Stress In America Essay

Teenagers are the most stressed age group in the U.S., according to APA’s 2013 Stress In America survey. The survey included 1,018 teenagers, ages 13 to 17, and 1,950 adults. The APA was found many teens reporting being overwhelmed or depressed because of their high stress levels. Adults rate their stress at a 5.1 and teens rate their stress at a staggering 5.8. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines stress as a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, family, and recreation. Symptoms of stress include feeling nervous or anxious, feeling tired, procrastinating or overlooking responsibilities, feeling overwhelmed, thinking negative thoughts, obtaining changes in sleeping habits, having problems concentrating, and possessing drastic changes in eating habits. Stress is caused by multiple parts in a teenagers life including school, work, sports, peer pressure, home life, financial problems, and going through body

APA’s Stress in America survey reported that 36 percent of teenagers felt tired because of stress. Teenagers who sleep less than eight hours on school nights are more likely than teens who sleep at least eight hours on a school night to report symptoms of stress, such as feeling irritable or angry, nervous or anxious , depressed or sad, and overwhelmed. More than one in three teens says that stress has kept them up at night in the past month. APA also reported that teens say they sleep an average of just 7.4 hours on a school night, which is not near the amount of sleep they should be having. Teens with little to no stress report sleeping around eight hours at night, which is less than teens with high levels of stress, sleeping seven hours at night. More than one third of teens say that stress has kept them awake at night Teenagers can sleep more by cutting back on screen time and avoiding caffeine and stimulating activities during evening