The Sympathetic State is often referred to as the fight-or-flight response.
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CO-CEO, NEUROFIT
1 MINUTE READ
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UPDATED MAY 17, 2023
SYMPATHETIC: FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT
When we feel threatened, our sympathetic nervous system automatically kicks in to help us defend ourselves. This is often referred to as the fight-or-flight response.
During the fight-or-flight response, our body releases a burst of adrenaline and other hormones. These hormones increase our heart rate and blood pressure, and they also give us a burst of energy. This extra energy is what we need to either fight or confront the threat, or run away from it.
FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT IS A SURVIVAL MECHANISM
The fight-or-flight response is a survival mechanism that has evolved over time. In the past, it helped our ancestors survive attacks from wild animals. Today, it helps us survive stressful events like car accidents, mugging attempts, and other dangerous situations.
While the fight-or-flight response is a helpful survival mechanism, it can also become problematic. If we are constantly stressed, our body may remain in a state of high alert, which can lead to health problems. Therefore, it's important to build resistance to the sympathetic response, to ensure that it's only triggered in response to actual threats.
BUILDING RESISTANCE TO THE SYMPATHETIC STATE
Building this resistance is most effectively done through Play, which is a mixed state blending the Ventral Vagal and Sympathetic Nervous Systems. When we engage in play, we help our body to learn how to regulate the fight-or-flight response, so that it's only activated when we are actually in danger.
80% of the nerves in the human body are "afferent" - running from body to brain. Under stress, when the nervous system and thinking brain tell different stories, the nervous system almost always wins.
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Dysregulation is when the nervous system stops functioning properly and perceives events as stressful or overwhelming due to high allostatic load (baseline stress level). This happens when its baseline has moved significantly away from the default ventral vagal state, often due to chronic stress, trauma, poor sleep, and poor diet. This brings about a variety of problems, including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and even autoimmune disease.
Learn about the nervous system and relieve stress at the source with NeuroFit - available for iOS and Android.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the "fight or flight" response. This is the body's natural response to a perceived threat. The sympathetic nervous system kicks in and prepares the body to either fight the threat or run away from it. The body's heart rate increases, blood flow to the muscles increases, and the body releases adrenaline and other hormones.
Learn about the nervous system and relieve stress at the source with NeuroFit - available for iOS and Android.
Nervous System Fitness is the degree of flexibility and resilience of one's nervous system. The name implies that the nervous system can be trained and strengthened, much like physical fitness.
Learn about the nervous system and relieve stress at the source with NeuroFit - available for iOS and Android.