Stress & Our Autonomic Nervous System
Health, Wellness, and Longevity Depend on Autonomic Nervous System Balancing
The human nervous system can be viewed as a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord. The brain is the initiator and controller of our body movements. The spinal cord provides the brain access to incoming sensory information and nerve pathways through which the brain communicates with our various biological systems, organs, muscles, and skeletal structure.
The vast root-like network of neuron cells that leave and enter the spinal cord are called the peripheral nervous system. Information as nerve impulses reaches the spinal cord through neural pathways and is transmitted to the brain. After the brain processes the information, it sends signals that travel back down the spinal cord and leave as the peripheral nerve pathways to convey electrochemical messages to our biosystems, organs, and muscles.
At the middle of the pyramid is the somatic nervous system — certain peripheral nerve fibers that send messages to the central nervous system and nerve fibers that send messages to the skeletal muscles. This means the somatic system conveys sensations from our eyes, ears, nose, and other sensory organs to our brain, which processes the signals and then transmits nerve impulses to the skeletal muscles to permit voluntary control of our bodily movements. This dynamic sensory-motor process is largely within our conscious awareness.
Our body's automatic biological processes are controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which functions at the base of the pyramid and is the balancing point of the human nervous system as a whole. The nerves of the ANS convey sensory impulses from the blood vessels, the heart, and all of the organs in the chest, abdomen, and pelvis to parts of the brain. These autonomic messages often do not reach our consciousness, but elicit largely automatic reflex-like responses that send nerve signals to the heart, the vascular system, and all the organs of the body.
The autonomic nervous system consists of two opposing yet complementary systems: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems.
During stressful conditions, the sympathetic nervous system quickens our heartbeat and breathing, and coordinates changes in blood flow to various bodily organs. It is part of our "fight or flight" mechanism — accompanied by the release of adrenaline (epinephrine) — which helps deliver a surge of power to our muscles in the face of immediate danger. The sympathetic system also temporarily inhibits digestion, immune system functioning, and tissue rejuvenation during stress.
The parasympathetic nervous system has the opposite effect — preparing our bodies for a more restful state. This system is dominant when we are not feeling threatened and are ready for relaxation. It conserves the body's energy resources, slows breathing and heart rate, decreases blood pressure, slows metabolism, and is key in the processes of relaxation and digestion.
The Importance of Nourishing Balance at the Base of the Pyramid
The balanced operation and interplay between sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the ANS keeps your body working properly in all situations — sustaining the healthy functioning of your organs, immune system, cellular oxygenation, digestion, general metabolism, and tissue rejuvenation.
Constant reinforcement of the sympathetic side of your autonomic nervous system will disrupt the healthy functioning of your bodymind, make you more susceptible to illnesses, increase your vulnerability to genetic predispositions to specific diseases, shorten your lifespan, and detrimentally impact the quality and fullness of your daily life, work satisfaction, and interpersonal relationships.
