STRESS AS A PRECURSOR OF HEALTH PROBLEMS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS

Submitted by: Del Rosario, J. Anne Nicole D. Garcia, Jose Mari B. Yu, Mark Rainier C.S. 2 BIO 6

September 26, 2011

Thesis Statement: College students who are exposed to extreme stress encounter several health risks. Outline: I. Introduction A. Background B. Thesis Statement II. Health Problems of College Students Caused by Stress A. Insomnia 1. Causes 2. Effects B. Obesity 1. Causes 2. Effects C. Ulcers 1. Causes 2. Effects III. Preventive Measures for Stress-Induced Diseases A. For Insomnia B. For Weight Gain C. For Ulcers D. For Stress in General IV. Conclusion V. References

I. Introduction Beginning ones college education means that one is expected to explore much more complex problems and issues than any student has ever encountered. Peer pressure, homework, projects, long exams, quizzes, environmental change, group activities, financial problems, and even parents are just a few things that cause college students to experience what we call stress. What is stress? Why is it considered as one of the major problems that students nowadays inevitably deal with? Stress is defined as a physical and psychological reaction to issues and events emanating from ones environment. It is defined either as a stimulus, a response, or an interaction. Hans Selye, who focused on the environmental condition that produced stress, defined stress as a response with the stressor being the stimulus and stress as a response. Selye therefore considered stress as a general physical response caused by any of a number of environmental stressors. Richard Lazarus stated that humans encounter stresses because they have high-level cognitive abilities that other animals lack. Lazarus and Susan Folkman defined stress as a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being (1984, p. 19). College students, especially freshmen, are a group particularly prone to stress (D'Zurilla & Sheedy, 1991) due to the transitional nature of college life (Towbes & Cohen, 1996). Freshmen experience environmental changes like being away from their family, adjusting to the new environment of the school, and maintaining academic status. College students who are exposed to extreme stress encounter several health risks. According to Brannon and Feist (2010), disease is caused by many factors, and stress may be one of those factors. The amount of stress experienced may influence the individuals ability to effectively handle or cope with certain problems or issues. If stress is not effectively handled then certain diseases and health problems might occur.

Researches regarding adolescents attending universities explained that higher levels of stress increase the risk for mental health problems of that particular age group. Both genders experience levels of stress, but surprisingly, males reported more stress than females. The American College Health Association (ACHA) National College Health Assessment provides data related to stress and its effects as reported by all types of postsecondary institution students. The ACHA's (2009) most recent report indicated that students (n = 80,121) ranked stress as the highest health impediment (33.9%), with sleep difficulties (25.6%) and depression/anxiety (16.1%) high on the list as well (Ahern & Norris). The purpose of this research is to be able to study some diseases caused by stress and to be able to recommend solutions to overcome stress and prevent disease. II. Health Problems of College Students Caused by Stress A. Insomnia Insomnia is defined as the inability to initiate or maintain healthy sleep despite of any adequate opportunity to sleep peacefully. Insomnia is due to poor quality and quantity of sleep. More than 30% of the world population experiences this kind of disorder and approximately 10% of the population may suffer from chronic insomnia. Insomnia is very common among people. It affects different kinds of people of all ages from children to adults. It is said that women are more often affected than men. Insomnia may be divided into three classes: transient insomnia (insomnia that lasts for only one week); short-term insomnia (lasts more than 1 week but less than 3 weeks); long-term or chronic insomnia (lasts more than 3 weeks). Insomnia may be further classified into primary insomnia and secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia refers to insomnia that is not caused by any physical or mental condition. Situational and

