We hear a lot of different terms related to the nervous system. I thought I would share a quick review to make sure you have a basic understanding of how the nervous system works.
The nervous system is made up of the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord (the decision maker). The peripheral nervous system includes the nerves that run throughout the whole body.
The Peripheral Nervous System consists of:
The Somatic Nervous System, also known as the voluntary nervous system, is a part of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary body movements and carries sensory signals from the body back to the central nervous system.
The Autonomic Nervous System, or involuntary nervous system, regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, that we don’t have to think about, to keep us alive.
The Autonomic Nervous System consists of:
The Sympathetic Nervous System which increases energy with effects like increased heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating. This is often referred to as ‘fight or flight’.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System conserves energy by lowering the heart rate for things like digestion. This is often referred to as ‘rest & digest’ or ‘stay & play’. This is the natural state our body should be in about 80% of the time.
All healing occurs in a parasympathetic state; this includes healthy digestion, detoxification, and cellular regeneration.
When we are in a constant state of ‘fight or flight’ it leads to:
- Tired but wired feeling, not sleeping through the night, often wide awake between 1 – 4 am and exhausted upon waking.
- Digestive issues such as constipation and bloating, despite a healthy balanced diet. Stress is one of the most common reasons for constipation.
- Premature grey hair is very common in those who experienced high stress or trauma. These situations can also increase oxidative stress and free-radical production within the body.
- Increased blood pressure and elevated blood sugar levels.
- Weight-gain especially around the belly.
- Feelings of not being able to calm down or slow down mentally and physically.
So you can see that if you are stuck in ‘fight or flight’ your body can’t optimally perform its basic functions. This leads to ill health and potentially ends up as disease long-term.
Next week I’ll cover ways of regulating the nervous system.
