Addressing Stress Among College Students:

Implication of Health and Wellness Program in Stress Management

Jerry Aneke

Aleka Arredondo

Suborna Bhattacharjee

Anabel Castaneda

Niani Coker

Farhan Danish
 2

Table of Contents

Executive Summary Page 3

The Problem: Stress Pages 4-5

The Solution Pages 5-10

Alternate Options Page 10

Conclusion Page 11

References Pages 12-13

 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

There has been a drastic increase in the reported stress levels of college students. The

highest recorded stress levels are being documented by the current college population. Stress

can negatively impact the quality of life, health and productivity of an individual. Stress is medically

associated with multiple chronic conditions such as hypertension, anxiety and insomnia.

Incorporating a stress management and training module as part of the mandatory program known

as Student Orientation, Advising and Registration or S.O.A.R. for all incoming students in efforts

to educate healthy stress management as well as introduce available and valuable resources on

campus. The stress management training module will consist of different methods to help

effectively reduce stress levels; time management, exercise, medication, nutrition, rest, yoga and

some additional healthy alternatives to managing stress.

 4

THE PROBLEM: STRESS

Stress is considered an internal or environmental factor that causes biological or mental

tension. Stress changes the biochemical metabolism of an individual thus can influence the

course of various medical chronic conditions such as depression, anxiety, hypertension and

obesity. The college environment presents daily stressors that results in 30% of the college

student population that report being overwhelmed, coupled with self-rated emotional health at an

all-time low (Pyrol, et. Al 2011). Studies have analyzed students and found high levels of

perceived stress to be related to anxiety (Asım, 2105). Stress can result from a variety of multiple

stressors and experiences of college students. Some examples identified include the internal and

external pressures to do well, the requirement to be adaptive to a change in living conditions, the

financial and emotional costs of starting college education, coming up with a plan for the future

and making career choices, pressures of transferring to a new university, coping with busy

academic settings, taking exams, procrastinating, lack of sleep and assignment deadlines. (Peer,

Hillman, & Van Hoet, 2015)

Statistics have revealed that a majority of college students experience chronic stress

which may have a negative impact on their overall health. Inadequate coping mechanisms are

employed by college students which further impacts their stress levels as well as increases their

risk for low stress tolerance (Bland, Melton, Welle, &Bigham, 2012). Stressful conditions also

cause the body to process foods differently, studies have found that under stressful conditions a

hormone called Neuropeptide Y is released. With increased levels of this hormone, Neuropeptide

Y fat is easily stored in the body in excess amounts. This increased fat absorption will influence

adverse health effects for chronic diseases and later health care expenditure.
 5

Figure 1: Perceived Moderate and Extreme Sources of Stress (2015)

THE SOLUTION

Ensuring we have effective methods for stress management is imperative. According to

the survey conducted by American Psychological Association, regarding stress amongst college

students, 8 in 10 students mentioned that they sometimes or frequently experience stress in their

daily lives or over the past three months. This is a further increased by 20% from the previous

survey conducted 5 years ago. Our solution is to mandate a health and wellness program module

that focuses on the topics of time management, rest, nutrition, physical fitness and emotional

wellbeing tailored to college students. This program module must be completed by all college

freshmen and transfer students in order to register for their next quarter. S.O.A.R at California

State University, San Bernardino stands for ‘Student Orientation, Advising and Registration’ and

it is a mandatory orientation with the goal to provide guidance to students that will make their

transition to college easier and facilitate their success. Our health and wellness module featuring

services available to students will be a part of SOAR to ensure students are familiar with the
 6

resources available to them to both prevent and manage the stress that comes with pursuing a

college degree.

There are many people that will benefit from this solution. On an intrapersonal level,

implementation of this program will affect all first-time college and transfer students so they’re

empowered to have a successful educational career. Interpersonally, the faculty and staff that

have a vested interest in ensuring the academic success of their students will benefit. Even

beyond graduation, on an organizational and societal, students will also be better equipped to

maintain their health and manage their stress as working professionals within the careers they

pursue. Empowering individuals with methods that are effective in managing their own stress

levels can have a positive impact across many levels.

TIME MANAGEMENT:

Learning how to manage your time is one of the best ways to help reduce stress. The key

is to work smarter, not harder. One of the first tips for improving time management is investing in

a planner or organizer. Using a planner can help you organize all of the many things you need to

do throughout your day, helping you stay on task. You can also sync the planner with your Google

calendar in order to have your schedule accessible daily and set reminders 20 minutes prior to

each event or meeting. Other helpful time management tools are utilizing apps like Self Control

or Freedom which block all social media sites for a period of time which can very helpful for those

that struggle with distractions and focus. Finally prioritizing daily tasks starting with the most

difficult ensures that you will get the most important things finished first. Implementing these easy

time management ideas will ultimately reduce daily life stress.