stress factors leading to primary insomnia may include stressful life situations (preparing for an examination, finishing a research paper, etc.), anxiety, jet lag, physical discomfort (hot, cold, lighting, noise, unfamiliar surroundings), drugs, cigarette smoking, caffeine intake prior to going to bed, alcohol intoxication or withdrawal, or certain medications. Most of the above causes are just short-termed or transient factors, therefore it could be resolved easily with proper health care. Secondary insomnia is caused by a medical condition. Depression is the very common cause of secondary insomnia. Insomnia is a disease that affects millions of people around the world. Having insomnia is a serious problem and it could greatly affect the physical and mental health of a person. A student who experiences insomnia feels very tired, fatigued, and energy levels are reduced and reflexes are slowed. The sensitivity of the senses is dull. Mental functions like the ability to learn, remember, and concentrate are affected by insomnia. The performance level of the student in school drops. Another effect of insomnia on a student is the lack presence of mind and being unable to concentrate well. Because the student feels very tired during the day, the mind is unable to concentrate well during every task given and this may lead to dangerous consequences. For example, it is important to get at least eight hours of sleep in order to focus well on a test to be held the next day. Failure to do so may lead to failing grades. Insomnia may also cause the inability to handle problems or stress. Lack of concentration may lead to inadequate solving or handling of problems or stress. Insomnia leads to diseases. It may damage or weaken the bodys immune system. This may result in the inability of the bodys immune system to fight against diseases like fever, flu or cough. Memory loss is another negative effect of insomnia. Sleep deprivation caused by insomnia damages the memory. A study conducted at Harvard Medical School discovered that sleep protects memories from interference. A student has more chances of remembering his/her lessons after

falling asleep than a student who continuously studied without getting enough sleep. Getting good sleep aids the memory while losing sleep damages it. B. Obesity Some college students tend to exhibit excess eating due to stress. Binge eating or excessive eating involves consuming large quantities of food during a discrete time period and having a sense of loss of control over food consumption. Binge eating episodes are associated with rapid eating, tendency of not controlling your food intake, feeling uncomfortably full, and experiencing negative emotions or thought related to overeating. Thus, binge eating is a serious condition that can also contribute to physical health problems such as obesity. Obesity is not defined in terms of physical appearance, body mass, percentage of body fat, weight charts, and total weight. Some people may have a small skeletal frame, others may have larger. Some may have their weights increased because of muscles not fats. In that case, we can say that obesity is multifactorial. Scientifically speaking, it is based upon genetic and behavioral factors. In compliance to social standards and fashion, the state of being obese is changed to being overweight (as some people demand euphemism). Mainly, there are two reasons why students are suffering from obesity brought about by stress: the Set Point and the Positive Incentive Model. Set point is an internal regulator wherein your body has its definite requirement of body fat. Leptin, a hormone, plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy spending, including appetite and metabolism. Body fat has its tendency to fall back especially when students are exposed to extreme stress brought about by school pressure, family and peer pressure, personal problems, and so on. Let us juxtapose this idea to a student cramming just to finish all of his requirements in partial fulfillment of one of the courses on his program. Due to time constraints and stress brought by the piled work, he may not have time to eat. However, when he accomplishes all his requirements, his body will demand for the body fats lost during the process of finishing his course requirements. The immediate action to gain the lost body fat is to eat more. The positive

side of this case is that the student will be able to recover immediately. What is alarming is that slow metabolism may occur continuously and might result to obesity. This may be brought by the urge of the body to eat more after a long period of deprivation of food. The body mainly needs high-calorie food to be able to meet the set point of the body. If the set point is not regulated well, fat build-ups will increase and lead to increased body weight. C. Ulcers Ulcers are lesions of the skin or a mucous membrane such as the one lining the stomach or duodenum that is accompanied by formation of pus and necrosis (death of cells or tissues) of surrounding tissue, usually resulting from inflammation or ischemia (a decrease in the blood supply to a bodily organ, tissue, or part caused by constriction or obstruction of the blood vessels). In addition, ulcers (commonly peptic ulcers) are one of the gastrointestinal diseases of adaptation caused by stress. Ulcers are frequently associated with stress, although no definite relation has yet been demonstrated. Normally, the lining of the stomach is covered with a layer of mucus to protect it from the digestive acids and enzymes used in breaking down of food. Over time, chronic stress can stimulate the overproduction of gastric juices which then break down the walls of the digestive tract resulting in ulceration. Ulcers usually occur singly as round or oval lesions; the erosions are usually thin but can penetrate the entire wall, leading to hemorrhage and possibly death. College students have the tendency to smoke, drink, consume caffeine, and use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs when experiencing stress. All mentioned tendencies relate to the formation of ulcers. However, hormones and altered immune function associated with the experience of chronic stress may be a more direct link. Therefore, behavioral factors play a role in the development of ulcers (Brannon & Feist, 2010). According to a study conducted by Paffenbarger, Wing, and Hyde (1975), of 26,954 male former students returning a mailed questionnaire, 487 reported that doctor-diagnosed peptic ulcer developed since college case-taking. College health and other records revealed characteristics that

