The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is super important for keeping our bodies balanced. It helps control things we don't think about, like breathing and heart rate. There are three main parts to the ANS:
Sympathetic Nervous System: This part kicks in during stressful situations. It helps us react quickly, like when we need to "fight or flight." It makes our heart beat faster and opens up our airways to help us breathe better.
Parasympathetic Nervous System: This part helps our body relax and recover after stress. It slows down our heart rate and helps with digestion, so we can rest and process our food better.
Enteric Nervous System: This is sometimes called our "second brain." It has about 100 million nerve cells and helps control our gut and how we digest food. It can work on its own but also talks to the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
All these parts work together to keep our body in balance. They help manage things like body temperature, blood pressure, and how we use energy.
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is super important for keeping our bodies balanced. It helps control things we don't think about, like breathing and heart rate. There are three main parts to the ANS:
Sympathetic Nervous System: This part kicks in during stressful situations. It helps us react quickly, like when we need to "fight or flight." It makes our heart beat faster and opens up our airways to help us breathe better.
Parasympathetic Nervous System: This part helps our body relax and recover after stress. It slows down our heart rate and helps with digestion, so we can rest and process our food better.
Enteric Nervous System: This is sometimes called our "second brain." It has about 100 million nerve cells and helps control our gut and how we digest food. It can work on its own but also talks to the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
All these parts work together to keep our body in balance. They help manage things like body temperature, blood pressure, and how we use energy.