REST:

Getting a proper amount of sleep is another good way for adults to reduce stress. It is

recommended that adults get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Getting a proper amount of sleep
 7

helps to improve memory, patience, and feelings of relaxation, which reduces stress. Having

enough sleep also increases alertness and awareness, which results in better decision making.

According to the American Psychological Association, adults who slept less than 8 hours every

night were more likely to lose patience or feel overwhelmed or angry than those who slept 8 hours

or more (APA). Even though it might be difficult for some adults to have enough time get those 7-

9 hours of sleep every night due to work or family responsibilities, it is still something they should

invest in doing. Through proper time management, they could get their tasks completed sooner

and have more time to rest. If possible, adults should set earlier bedtimes for themselves and

stick to a regular sleeping pattern of going to bed around the same time every night. Although

getting enough hours of sleep can be quite helpful in reducing stress, it won’t matter much if the

quality of sleep is poor. Ways to improve quality of sleep include turning off the bedroom lights

before going to bed, turning off the TV, and limiting the use of cellphones, computers, and TV

before bed.

EXERCISE:

Epidemiological evidence shows stress can negatively affect physical and mental health.

Long-term stress can produce hormonal and biochemical imbalances for college students which

can increase risk of and even result in health problems such as anxiety, autoimmune diseases,

obesity, muscle tension, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and other

quality of life issues that impact humans. Exercise as a way to manage stress is a valid modality

since a common prescription to prevent or manage many of these health problems is regular

physical activity. According to The Handbook of Stress Science, exercise for stress management

has shown benefit in its capacity to regulate hormones, expend anxious energy, regulate

inflammation, improve glucose metabolism and appetite, decrease physical tension, and improve

neurotransmission. Research also suggests that higher levels of physical fitness allows for better

recovery from exposure to stress compared to unfit individuals (Contrada 2011). Colleges across
 8

the nation facilitate access to physical activity by offering recreation and wellness centers where

fees are included in tuition. This is a valuable resource for student who may encounter stress

throughout their college career.

The benefits of exercise can also be emotional in nature. There may be antidepressant

effects of exercise as it has a mood enhancing effect (Contrada 2011). A study looked at

emotional regulation through positive affect and self-efficacy in order to facilitate effective stress

coping among students and also found positive results (Sharma 2014). Because humans are so

adaptive in nature, a well programmed exercise regimen can improve levels of self-efficacy.

Overcoming physical challenges or resistance can improve self-efficacy and self-confidence

which can translate into being better able to manage stress in other realms of life, including

educational pursuits. Exercise is widely considered an essential component of a healthy lifestyle

across the lifespan and although the exact dose, modality, intensity and adherence will vary for

individuals, empirical evidence suggests it is certainly a method to consider.

YOGA:

In college, life can be very stressful because of the demands of academically rigorous

programs and the long hours that most students spend regularly reading advanced research

articles. Graduate school require a new level of preparedness and maturity, and a student may

have to make significant personal shift to cope with it. Hence, many students experience higher

level of stress and it is important for a university to have stress management programs. There are

many studies show that yoga can be very effective in reducing the stress level of college students.

(Beck et al., 2015, Marquez et al., 2011, Bech et al., 2014, Brems et al., 2015). Yoga is a group

of physical, mental and spiritual practices or disciplines. Yoga benefits mind and soul by

temporarily removing the turmoil of information overload.

To determine the effectiveness of yoga as a stress reduction technique, in (Beck et al.,

2015, Bech et al., 2014), authors measured the perceived level of stress of some communication
 9

sciences and disorders (CSD) college students’ before and after participation in a 6-week yoga

course. They reported that participation in Yoga classes resulted in significantly lowered levels of

perceived stress and biological markers of stress were also significantly reduced for these

students (Beck et al., 2015, Bech et al., 2014). Stress elevates levels of the cortisol hormone,

which is responsible for killing brain cells in the hippocampus. Significant drop in cortisol level has

been observed in people before and after the yoga class (Thirthalli et al. 2013). Overall, if students

do yoga on regular basis it will improve the memory, decrease stress level, reduce depression,

boost energy level and improves mood. There are various kinds of yoga (e.g., hot yoga, power

yoga, ashtanga, lyengar, bikram, anusara etc), which is very good for stress relief. Most college

have identified the importance of Yoga in stress management among students and the student

recreation and fitness centers usually arrange yoga classes on weekly basis over the year.

College students should utilize this opportunity to take yoga classes to reduce stress.

