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Causes and Effects of Stress on High School and College Students
Introduction
Sometimes our bodies respond to the demands in a balanced manner. According to Bickerstaff (2006), stressors in our bodies sense a higher demand in the workload of our bodies, which leads to stress. Stress leads to the production of cortisol, which may be harmful to health. Nearly everyone experiences stress at some point in their lives but the causes and stress levels vary between teens and adults (Bickerstaff, 2006). This essay discusses the major causes of stress on high school and college students, how stress affects students’ academic life both in high school and in college levels.
Various factors lead to stress on high school and college students but these depend on prevailing circumstances and personality of different students. Archer (2003) cites environmental, physiological, and social stressors as the main triggers of stress in students at both high school and college levels. According to him, social stressors may include financial problems and work demands while physiological factors are hormonal fluctuations, illnesses, and inadequate sleep. Students from poor backgrounds tend to have high Stress levels than well off students. Archer (2003) argues that most high school students are in adolescence stage hence experience hormonal changes that if not well counseled, may lead to stress.
Landow (2006) aIDs that career is another major concern claiming that students pursuing medical courses such as pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing experience high stress levels due to more workload as compared to other students. Students pursuing health sciences are prone to chronic stress and dropout due to the rigorous training they undergo before they are allowed to practice their profession (Rizzolo, 2009). Relationships, finances, and time management affect most students especially in college where dating is more prevalent (McNeil, 2011). McNeil (2011) claims that poor management of time leads to stress in students and hence cheating during examination. This manifests through unlimited partying and attending leisure activities. The stress factors in high school and college students can be considerably reduced by focusing on learning and avoiding bad company.
Stress has a number of impacts on high school and college students and these come in varying degrees. According to Bickerstaff (2006), high stress levels in high school teens may lead to serious illnesses such as infertility. The high cortisol level may inhibit sperm production in boys and egg release in girls hence causing infertility and barrenness at an early age. A major concern in most high schools and colleges is poor performance by students. This is stated by Goodtherapy.org (2011) which reveals that most high school and college students with high stress levels generally register poor performance. The students perform poorly due to amnesia, dull thoughts, and difficulty in concentrating (Archer, 2003). Many students, especially freshmen, are homesick thus become stressful about how to cope with their new environment. Although this may be short-lived, it can lead to non-cooperation, feeling of exclusion and unruliness (Goodtherapy.org, 2011).
In conclusion, it is impossible for any human being to avoid stress. However, are a number of ways in which students can manage it include; engaging in regular physical activities, avoiding bad company and always working hard in school to improve on the grades. Staying positive can also reduce stress in students by improving the mood.

References
Archer, J. (2003). Stress and the College Student. Retrieved from

Bickerstaff, L. (2006). Stress. New York: Rosen Pub.

Goodtherapy.org. (2011). College Students Report Stress Affects AcademicPerformance.Retrieved from < http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/college student-stress-affect-academics/>

Landow, M. V. (2006). Stress and mental health of college students. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

McNeil, M. P. (2011). Understanding Stress Among Students in Different Academic Programs .Columbia University press Retrieved from

Rizzolo, D., Zipp, G. P., Stiskal, D., & Simpkins, S. (2009). Stress management strategies for students: The immediate effects of yoga, humor, and reading on stress. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 6(8), 79-88. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218893605?accountid=45049