Many people who enter my counselling room are in a state of chronic stress. Often this is a result of ongoing effects from a traumatic event, or from long term anxiety, unhelpful thinking patterns, or because they live a chronically stressful lifestyle. All of the stress we do in the body happens in the nervous system. The nervous system is made up of the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves that connect the brain to every organ in the body and within it are three different parts: the Central Nervous System, the Autonomic Nervous System, and the Enteric Nervous System which we will not be looking at in this post.
The Central Nervous System is governed by the conscious mind i.e. you control it with your thoughts. For example, if you want to brush your teeth, you decide to pick up your toothbrush, put paste on it and then put it into your mouth. You then decide the strength and speed with which to scrub your teeth and for how long. If you want to go for a walk, you decide how fast the pace will be and where you will go and when you will stop.
The Autonomic Nervous System is governed by the subconscious mind, so you are unable to access it with your thoughts. It is responsible for functions such as how quickly your heart beats, wound healing and how fast your hair and nails grow. It also regulates temperature control and the immune and hormonal systems. Both systems are designed to balance one another.
The Autonomic Nervous System has two branches called the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) otherwise known as Fight, flight or freeze and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), also known as Rest and repair. Let’s explore these two branches a little closer because they play a big part in how we process and recover from stressful events.
The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) Fight, Flight or Freeze
When activated: The heart rate increases, the breathing rate increases, adrenaline and /or cortisol are released into the body which results in blood being shunted away from the digestive tract , reproductive organs and other “non-essential” systems. This blood gets shunted to the muscles to prepare the body to stand and fight or to flee.
Stress Hormones: adrenaline is the body’s short term stress hormone and its release tells the body that it is in danger and it prepares the body to stand and fight or to run from the danger. Cortisol is adrenaline’s less well known cousin. It is released from the adrenal glands in response to chronic stress, whether from lack of sleep, illness or emotional distress. Historically, the only long term stress that presented itself was generally around food being scarce. So long term stress came during times of flood, famine or war, times when people generally didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. In today’s modern society, long term stress now generally revolves around finances, relationships or health. Cortisol tells the body that food is scarce. It also slows the metabolism which results in body fat being burned far more slowly than usual as a means to helping the body survive the perceived period of famine. Cortisol wants the body to hold onto all the body fat it can to ensure survival. This can help explain why those in states of chronic stress struggle to lose weight.
What stimulates the Sympathetic Nervous System/ Fight/flight/freeze response: Stress, trauma, endurance and high impact exercise, caffeine, unhelpful thought patterns and unhelpful/ limiting beliefs.
As mentioned earlier, in ancient times the Fight/flight/freeze response occurred during times of real threat e.g. flood, famine or war, however in today’s modern times this process now occurs more during times of perceived threat. No longer living hunter gatherer lifestyles, times of real threat in our modern Western society are few. Perceived threat can happen when you have to make a phone call you don’t want to or you are running late for work or a meeting, or after you have had a few cups of coffee. These perceived threats cause adrenaline to be released into the body and activates the Fight/flight/freeze response.
How the stress hormones affect the body: Adrenaline communicates to every cell in your body that your life is in danger and it prepares the body to either; stand and fight or to flee. As mentioned earlier, the body might be making adrenalin simply because you are running late or because you chugged back a couple of energy drinks.
Effects of a dominant Sympathetic Nervous System: Digestion problems such as bloating, heartburn, flatulence, bowel changes; poor sleep, decreased libido, in women – menstrual problems such as painful periods and heavy menstrual bleeding as well as increased risk of Premenstrual Syndrome; anxiety, fatigue, decreased immunity. Long term high blood pressure can lead to risks of stroke and heart disease.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) Rest and digest/repair
The Parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for rest and recovery of the body after the time of danger and SNS dominance has passed. It brings blood back to the organs in the digestive tract and other organs that had been deemed non-essential during the time of danger. It sees to repairing any damaged tissue and restoring bodily systems such as digestion, reproduction and sleep back to optimal functioning. It also restores libido.
For people who are in an SNS dominant state- those who experience anxiety or chronically stressful lifestyles, night time may be the only time that the PNS has the chance to take charge and do its work. Add to this the fact that these people may be sleeping poorly due to anxiety and stress and we see that the body can end up having little chance of restoring its balance.
Effects of balance between the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems
· Good sleep
· Digestive health
· Healthy sex drive
· Strong immunity and therefore improved wellness
· Decreased risk of diseases such as Stroke and Heart disease due to lower blood pressure
How to restore the Parasympathetic Nervous System:
Abdominal Breathing: Abdominal breathing is the one and only way that we can consciously communicate to the Autonomic Nervous System. When we take slow and deep breaths, we communicate to the nervous system that all is calm and well. This in turn calms the SNS response and can help to restore the body to a Parasympathetic/ Rest and Repair state.
Other restorative practices include: Mindful meditation, gentle exercise, eliminating caffeine, prioritising sleep, great self-care, decreasing alcohol consumption, eliminating drug use, saying “no” and looking into unhelpful beliefs and emotions such as guilt, or fear of rejection,
The nervous system is a wonderful part of the human anatomy designed to help us not just survive but to thrive. With it working in balanced harmony, the body can work to both protect and nurture. If after reading this, you recognise a need to incorporate some more restorative practises into your life have a try of some of the ones suggested above or read our upcoming blog on breathing.