What is my nervous system and why should I care?
Nerves Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Oh, the nervous system. A complex and mysterious web of electrically charged tissue that makes us who we are, both as individuals and as a species.
There are many distinctions that have been made between different types of nervous tissue based on their location, their purpose, their shape, etc… The two broadest categories are the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
The central nervous system includes the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system includes all nervous tissue outside of the central nervous system, such as the spinal nerves that branch out from the spinal cord like roads exiting a major freeway, and continue to branch into smaller and smaller branches to carry communications to all the rest of our body.
This peripheral nervous system can further be divided into three branches, one of which is the one we’re here to talk about today. That is the autonomic nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) can again be divided into two branches:
The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic.
“... most of us have a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system that we struggle to downregulate”
The sympathetic nervous system is sometimes referred to as the “fight or flight” branch of the nervous system, because it is responsible for the physiological response we have to fear, anger, and panic. It is there to support actions needed for exercise, or an emergency situation, such as stimulating the release of adrenaline, elevating heart rate, increasing blood flow to skeletal muscles and decreasing blood flow to our digestive system.
The parasympathetic nervous system is often referred to as the “rest and digest” branch, as it is responsible for actions that help us relax, digest food, and prepare for bedtime activities such as sleeping and sex, by increasing blood flow to the digestive system, slowing heart rate, etc...
Though these two branches often have opposing effects, their activation is not black and white. It’s not a switch that flipped to either one or the other. It’s more a spectrum of relative activation, and their opposing effects are complimentary more than antagonistic. Both branches are extremely important, however hyperactivity of either one can be problematic for us.
Most of us -especially right now- have a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system that we struggle to down-regulate. And even before COVID-19, America was ranked one of the most stressed-out nations in the world, according to a 2018 Gallup survey. The survey found 45 percent of Americans worry every day, for most of the day.
The sympathetic nervous system is not just about emergencies and exercise. It is always active and the levels of activation go up and down as we go about our daily activities. However, because this branch is responsible for our stress responses, it upregulates anytime we are stressed either mentally or physically.
When we see something on social media that shocks us or makes us angry, or happy and excited! When we’re running from sports events to school events to the store real quick to home to make dinner to help with homework to get everyone to bed…. Our SNS is keeping alert and active. And while a busy day might not necessarily be a bad thing, when we end a busy day by sitting on the couch and staring at screens and taking in more information, reacting mentally to what we’re seeing, we’re still telling our sympathetic nervous system that it's time to be on.
And the longer and more active that we keep our sympathetic nervous system,the harder it becomes to turn it down.
Our latest quote on the chalkboard at the lab.To be at our strongest, our healthiest, we need to be nimble and relaxed .. like the butterfly.
The parasympathetic nervous system helps us relax. When we relax, we can recharge, regenerate and heal, which is crucial to many aspects of good health, including maintaining good energy and stable mood, healthy digestion and appetite regulation, and maintaining a strong immune system. If we are constantly stimulated, our parasympathetic nervous system can never fully do its job. Digestion, elimination, sleep, and healing are all interrupted. We have to take time to stop taking in information, reduce sensory stimulation like bright light, blue light, noise and chatter, and slow down and be still in order to allow the parasympathetic nervous system to take over.
You’ve likely heard many terms starting to be thrown around more and more often, such as adrenal fatigue, burn out, mindfulness, breathwork, meditation, etc. These trends are the result of an overactive sympathetic nervous system, or methods of attempting to reawaken our parasympathetic nervous system more fully. The prevalence of these terms tells us that something really is up. We are all overstimulated, and we all need a little extra help with getting some parasympathetic action back into our lives.
Most of us were already overstressed before the pandemic struck and the anxiety continues to rise with increasing government lock-downs, scary virus numbers and health supply shortages. The last thing you need is another high intensity workout. What you need more of right now is movement and guidance on how to obtain that Parasympathetic Nervous System Activation (PNSA).
Spears Strong is here to help. Next week we will be launching a Spears Strong online page where our trainers and health coordinators will lead you through mellow movement, breathing and other activities to help you activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Stay tuned to your email, this blog and our social media accounts for more information.