The objective of
this study was to evaluate stress in health-studies students over time periods
when classes are not in session (Summer) and are in session (Fall) using both a
survey instrument and hair cortisol levels.
Cortisol is
produced by the adrenal cortex in response to stress. Chronic elevations in
cortisol are associated with adverse effects on the
cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and central nervous system. As such, cortisol
levels can serve as a biomarker for stress.
Hair is a particularly
useful matrix for measuring cortisol in the body since it grows at a uniform
rate, about 1 cm/month, and thereby provides a time-averaged index of exposure
to cortisol.
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