predisposed to an increased incidence of peptic ulcer later in life: coffee and soft drink consumption; tobacco smoking habits; lower levels of systolic blood pressure; less participation in physical activity and varsity sports; and history of indigestion or diarrhea. Paired combinations of these characteristics in youth additively increased the risk of consequent peptic ulcer. Surprisingly, neither tea nor alcohol consumption in college influenced incidence of peptic ulcer, but milk consumption was inversely related. Habitual coffee consumption in college emerged as the best predictor of subsequent peptic ulcer, while milk consumption identified those most likely to remain ulcer-free. III. Preventive Measures for Stress-Induced Diseases A. For Insomnia There are several physical efforts to prevent insomnia which include working to improve sleep habits, learning to relax (self-hypnosis, biofeedback, and relaxation breathing are often helpful), controlling the environment (avoiding light, noise, and excessive temperatures and using the bed only to sleep and not using it for reading and watching TV), establishing a bedtime routine and fixing wake time, avoiding large meals, excessive fluid intake, and strenuous exercise before bedtime and reducing the use of stimulants including caffeine and nicotine, trying a relaxing activity such as listening to soothing music or reading, limiting daytime naps to less than 15 minutes unless directed by a doctor, and avoiding naps whenever possible to help consolidate your night's sleep. A variety of relaxation techniques help you achieve the relaxation response, including deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, visualization, yoga, and tai chi.

B. For Obesity C. For Ulcers There are many ways to prevent and/or treat ulcers.

The plants, hyacinth bean or batao, molave, and alugbati, have all been found to have active compounds that can protect the stomach from ulcers. Janel Khristine Marie Tarin, a chemistry student from the University of the Philippines Diliman who researched on the three seemingly ordinary plants for their gastro-intestinal effects and who conducted the research as part of her thesis, said there was little research conducted on the three plants, which have been traditionally sought for their curative effects of a variety of ailments. In particular, she focused on the anti-ulcer effects of the plants. Tarins research showed a variety of results administered on laboratory mice. Of the three plants, alugbati and molave produced the highest results, having reduced the number of ulcers in lab mice while batao had the least positive effects, though further studies should be made. Based on the research conducted by Tarin therefore, eating these vegetables will help in reducing ulcers. Avoid overstressing. College students will most likely overstress themselves whenever they are faced with problems which may involve academics or social relationships. Wherever there is stress, there can be stomach ulcer. Some college students smoke when exposed to stress. To stop smoking is another way to prevent ulcers. Cigarette smoking is one factor closely associated to poor healing and ulcer recurrence. Eating healthy food and drinking eight glasses of water a day is another way to prevent ulcers. Eating plenty of high-fiber diets will keep the digestive system in peak performance. Avoid food which is greasy and spicy. Skipping meals is also another thing to avoid in order that ulcer formation can be prevented. Also, steer clear of taking medicines such as aspirin or other analgesics with an empty stomach. D. For Stress in General

One major coping strategy that can reduce stress or help reframe stressful situations is appropriate social support (Palmer, 2003). For instance, a member of the family or a friend may provide a stressed person with somebody who appears to care and listen. Consequently, the stressed individual can enable the use of problem-solving skills or reframe the importance specific events. This can be achieved once proper social support has been established. There are also different types of coping strategies that can help reduce the effects of stressor on a person namely the problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and meditation Problem-focused coping is a coping strategy that eliminates the source of stress or reduces its impact through the persons own actions. Emotion-focused coping is a strategy which involves the way a person feels or emotionally reacts to a stressor. This will reduce the emotional impact of the stressor and makes it possible to deal with the problem more effectively. Meditation is a mental series of exercises meant to refocus attention and achieve a trancelike state of consciousness. Meditation can produce a state of relaxation that could aid in coping with the physiological reactions to a stressful situation. There are also a few other ways to enhance life and conquer stress such as: learning to relax; expressing feelings; exercising; eating properly; getting enough rest; avoiding hassles; not overextending ones self; taking mini-breaks; having a sense of humor; and learning to accept change. IV. Conclusion

V. References Brannon, L., & Feist, J. (2010). Health psychology: An introduction to behavior and health (7th ed.). USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

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