Adolescence

             Adolescence

        Kaitlyn Feck

Adolescence is the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood. Ages thirteen to nineteen. Is when this stage usually occurs. Many physical and psychological changes that happen during this time may occur at earlier ages around nine to twelve years of age. This is a time of discovery and disorientation. Adolescence deal with issues of independence and self- identify. They tend to do lots of experimenting with drugs, alcohol, and sexuality.

During adolescence the individual goes through many physical changes referred to as puberty. Puberty is a time of rapid physical growth and huge on rush of hormones. For girls, widening of the hips, peak growth spurt, and menarche are the changes that begin puberty.  Menarche is a girls first menstrual period, the start of ovulation. For boys, appearance of facial hair, deepening of the voice, peak growth spurt and spermonarche mark the beginning of puberty. Spermonarche is a boy’s first ejaculation, it signals sperm production. The typical age for spermonarche and menarche are just under thirteen years of age.

Before the physical change that can be observed occur, many changes in the brain take place. Hormones are body chemicals that regulate hunger, sleep, mood, stress, sexual desire, and many other bodily actions. During adolescence the pituitary gland activates many glands, such as the gonads, or sex glands. For female ovaries, males testes. The gonads release sex hormones such as estrogen, which cause the changes in females. Testosterone is the hormone that effects males.

The hormones affect the body’s entire shape and functioning including production of additional hormones that regulate stress and immunity. The body and brain aren’t only affected by hormones, behavior is affected as well. Emotional surges, lustful impulses are a result of the raised hormone levels. Hormone levels also influence body rhythms. The circadian rhythm is a day and night cycle of biological activity that occurs every twenty-four hours. The raised hormone levels cause this rhythm to be off resulting in loss of sleep.