How stress affects student athletes

Taylor Bullock, Staff Writer

Students and student athletes alike are both exposed to stress. But, what makes a student athlete’s stress different? Well, take all known stress factors to a student, and add commitment to a sport to that list. Participating in a sport takes time, dedication, energy and maybe even money. When a person wakes up at six in the morning, has classes until three in the afternoon, and practice until solid at night, it may seem nearly impossible for anything else.

Factors of stress for a student athlete:

  • Time management- A student athlete may have to balance homework, testing, college preparation/admittance, social life and more.
  • Parental pressure- Some athletes may be playing a sport to make a parent or another family member proud or accepting. The student may then feel a need to only focus on that sport, causing them to make everything else less important.
  • Ongoing issues- If a student is already dealing with stress from another situation, adding their sport to that could harm their mental state and even make them feel helpless.
  • Need for scholarships-”Students see the possibility of earning an athletic scholarship as a way to help defray the cost of attending college. Parents and athletes spend countless hours and financial resources on travel teams, special coaches, and showcase events in the hopes of catching the eye of a coach from a top-tier program—on top of participating in the regular school team,” director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer at Georgetown Preparatory School, Joseph Spelta said in article for Washingtonian.com.

 

A student athlete, like most teens, may suffer from lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation for athletes can lead to:

  • The student becoming more likely to sustain an injury
  • Defects in proprioception: the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement.
  • The student needing more sleep to reach a period of deep sleep which helps with memory consolidation

 

Student athletes may also be subjected to a burnout: physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. Signs of a burnout are:

  • Chronic fatigue
  • Depression
  • Rapid loss of previously learned skills

Just like decreasing student stress, student athletes should slow down when feeling overwhelmed. When things are becoming too much to handle, it’s okay to take a step back and even talk to someone. A person’s mental health is key and should be taken care of. When you treat your body right, your body will treat you right.