NUTRITION:

Although a healthy diet may not be the first thing to think of to reduce stress, dedicating

time to plan a wholesome diet will make the impact of stress less overwhelming. As mentioned in

the discussion biochemical changes occurs due to stress and result in poor food cravings, coupled

with increased fat absorption. College students struggle to balance different platforms of life, and

often times healthy eating habits are passed over for faster and cheaper options. Meal planning

is an excellent way to ensure a home cooked meal, saving time having to wait for food and more

importantly money. Meal preparations can be modified to fit any schedule, the internet is a

fabulous tool some websites offer fresh organic foods shipped to a convenient location to offer

more flexibility, other provide full recipes and vlogs on how to cook a meal. Most often meal

preparation is recommended to be completed in one day leaving whole cooked meals ready for

the week. Nutrition education is a key element is healthy food decisions. Nutrition education is

available free to the public on Myplate.gov and provides.

 10

ALTERNATE OPTIONS

In many Eastern medicine traditions, herbal teas are considered effective to cure many

various illnesses from a migraine to obesity. Among the hundreds of different teas claimed to

alleviate stress valerian, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm are some the most commonly used.

The bioactive chemical properties in the herbs and teas act directly on the body. Some studies

have shown improved sleep patterns and reduced appetite however, much is still to be learned in

modern science to determine the true effectiveness of herbal teas. The FDA has not set upper

limits or regulations on many of the herbal remedies available on the market and thus, they should

be used with caution and under medical supervision (“Best Tea for Stress and Anxiety,” 2017).

Stress can be debilitating however, reaching out can make a difference in how stress

impacts an individual. Interpersonal relationships during college are important for encouragement

and fortification during times of tension. Reaching out to someone does not always have to be a

friend or family member; there are also available options within the community such as

professionals in the Student Health Center or even a psychiatrist.

CONCLUSION

High levels of stress are common across college student populations, which may have

damaging effects on their academic performance, health and emotional state. For coping with

these stress related issues, it is very important toutilize effective stress management strategies

and learn health promoting behaviors. Even though alternative options are can be considered

viable to the students, CSUSB offers many resources in this regard to help students such as

relaxation exercises, time-management and goal setting workshop, nutrition counselling, guided

meditation, Yoga classes and more. Students should utilize these effective management tools to

set themselves up for success and promote positive change in their lives.
 11

References

AsımCivitci. “Perceived Stress and Life Satisfaction in College Students: Belonging and

Extracurricular Participation as Moderators.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences

205 (2015) 271 – 281. Department of Counseling and Guidance, Faculty of Education

American Psychological Association. (2017). Stress and Sleep. Retrieved from

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep.aspx

Beck, Ann R., Scott Seeman, Heidi Verticchio, and Jessica Rice. "Yoga as a Technique to

Reduce Stress Experienced by CSD Graduate Students.", ASHA.

Beck, Ann R., and Heidi Verticchio. "Facilitating Speech-Language Pathology Graduate

Students’ Ability To Manage Stress: A Pilot Study." Contemporary Issues in

Communication Science & Disorders 41 (2014).

Best Tea for Stress and Anxiety. (2017, October 22). Retrieved November 28, 2017, from

http://truestressmanagement.com/best-tea-for-stress/

Bland, H. W., Melton, B. F., Welle, P., &Bigham, L. (2012). Stress Tolerance: New Challenges

for Millennial College Students. College Student Journal, 46(2), 362–375.

Brems, Christiane. "A yoga stress reduction intervention for university faculty, staff, and

graduate students." International journal of yoga therapy 25, no. 1 (2015): 61-77.

Contrada, R. J., & Baum, A. (2011). Exercise and stress reduction. In The handbook of stress

science biology, psychology, and health (pp. 304-31 ). New York, NY: Springer Pub. Co.

Marquez, Genevive. “Yoga as a burnout preventative for psychology graduate students.”

Alliant International University, 2011.

Peer, J. W., Hillman, S. B., & Van Hoet, E. (2015). The Effects of Stress on the Lives of

Emerging Adult College Students: An Exploratory Analysis. Adultspan Journal, 14(2),

90–99. https://doi.org/10.1002/adsp.12007

Pryor, J.H. Hurtado, S., DeAngelo, L., Palucki Blake, L., & Tran, S. (2011). The American
 12

freshman: National norms fall 2010. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute,

UCLA.

Sharma, M., & Rush, S. E. (2014). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Stress

Management Intervention for Healthy Individuals. Journal of Evidence-Based

Complementary & Alternative Medicine,19(4), 271-286. doi:10.1177/2156587214543143

Thirthalli, J., G. H. Naveen, M. G. Rao, S. Varambally, R. Christopher, and B. N. Gangadhar.

"Cortisol and antidepressant effects of yoga." Indian journal of psychiatry55, no. Suppl 3

(2013).

Thompson, Dennis Jr. “The Link Between Stress and Obesity.” (2009). Everyday Health.

Received from. https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/food-and-mood/stress-

and-dieting/stress-and-other-causes-of-obesity.aspx