Millennials are stressed over their heavy student debt load and embarrassed about it, according to a study from LendEdu and Laurel Road.

Around 56 percent of student loan holders feel anxiety and self-conscious about their financial state, and 74 percent feel stress on a daily basis, according to the survey.

LendEdu, a personal finance marketplace that provides refinancing for student loans, and Laurel Road surveyed 1,000 people who graduated from college between 2012 and 2017. 

About 45 million student loan debtors are carrying around a total of $1.45 trillion in the U.S., the report noted.

Close to 60 percent of respondents stated they didn’t comprehend the full affect student loan debt would have on their finances and life events like having a family (nearly 30 percent) or buying a home (nearly 50 percent).

"While in college, we see a lot of millennials focused on classes, rather than student loan debt, and rightfully so," stated LendEdu's research analyst Mike Brown. "However, this leads to a lack of awareness once it comes time to pay down the student debt, which is why more extensive financialy literact classes would serve many young Americans well."

The company also delved into the pressures student loan debts puts on parents.

In a separate study conducted annually, LendEdu found that almost 70 percent of 850 surveyed parent cosigners understood the risks of cosigning and still did it. Though 63 percent said they did not regret cosigning, more than half of the parents admitted the loans negatively impacted their credit scores. Forty percent stated that cosigning hurt their ability to get a mortgage and 47 percent stated that it negatively impacted their retirement.

Employers have been providing services designed to help workers manage their student debt. Pricewaterhousecoopers, Credit Suisse and Fidelity Investments are among the companies that have started student loan assistance programs.  

Brown recommends payiond down student debt in various ways such as consolidating and refinancing, building credit and then refinancing and paying off student loans in order of smallest or highest interest rates. Brown added that college graduates can take their graduation money from families and friends and invest it in hopes of using the profits to pay down their student loan debt.