Unmanaged stress can physically affect students in many ways. Here are a few signs students can look for:
- Shortness of breath
- Headaches
- Chest pain
- Irritability
- Upset stomach
- Sleeplessness or sleeping too much
- Fatigue
- Forgetfulness
Students face stressors in their day-to-day lives during the course of a semester, but finals week can be more difficult to deal with, Bernard Whitley, professor of psychological science, said.
"There's a lot of work to be done in a small amount of time," Whitley said. "When it's high stakes work to the extent that people's grade depend on high exam scores, it becomes especially stressful."
However, when students find themselves working under a large amount of stress, they tend to neglect the activities that can help reduce stress, he said.
One thing students neglect is physical activity, Kent Bullis, medical director of the Amelia T. Wood Student Health Center, said.
"The single biggest thing a person could do [to relieve stress] is to exercise regularly," Bullis said. Exercising reduces the hormones that are the conveyers of stress, he said.
Exercising stimulates chemicals called neurotransmitters, such as endorphins, that lead to feelings of euphoria that counteract the negative effects of stress, according to the American Council of Exercise. Exercise can relieve nervous tension to help students focus better.
Students add to their stress by cutting back on the recommended eight hours of sleep, Bullis said. The National Sleep Foundation reported that 63 percent of college students do not get enough sleep.
"One of the best ways to create stress is to deprive yourself of sleep," Bullis said. "When you don't get an adequate amount of sleep, you get irritable, cranky and in a bad mood."
Students should get whatever their normal amount of sleep is, Bullis said. Some students function well with six hours of sleep but others need a full eight hours.
"Both stress itself and lack of sleep tend to reduce people's effectiveness of thinking," Whitley said. "They don't remember things as quickly as they usually do."
If students get their work done by 4 a.m., that doesn't mean their work will deserve a good grade, Amy Benincasa, a masters student in social psychology, said.
"If you are going to stay up all night writing the paper then the paper is going to be crap," Benincasa said. "It's better to break it down and say, 'Today I'm going to write two pages.'"
The system of breaking projects and studying down into smaller sections is an easy way to handle finals week stress.
Students need to plan time for relaxation in their schedules as well if they want to remain efficient in their work, Whitley said.
"Your muscles have to relax to work at peak efficiency," he said. "You have to let your mind relax, too, to work at peak efficiency. You'll be able to study better."
Finding time to relax doesn't have to be a time-consuming event and students shouldn't feel guilty about doing something for themselves every day either, Bullis said.
"Most college students can find 20 or 30 minutes, even if it's going out for a walk 30 minutes a day," he said.
By doing things as simple as sleeping, exercising and taking time to relax, the stress of having five exams and two papers to finish in one week can become bearable, Whitley said.
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