Did you know when you "multitask" in city driving, rush to meet the deadlines of projects, or run errands one after another within a short time frame, you consistently challenge the balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system?
Sympathetic nervous system facilitates short term survival during a fight/flight/stress situation with responses of pupil dilation, increased sweating, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure. Sympathetic nerves run from the first thoracic segment of the spinal cord down to the second or third lumbar segments.
Parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is designed for long term survival and associated with rest/healing/calming. This system is often called the "rest - and - digest", or the "feed - and - breed" system. It conserves energy and helps warm the skin, as it slows down the heart rate, lowers the blood pressure, increases intestinal and gland activity, widens the blood vessels far away from the heart, lungs and brain. Parasympathetic division are found both at the back of neck (cervical spinal cord) and sacral spinal cord. Think about your cat purring when her neck is being rubbed.
Imbalances of these two systems are directly linked to a wide variety of pain and many diseases. Studies suggest that the persistent sympathetic nervous system stress is a key precipitator of ill health and disease. Natural manual therapies such as Massage and acupuncture can effectively balance these two systems. Have yourself a "purr.." day with us, slow down and let the anxiety go.
References:
www.goodtherapy.org
www.sciencedaily.com
www.massagemag.com/massage-influences-autonomic-nervous-system-85656
www. wikipedia.org