The Nervous System

The nervous system contains two sections which are the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (nerves). "Our autonomic nervous system or ANS (part of our central nervous system) is a control system that is responsible for regulating all of our unconscious bodily functions including our heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, urination, and sexual arousal. It is divided between two systems; the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Our sympathetic nervous system has a direct role in our physical response to stress and generates what is known as our fight or flight response. This is a natural evolutionary response that was designed to protect us from danger by encouraging us to flee the danger or fight – fight or flight." There are two main types of stress; acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is the immediate reaction to a threatening situation. Once the threat has passed, our stress hormones return to normal levels with no long-lasting effects. Some believe that small amounts of acute stress are even beneficial to your brain’s performance. This is because adrenaline and norepinephrine are produced as a result of stress causing extreme excitement that helps you to think and move fast in an emergency." Chronic stress is continuous on-going stress that often isn’t triggered by danger or a life-threatening situation. Chronic stress can result in long-term damage in the body thus causing physical symptoms such as headaches and constipation, as well as general wear-and-tear. What makes chronic stress so damaging to our health and to our body is the presence of a third stress hormone called cortisol. Unlike adrenaline and norepinephrine, cortisol can linger throughout your body all day. Excessive levels of cortisol can lead to a number of physical health problems such as digestive problems, inflammation, weight gain, hormone imbalances, heart disease, and diabetes."