Tiffany Flotte, a junior pre-physical therapy major, is all too familiar with over-working and physically exhausting her body.

“I am a dance minor, so being in the dance department involves more then just going to class,” Flotte said.

A typical week for Flotte includes dancing in her classes, attending academic classes, building her resume for dance, dancing on the NIU Rhythm Nation dance team five days a week and working at a gym in Rockford two days a week.

With seven classes, Flotte said she finds each day more stressful then the last. Over time, this stress can add up and take a toll on a person physically and mentally.

“Our body and brain are not always on the same page,” said Eunice Kim, a staff psychologist at the Counseling and Student Development Center. “Our brain may believe that our stress is over while our body is telling us that it is not.”

Chronic stressing can lead to sickness, overeating, diabetes, ulcers and sometimes hypertension.

Kim said our bodies are made to survive a certain amount of stress. Still, she wants students to realize constant stress results in a lack of energy or an increased heart rate and muscle tension in uncomfortable situations.

Injuries take longer to heal when a person is stressed, and language affects the cortisol level causing the human body to not function properly, Kim said.

“If someone said something nasty to you in the beginning of the day, then that can affect your body’s ability to fight off illness,” Kim said.

Research that has been conducted on medical students shows exam stress decreased our T-Cells and NK-Cells that fight off infection, making the students more prone to illness, Kim said.

Erica Hutchinson, a sophomore communication major, deals with stress from her Telefund telemarketer job at NIU and her busy school schedule.

“I get stressed out when I have to stay up and do a paper and read, so I try to take a nap before I do my work so that I will be refreshed,” Hutchinson said.

Kim said it is important for students to understand one stressful thing won’t lead to exhaustion.

“It’s chronic stress, and our body is not equipped or made to deal with constant stress,” Kim said. “Students are under constant stress.”

Mary Strohm, health educator in the Health Enhancement office, said she tries to promote health and prevent health problems.

“Exercise is a good way to burn your stress and it trains your body to utilize your energy better,” Strohm said. “Make eating well a priority and realize that exercising and eating healthy will give you more energy.”