Everything you need to know about your nervous system

If you have had a conversation with me about stress, you have probably heard me mention the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system responses.  You know how on commercials for prescription drugs there is a whole host of side effects and contraindications the announcer runs through toward the end of the commercial?  When I mention either of these nervous system responses, I have a similar ticker running through my brain of all the different ways they impact you.

So in an effort to share that knowledge that I don’t always convey – here are the in’s and out’s of why you should care about what state your nervous system is in!

What is the Sympathetic Nervous System Response

While your sympathetic nervous system might sound sweet and kind, it is actually anything but.  The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is actually more like a hypochondriac or a conspiracy theory nut than your kindest friend.  It is often referred to as your fight, flight or freeze response, and is your body’s reaction to stress.

When triggered, the sympathetic nervous system response activates your adrenal system, flooding your body with adrenaline (norepinephrine) and cortisol.  Adrenaline is often credited with giving mothers the strength to lift cars off their babies and cortisol is referred to as the stress hormone.  

As these hormones flood your system, your heart and respiration rates increase bringing more oxygen into the body and your muscles.  And all resources in your body move to your extremities, preparing to give you the strength to engage in life-saving actions.

So what is wrong with it?

In terms of evolution, this made a lot of sense.  As you walked across the savannah if you spotted a lion headed in your direction, the sympathetic nervous system response gave your body the resources it needed to escape becoming the lion’s dinner.

However, in our modern world, we are much less likely to encounter actual life-threatening stress, and much more likely to find ourselves overwhelmed with day-to-day stress.  Instead of a lion, we are dealing with deadlines, bills, traffic.  We are chronically overcommitted and struggle to set boundaries.  All of these things cause stress.

And here is the catch, remember I compared the sympathetic nervous system to a hypochondriac or a conspiracy theory nut, our body can’t tell the difference between actual life threatening danger and everyday stress.  It responds to a work deadline the same way it responds to a lion.  

Only our current stress is chronic.  Back on the savannah, if you didn’t escape the lion relatively quickly, you were probably dinner and it didn’t matter anyway.  However, our day-to-day stress is never ending, causing our body to remain in a sympathetic nervous system response much longer than ever before. 

Our bodies are just not capable of handling a high level of stress hormones day in and day out.  If you have ever heard someone mention adrenal fatigue, this is how it happens.  When you are constantly stressed, your body is constantly pumping out the stress hormones and eventually it can’t keep up.  Just like a car with an empty gas tank, once you drain your adrenals, you will also stop going.

Ok, but what is the alternative?

Enter the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) response.  This is often referred to as your rest and digest mode.  

Go back to the savannah again. Once you escaped from the lion by getting into your nice safe cave with an entrance too small for the lion to squeeze through, your body would switch from the sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system. 

With the cause of your stress gone, you no longer need adrenaline and cortisol flooding through your body.  And your resources no longer need to be dedicated to your extremities.  A fast run or hand-to-hand combat are no longer imminent.   

Your heart and respiration rates slow.  And as your body reallocates your energy, your digestive and reproductive systems begin to function normally again.

That all sounds good but why is the parasympathetic nervous system so important?

When you are in parasympathetic nervous system response it is the equivalent of parking your car at the gas pump.  You are refilling your tank so that when you again face stress you have what it takes to get through the situation.

During sympathetic nervous system response your digestive and reproductive systems all but shut down.  So that big lunch you had before embarking on an afternoon packed with stressful activities will still be there when you try to pack a full dinner on top of it.  So it is no surprise you go to bed at night feeling overfull.  

Follow this trend over the long run and you end up with unhealthy weight gain (especially in the belly area due to excessive cortisol which causes fat to deposit in this region), and increasingly poor digestion.  And with this weight gain comes a whole host of additional adverse health factors.

So how do I get from my sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system?

The flip answer is – just stop stressing, then your body will shift from your sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system.

But the actual, practical, realistic answer, is to implement several tools and techniques which will help you trigger your parasympathetic nervous system to engage.

Remember that these nervous system responses have an impact on your respiration rate.  By taking slow and intentional breaths, you send a message to your body that it should be in a parasympathetic nervous system state.  This is a simple technique you can use throughout your day.  Check out my posts here and here for short and simple guided breathwork practices.

Regularly engage in other activities which help reduce your stress level including: yin and restorative yoga practices, walking and time in nature, meditation, mindfulness practices, reading an enjoyable book, and anything else which leaves you feeling rested and nourished.  (Check out this post for tips and guidance.)  These will help to shift your body from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system response.  

This is an ongoing practice

Don’t expect that overnight you will be able to shift from spending most of your time in your sympathetic nervous system to your parasympathetic nervous system.  Unless you are willing to walk away from everything in your life which can cause you stress (your job, relationships with partners, friends and family, your house, bills, etc.), the stress will still be there.

The goal to finding a healthy balance in your life is to eliminate stress where possible (this, this, and this are good posts to get you started on that process).  And then develop tools to help you regularly and consistently shift away from the stress that remains.  This is a great place to introduce your slow and intentional breathwork or any other practices that resonated with you in the previous section.

If it feels really hard at first, that is because you are doing some tough work.  It took you years to get to the level of stress you are currently at, don’t expect yourself to be able to totally change gears in a week.  However, as you work with these techniques you will find it becomes easier and easier for you to shift from stress, anxiety, and overwhelm into a more relaxed and easy state.  

And if this all sounds awesome but you are totally overwhelmed with coming up with your own path to move from sympathetic nervous system response to parasympathetic nervous system response, I would love to help!  I offer one-on-one coaching, working with you to create your own personal roadmap designed to help you realize your goals while taking into account your real world responsibilities and commitments.  You can change your life!  Learn more about my Nourish, Nest, Balance and Breathe Private Coaching program!