Stress in Your Body Systems Template

Cardiovascular system

• Comprised of heart and blood vessels
• Provides nourishment and oxygen to body
• Coordinated with stress response

Acute stress (momentary): increase in heart rate, stronger heart muscle contractions, dilation of heart and blod vessels to increase blood production- body returns to normal after end of acute stress Chronic stress: ongoing increased heart rate, elevated stress hormones and blood pressure-increases risk for hypertension, heart attack, and stroke - contributes to inflammation in circulatory system (coronary arteries, tied to heart attacks) and affects cholestrol levels - for females, estrogen help blood vessels respond to stress, but postemnopausal females lose estrogen and therefore at greater risk for heart disease

Male Reproductive System

Influenced by nervous system- Parasympathetic causes relaxation- Sympathetic causes arousal- Automatic nervous system produces testoseroneThe effects of stress:- Excess cortisol affects biochemical functioning- Chronic stress affects testosterone, resulting in- decline of sex drive- erectile dysfunction/impotence- sperm production and maturation (lower sperm motility [ability to swim] and sperm with normal morphology [size and shape]- Vulnerability to infection