The Connection Between Stress in Adolescence and Future Health Issues

The Connection Between Stress in Adolescence and Future Health Issues

Being a teenager is tough, no doubt about it. Your body's doing its own thing, inside and out. Hormones are going wild, and everyone's on their own timeline. On top of that, you've got the whole gang of pressures – from school, friends, family, and now, the ever-present social media. It's a lot, and according to scientists, that stress might just stick around longer than we thought.

A bunch of American teens (over 35,000 of them!) spilled the beans in a 2018 poll, saying they're stressed pretty much all the time. Turns out, that's not just a passing phase. Studies are piling up, saying that too much stress, the chronic kind, can mess up both our minds and bodies. It's not just headaches and sleepless nights; it's got links to serious stuff like heart problems, asthma, diabetes, and more.

Now, the American Heart Association is waving the red flag, saying that stress in our teen years could be a troublemaker well into our adult days. Fangqi Guo, from the University of Southern California, led a study and found out that stress can release some heavy-duty hormones, triggering inflammation that's not good for our heart. This inflammation can lead to blood vessels getting hurt, upping the chances of blood clots – yikes!

Adolescence, as it turns out, is a prime time for our body's hormone highways to take shape. Messing with stress hormones during this time can leave a mark, not a good one. Guo is saying it's not just heart trouble; it's a whole menu of health issues – diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity. All these troublemakers gang up and increase the odds of heart disease.

Guo and her gang dug through mountains of info from a study tracking over 12,000 kids for over 30 years. They zoomed in on 276 of them, checking how much stress they felt in their teen days and early adulthood. Surprise, surprise – those who rode the stress train from 13 to grown-up times had heart issues later on. Guo was taken aback, admitting they didn't expect the stress story to play out so clearly across the board.

What's the takeaway? 

Stress during the teenage years isn't just a rite of passage; it's a big deal. Guo's saying it's time to take stress seriously, especially during our teenage days. The study also spilled the beans that folks who dialed down the stress as they grew up had better heart health. So, early stress management might just be the ticket to a healthier heart later on.

If stress is throwing you off your game, the American Heart Association has some simple tips. Talk yourself up with positive thoughts, take deep breaths, go for a walk, break down big problems into bite-sized pieces, try meditation or yoga, and reach out to friends or family. And if you're the parent of a teen wrestling with stress, the AHA suggests having a chat, supporting healthy habits, setting a good example, and knowing when to call in the pros. Stress is no joke, folks – tackle it early, and your heart will thank you later.


You may read also: Ring in the New Year with the Fresh Start of Walmart Wellness Day: Enjoy Complimentary Screenings and Affordable Immunizations 

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