Stress is a very common psychological reaction everyone has dealt with at some point in their lives. Stress is the emotional or mental strain on one’s mind and body resulting from a difficult or demanding situation, whether it may be life threatening or not. There are two types of stress, acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is the reaction to the fight-or-flight response in a short amount of time. Whenever an individual perceives a potential threat to one's self, their mind and body prepares itself physically and mentally to deal with the threat, whether the individual decides to run away, or fight. How the body reacts during a stressful situation is by “producing larger amounts of chemicals cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline, which trigger a faster heart rate, heightened muscle preparedness, sweating, and alertness …show more content…
Chronic stress affects multiple systems at once, such as your immune system and your reproductive system. When an individual suffers from chronic stress the body is in a constant state of alertness, constantly working to protect itself from “danger”. This causes the immune system to weaken, leaving the body more open to diseases than a person who is not suffering from chronic stress. When the individual becomes ill, “the body has a chance to rest from constantly overworking itself to the point of exhaustion” (Lindsey). With the person’s weakened immune system, becoming ill can happen more frequently and with more disastrous effects. Not only is the immune system affected, but the reproductive system is affected as well. Both male and female’s reproductive systems can be affected by the chronic stress. Chronic stress can affect the production of the hormone testosterone, the production and maturation of sperms, and cause erectile dysfunction (Tovian). This can lead to problems with reproducing and can cause a lack in sexual