" (Goleman qtd. in Tennant). Students concerned about their future are put under too much academic pressure. They begin to think of themselves as nothing more than a grade. Students are not learning anymore, they are too worried about that final letter grade. When under perpetual stress, the body has no time to relax and recover. The body is constantly releasing stress hormones and working harder, putting it in overdrive. Disorders such as high blood pressure, headaches, reduced eyesight, stomach aches, other digestive problems, facial, neck and back pain can result from this. When high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, are present, the immune system is depressed. Not only does cortisol weaken the immune system, but studies have also linked high levels of cortisol with other diseases such as AIDS, MS (multiple sclerosis), diabetes, cancer, coronary artery disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's (Lewis qtd. in Tennant).
Furthermore, stress also causes brain integration to break down. Both sides of the brain must work in sync in order to keep emotions in balance. The right prefrontal lobe is activated by negative feelings while the left prefrontal lobe controls positive feelings. When communication between the left and right sides of the brain is not working properly, feelings run wild. Feelings of despair, helplessness, and anxiety go berserk (Tennant). In order to cope with the pressure from school, students may turn to bad habits. In many cases, students may turn to cheating to live up to the standards established by parents or older siblings. Standards that are usually academically demanding and put more pressure on students, and consequently, they resort to cheating (Kaur). Teens are also learning ways to cope with stress at a young age and this could continue through adulthood. These "ways" are bad habits that if maintained into adulthood, may arise more problems (Jayson).
