The Parasympathetic Nervous System
I am kind of a neuroscience nerd and to be honest, I think being a neuroscientist would be the COOLEST job to have. If I were to go back to redo school, I think I would definitely go in that direction. However, I greatly appreciate the schooling I have accomplished to learn such fascinating wisdom and knowledge about our nervous system.
When I work with clients I tend to briefly dive into explaining PsychoScience, how our nervous system functions and why our thoughts, behaviours and feelings go deeply into our neurological state. Neural Pathways, neural plasticity, the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, the vagus nerve, the HPA axis, sympathetic nervous system and of course our parasympathetic nervous system play a HUGE part in the way that our brains and minds functions. As mentioned, I am fascinated by the science and research behind this. I see the brain as the vehicle and the mind as the driver. But how can we become the driver of our everyday lives when our tank is empty, or the driver has fallen asleep? Well let me steer you in the right direction.
What is the Parasympathetic Nervous System?
The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is part of the autonomic nervous system, which is a part of the central nervous system (stay with me here). The autonomic nervous system is considered the part of the brain that is on auto pilot. Think of autonomic like automatic. It is a sub-division of the peripheral nervous system which controls digestion, heart rate and respiration. The autonomic nervous system branches into two other nervous systems - the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. We typically want to be in a parasympathetic nervous system state, but what does this mean?
The parasympathetic nervous system is our “rest & digest” state where we feel calm, relaxed and safe in our bodies. This state is the best for our bodies to repair, recover, and rejuvenate. Immunity, digestion, and elimination are managed by the parasympathetic nerve function. When the PNS is unbalanced, in states of dis-ease and stress, it becomes overactive causing symptoms of apathy, fatigue, autoimmunity, allergy, weigh gain, low thyroid and sex hormone function. You feel “tired but wired” and are likely to reach for stimulants, medications and caffeine.
How to activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System ?
Since we know that the PNS is responsible for lowering stress, regulating our bodies systems and functions and also allows us to be at peace and relaxed, wouldn’t we always want to be in this state of being? In most cases yes, unless we need to protect ourselves from a threat (sympathetic nervous system state). So how can we allow ourselves to go into this state? Here are some tips below.
Spend time in nature
Meditation
Deep diaphragmatic breathing
Yoga or Tai Chi
Visualization work
Work with a coach or therapist to help get to rooted behaviours, feelings, or emotions
Reduce stress
Eat a healthy and balanced meal
To learn more about seeking support to lower your stress and anxiety, click here or click the button below and we can connect about how I can guide you.