Fight or Flight: Sympathetic Nervous System
Frequently referred to as the “fight or flight response”, the
sympathetic nervous system is responsible for alertness and wakefulness,
as well as the ability to respond to stress.
In response to
stimulus (mental or physical), hormones including noradrenaline and
adrenaline are released by the adrenal glands. While it is technically
very difficult to measure these hormones in individuals, simple signs of
sympathetic activation can be seen in individuals including: increased
pupil dilation, sweating, increased heart rate and blood pressure
(frequently used in lie detection testing).
Heart rate and blood
pressure are probably the easiest and most reliable of these signs to
clinically measure and are most frequently used by medical researchers
to study human response to stress, as well as recovery from stress.
Recovery & Regeneration: The parasympathetic nervous system
If
the sympathetic system is the accelerator of our internal stress
response system or what makes us turn ON, the parasympathetic system is
considered to be ‘the brake’ or the OFF button. The parasympathetic
system’s main role is to conserve energy. One way of doing this is to
slow heart rate and energy needs, particularly when we are resting or
sleeping. Parasympathetic activation is dominant when we are truly
resting or sleeping (provided we are getting uninterrupted, quality
sleep).
The parasympathetic is the part of your nervous system that slows you
down, it’s responsible for telling your muscles to relax, improving
your digestion and assimilation, boosting immunity, and helping you
sleep better.The parasympathetic nervous system counteracts many
stress-related symptoms and the negative by products of life in this
world. Hatha Yoga increases the flow of prana, or life force, in your body.
Scientists have declared that today’s modern life style;
the junked up, wired up caffeine fuelled society, frequently
experiences an imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic
balance. This has a tendency to make us prone to mental and physical
burn out, periods of decreased mental concentration, immune imbalance
and many stress related diseases including cardiovascular disease. The
true long term effects of the modern wired up society we live in today
will probably not be fully known for decades to come.
