In 2013, the American Psychological Association’s (APA) survey on stress showed that Millennials (Age 18-33) were the countries most stressed generation, now even younger people have the title: teenagers

Even before teens start to work and get into adulthood stress is already a daily fact of life. This can even set teens up for stress related health problems later in life. Teenagers are now the most stressed out age group in America. According to the APA’s 2013 Stress in America survey Adults rate their stress as a 5.1 out of 10, while teenagers rate their stress as 5.8 on average.

“It is alarming that the teen stress experience is so similar to that of adults. It is even more concerning that they seem to underestimate the potential impact that stress has on their physical and mental health,” APA CEO and Executive Vice President Norman B. Anderson, PhD, said. “In order to break this cycle of stress and unhealthy behaviors as a nation, we need to provide teens with better support and health education at school and home, at the community level and in their interactions with healthcare professionals.”

Some ways that teens can reduce stress are: Exercise, get enough sleep, eat good food and communicate with family and friends. Exercise helps because it burns off a stress hormone called “cortisol” and exercise helps the body relax. Sleep will most obviously help with stress because sleep is a necessary human function, while sleeping our brain recharges and our bodies rest. Although if our bodies do not get enough sleep then we do not get the full benefits of sleep. Sleep is very important, it affects our mood, our judgment, and even our memory. For example if you don’t get enough sleep you may not be in a good mood the next morning.

Stress is and will always somehow be in most people’s lives, but there are things people can do to limit their stress and live the happy life that they are supposed to.