{"id":109165,"date":"2025-02-19T14:46:13","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T14:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?post_type=news&p=109165"},"modified":"2025-04-28T19:11:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T19:11:46","slug":"from-all-nighters-to-health-risks-the-true-impact-of-chronic-stress","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/from-all-nighters-to-health-risks-the-true-impact-of-chronic-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"From all-nighters to health risks: The true impact of chronic stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forty-five percent of college students report experiencing chronic stress, or stress above the average level, according to data from The American Institute of Stress<\/strong><\/a>. At Hope College, that would be roughly 1,500 students out of 3,400. Stress for this grouping of students may occur on an everyday basis for prolonged periods of time. While being a college student is far from easy, chronic stress shouldn\u2019t become the norm\u2013 it carries much more serious consequences than one may expect.<\/p>\n

Alexandria Switzer (\u201926), a biochemistry major and neuroscience minor, emphasizes the importance of taking care of your brain and discusses the long-term effects that chronic stress can have on your brain and body functions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to take care of your brain because once you damage it, it\u2019s not something that can fix itself,\u201d she said. Your brain is responsible for nearly everything you do. When you experience stress, your brain can\u2019t tell the difference between imminent danger and something less threatening; therefore, you\u2019re activating your sympathetic nervous system\u2013 your fight or flight response,\u201d Switzer explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cPsychology impacts your physiology,\u201d she said. If you\u2019re consistently activating your sympathetic nervous system due to stress, it\u2019s not going to be as effective when you experience real danger. High stress levels lead to chronically higher blood pressure, which can put you at risk for cardiovascular disease. It also suppresses your immune system. \u201cIf you\u2019re activating [your sympathetic nervous system] to the point where it\u2019s not as effective,\u201d Switzer explained, \u201cyou\u2019re more likely to get sick; you\u2019re not able to recover as quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stress affects mood disorders, too. \u201cIf you\u2019re constantly having this sympathetic system activated. . . it\u2019s going to mess with the hormones\u2013 the signals that are being sent\u2013 and put you at a higher risk for things like depression and anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, where does stress come from? Switzer says it\u2019s perceptive. \u201cWe\u2019re all going to see it differently,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat really stresses someone out isn\u2019t going to stress someone else out.\u201d But she continued, \u201cFor a lot of students, there\u2019s so much pressure on us being involved in so much.\u201d This pressure can make it difficult to maintain balance, leading to uneasiness about deadlines, projects, homework, employment and more. So, how can we manage this stress? Switzer encourages shifting the focus on perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, you have to recognize that something is stressing you out,\u201d she said. Once you can identify it, she suggests analyzing your beliefs surrounding the stress trigger. Ask yourself, is this belief negative or disempowering? Then, think about the outcome. What kind of outcome would the negative beliefs around the task warrant? What would occur if you didn\u2019t complete the task? Lastly, she recommends changing your beliefs to something more positive\u2013 seeing it as opportunistic instead of burdensome. \u201cChanging your perspective gives you more energy to put towards that stressful event,\u201d Switzer said, \u201cwhich helps you mitigate it and make it less stressful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changing your perspective on stress can lead to long-term health benefits. \u201cIf stress keeps attacking you and you\u2019re not able to deal with it. . . your overall level of well-being is getting lower,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re able to handle stress, then you\u2019re functioning well, you\u2019re able to thrive.\u201d Successfully managing stress will allow your immune system to work efficiently; you\u2019ll be less likely to develop mental health issues, and your sympathetic system will be less elevated.<\/p>\n

Not all stress is bad; some stress is beneficial. \u201cStress is good,\u201d Switzer asserted, \u201cit challenges you to be creative and come up with solutions.\u201d She explained how challenges that induce stress can help build resilience and personal growth. \u201cAcute stress\u2013 short periods that you can handle\u2013 great,\u201d she reinforced. \u201cBut chronic stress where it\u2019s constantly beating at you is not good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overcoming stress doesn\u2019t have to be a solo task either. Switzer suggests having an empathetic conversation if you notice a friend dealing with large amounts of stress. \u201cLetting them talk about it is the first step,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re social creatures, we need that interaction with people to help build eachother up. . . having the connection and support system that social interaction provides decreases stress,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Switzer explained how getting out your stressful feelings can alleviate some of the intensity that comes with chronic stress. She also recommended CAPS, your RAs, and Campus Ministries as resources for students who need to talk about their stress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important to know about your brain,\u201d she concluded. \u201cLearn how to take care of it because it\u2019s part of what keeps you going, it\u2019s what keeps you alive; it\u2019s going to serve you through all of your life.\u201d March 10-16 is Brain Awareness Week. The Neuroscience department is celebrating in advance by visiting local K-12 schools from Feb. 17-22 to lead some fun, brainy activities to spread brain education and awareness. To volunteer, you can contact Aaron Welsch or Alexandria Switzer via email.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To find out more about stress and how to manage it, go to stress.org<\/a><\/h5>\n

Written by Sadie Quackenbush<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Photo By: Kaboompics.com<\/a><\/p>\n

OP-The Anchor<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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