress management ideas.) Haillei Weaver, a freshman at Spring Hill High School says, “I usually play video games or try to sleep and calm down to decrease my stress.” |
The Science Behind Sleep
by Vishwa Diwan
Spending the late hours of the night doing homework is something every high schooler has or will experience at some point in time. College students can agree to this even more. High schoolers often stay up late at night to finish assignments, which seems to become to the norm in daily routines as this unhealthy habit develops. You go to sleep late one night, wake up early for the bus the next morning, and then you get home and the same thing happens all over again. The sleep you get completely shrinks from the ten hours you got in elementary school to the five hours you might be getting now.
During class, a student might feel tired or drowsy from not sleeping enough the night before, and all that new information that the teacher is giving a lecture on does not seem to process right. The information does not retain the sleep-deprived student’s brain because the memory functions within the brain’s nerve systems do not function properly; therefore, the information does not end up going into the long-term memory where important information is meant to be stored. “Eight to ten.” (Sleep) That is how many hours of sleep a regular teenager needs in order to function properly. Lack of sleep every night can seem an insignificant habit because after a while of losing sleep one could easily sleep for many hours to make up for it. However, the long-term effects of not getting enough sleep can damage the body systems. There are “100,000” (Sleep) deaths occur in the United States hospitals due to "medical errors" (Sleep) where a great contribution includes sleep deprivation. Signs of sleep deprivation include excessive drowsiness, irritability, and yawning. Body systems, which are majorly affected by sleep, include the central nervous system. The nervous system is very important in transferring information to long-term memory. Neurons must be able to travel during sleep through the pathways in order to help store new information. When there is sleep deprivation, the brain cannot help the information travel as well, and thus the memory does not store information correctly. Lack of sleep can also cause hallucinations, or it can even trigger mania. There are many psychological risks involved in the loss of sleep. |
The more a person is exposed to germs in small amount intervals, the stronger the immunity of the body systems occur since the body’s fighting response easily recognizes the diseases and infection risks. The recognition increases the chance of building functions that can destroy the threats to important body systems since they have been tagged for being bad for the important functions. As sleep is not provided for the body, the immune system loses its ability to fight infections properly since, during sleep, the body produces substances like cytokines. Substances like this are used as protection against infections and viruses. Degenerative illnesses become more likely as well such as diabetes or heart disease. Therefore, smaller sicknesses like the common cold are able to create more detrimental effects to health compared to if rest is taken to produce more protection against certain illnesses.
Hormones such as “leptin and ghrelin” (11 Effects) are affected by sleep. Levels of these hormones decrease and insulin levels increase as sleep overall decreases. This is significant since these hormones regulate hunger and the feeling of fullness. Thus, the shortage of sleep causes an increase in obesity. There is also an increase in balance impairment as there becomes a lack of coordination, therefore causing proneness to physical accidents. Overall, it can be assumed that sleep is necessary to provide students with the ability to function properly in every area of the body systems. Without sleep, the chemistry exam that you are about to take may not go so well compared to if you had slept at least eight hours the night before the exam. Sleep is needed in order to have a proficient understanding of daily lectures in every class and improving grades, as sleeping late counteracts the purpose of getting homework finished. As this article is written at two thirty in the morning, the irony is present, but the importance of sleep never changes. Whether the reason for staying up late is important or not, the consequences will not change. “11 Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body.” Healthline, Healthline Media, www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#3. “Sleep Statistics - Research & Treatments | American Sleep Assoc.” American Sleep Association, www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/sleep-statistics/. https://www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/sleep-statistics/ https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#3 |
Solving the Stress Issue
by Hailey Frick
Stress is a natural human experience that everyone has to deal with in one way or another. High school is a time of new experiences, but it is also a time of new stress. Between social media and the growing competition for scholarships, along with the major transitions that come with adolescence, it’s no surprise that teens are more stressed than ever before. However, if stress is not managed, it can negatively affect every aspect of life; therefore, it is important to find ways to deal with and prevent the stress that can arrive from school.
Stress relief is different for everyone. Many people prefer to deal with stress alone, like sophomore, Beatrice Douangkesone, who says talking to people causes her more stress. This way of dealing with stress can be beneficial if you want to be self-reflective. Self-reflection can help you understand the situation more and possibly find ways to prevent future stress. However, self-reflection is not the only way to prevent your stress while you are alone. Sophomore Gavin McLaurin takes time to himself to do things that relieve his stress like running and listening to music. “It clears my mind,” he says. |
Communication has always been necessary for survival, and that remains true today. Sometimes communicating with your friends or family, or even with religious figures will be the best way to relieve your stress. Biology teacher, Mrs. Brown says she tries to talk to her fellow teachers when she is stressed because “they are really good at keeping me grounded and centered and give me perspective on life, and they are really good at building me up.” Larkin Taffoni, a freshman, not only looks to her friends for help with stress, but also looks to God. She says that she tries to “trust the process and God...that [stress] will all go away.” Communicating with others can give you perspective and calm you down or encourage you to keep going.
As Mrs.Brown accurately put, “Stress is inevitable,” so it is important to take measures to relieve it. Stress build-up can be dangerous and have long-lasting effects on your brain; learn what works for you now and life will be easier during the rest of the school year. |
5 Ways to Manage Stress
by Abigail Shirley
Feelings of sadness, insecurity, anxiety, and stress are normal emotions every human being deals with. The following are a list of five ways to cope and bring these emotions under control.
1. Track your emotions: By simply taking mental notes, or actual notes in a notebook or the notes app in your phone, help you identify what triggers these emotions, and what activities to avoid. 2. Remember it’s okay not to be okay: A big part of coping with these negative intrusive feelings is remembering it is okay not to be okay, no one is okay 100% of the time, and this is okay! Acknowledging these feelings and holding yourself to realistic expectations can greatly improve your perspective and mindset on dealing with these emotions. 3. Use grounding: Grounding is a technique commonly used and recommended by various mental health professionals. Grounding is the use of the five senses to help you stay in the moment and reconnect or “calibrate your body,” finding five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste, can aid you in calming down in times of high stress, and chaos. |
4. Don’t internalize others emotions: Internalizing, or taking on other people’s emotions, can damage your own mental health. Taking on other people’s stress or sadness can add to your own.
5. Talk to someone: Talking to someone you trust, such as a guardian, friend, or teacher can help tremendously. Verbalizing your emotions can help you work through them and allows others to know what you’re struggling with. Talking to someone you trust is the first step in getting the help you need. Always remember speaking to someone does not make you a burden, and you deserve to live a full happy life. It is okay to be sad, but you are strongly urged to talk to someone about it, especially if these negative feelings are prolonged and constant. Here are some resources that are free to use: Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 Calm (This is an app, simply go to your app store, search calm, this works for apple and android.) |