Our Nervous System

Written By Tiffany OToole

The body is made up of two nervous systems:

  • Central nervous system (CNS)- consists of the brain and spinal cord

  • Peripheral nervous system (PNS)- consists of everything in our bodies except the brain and spinal cord

    • Autonomic nervous system (ANS) is part of the PNS and controls the body’s internal state

      • The ANS is most known for these two parts:

        • Sympathetic nervous system- prepares our body to react; also known as our fight or flight response

        • Parasympathetic nervous system- calms us back down following sympathetic nervous system activation

As previously mentioned in my “Stress and the Brain” blog post, chronic stress can have negative health impacts. Here are some of the health problems research has found to be connected to overactivation of our sympathetic nervous system:

  • Heart problems such as heart disease and hypertension

  • Kidney problems such as type II diabetes and kidney disease

  • Digestive problems, bowel disease, diarrhea

  • Obesity

  • Depression and anxiety

  • Insomnia

Tiffany OToole
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Brain basics