So, how does homework affect student mental health?
In addition to stress, research indicates it can also cause:
- Anxiety
- Burnout
- Depression
And when students struggle mentally, their academic performance and overall well-being become increasingly at risk.
Common Mental Health Effects of Excessive Homework
The National Education Association suggests students allocate 10 minutes per grade level on outside assignments.
That’s two hours a night for a high school senior.
Yet, many face homework loads that exceed these recommendations. One study from Stanford University found students spent an average of three hours on assignments at home each night.
Over time, too much homework may lead to:
- Sleep deprivation: Staying up late to finish assignments directly reduces sleep.
- Physical health issues: Increasing stress causes headaches, stomach problems, tense muscles, and high blood pressure.
- Lack of balance: Socializing with family and friends or participating in extracurricular activities becomes difficult.
- Low self-esteem: Feeling pressure to not fail damages self-confidence and motivation.
How to Recognize When Homework is Harming Mental Health
Every student stresses about their homework sometimes.
An important project can increase nervousness.
Your appetite might decrease as you wait for a professor to grade a paper.
Whatever the case may be, once the anxiety-inducing assignment takes place, those feelings should stop.
And if they don’t? It could be a sign of homework negatively impacting your mental health.
“A little bit of stress can be the pressure that we need to perform well, but there’s a curve in that helpfulness,” says Jessica Gage, co-chair of the Psychology Department at Portage Learning. “When that stress crosses that curve, it undermines performance.”
Other signs you may be burned out from your assignments include:
- Trouble sleeping
- Mood swings
- Difficulty remembering information
- Procrastinating homework or school altogether
- Unable to concentrate
How Mental and Emotional Health Affect Academic and Social Life
We often use emotional health as a synonym for mental health. However, the terms differ.
So, what’s the difference between mental and emotional health? Think of it like this:
- Mental health: An overarching term that includes a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how they think, feel, and act.
- Emotional health: A subset of mental health that refers to someone’s ability to cope with positive and negative emotions, including awareness of them.
Your mental and emotional health play a massive role in the learning experience, helping you set goals and connect with others. The negative effects of excessive homework may trickle into these parts of your life by:
- Causing you to withdraw from social situations
- Making it difficult to create and maintain relationships
- Impacting your ability to articulate your feelings and needs effectively
- Impairing cognitive function, which hinders how you focus, retain information, and meet deadlines
How to Deal with Stress in College and High School
Despite the concerns, teachers and professors will likely assign you homework. Research indicates it can:
- Improve student achievement
- Reinforce classroom learning
- Develop good study habits and life skills
A healthy balance must be found, ensuring assignments remain beneficial rather than harmful. Some ways to do that include:
- Creating a study schedule that includes breaks to avoid fatigue. Planners and digital tools let you organize assignments and reduce last-minute stress.
- Communicating to teachers when homework loads cause issues. Guidance counselors and other trusted adults, like a parent or coach, can offer you support too.
- Doing something you enjoy, like working out or listening to a podcast. These types of activities give you an outlet for any frustration or extra energy.
- Getting a good night’s rest. The right amount of sleep prepares you to tackle another day of assignments.
- Setting realistic goals. Everyone encounters a difficult piece of homework (or two) in their academic career, and it’s OK if you don’t perform as well as you had hoped.
- Establishing boundaries. Ignore the temptation to check school email or grades in your free time.
The Student Success team at Portage Learning walks alongside students so they don’t feel overwhelmed. Our professionals share time management tips, study skills, help with grade calculations, progress reports, and more.
“I refer students to them all the time,” Professor Gage offers. “They truly want to understand what a student is going through and partner with them to help them get to the place they want to be.”
What Are a Few Mental Health Conversation Starters?
When too much homework begins to affect a student’s mental health, school staff, parents, and peers play an important role in helping them through it.
To create a safe space for them to share their feelings without fear of judgment, try asking:
- How are you feeling today? It’s OK to have different emotions.
- When you get stressed or anxious, what makes you feel better?
- Who would you talk to if you feel upset?
- I’m here to listen. If there’s anything you want to talk about, I will listen.
- I know it’s been a stressful time right now with your [biology, English, etc.] class. Can you tell me how it’s been affecting you?
It’s possible a student will not want to talk about their mental health. If so, you can rephrase a few questions or share your own experiences but respect their boundaries. Reiterate you will be there for them and then move on.
Alternatives to Traditional Homework Models: The Final Thought on Student Well-Being
Homework and school go together like PB&J.
They used to, at least.
With 74 percent of students viewing assignments outside of the classroom as a big source of stress, it’s time to explore other pairings that foster learning.
Portage Learning offers online, self-directed college courses that let students create flexible schedules. Credits cost $223 and transfer to more than 2,800 institutions across the nation.
Additional alternatives to homework include:
- Project-based assignments
- Peer tutoring and study groups
- Hands-on learning
Regardless of how you’re feeling about your classwork, the options outlined in this article really can improve your mental health.
But only if you choose to seek help.
(Academic success should never come at the cost of mental health. Explore how Portage Learning supports high school and college students as they pursue their dream careers.)
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