Sympathetic Nervous System

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Sympathetic Nervous System (Defining the concept) The sympathetic nervous system is a “subdivision of the autonomic nervous system responsible for arousing the body and mobilizing its energy during times of stress; also called the ‘fight-or-flight’ system.” In other words, it’s an automatic, innate response that causes the body to use its energy in a stressful situation to either fight or flee from danger. The sympathetic nervous system stems from the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for involuntary functions, for example heart rate and digestion. It’s then subdivided into the sympathetic nervous system, which arouses the body, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the body. However, the autonomic nervous system branches from the peripheral nervous system. The PNS carries information to and from the central nervous system. Some signs that one’s sympathetic nervous system is in effect are dilated pupils, decreased salivation, accelerated heart rate, decreased digestion and elimination, and increased sweating. (Personal Application) I think that we’ve all experienced fight or flight. Possibly while watching a scary movie or almost crashing into another car. One specific example I can recall was when I was standing with my friend, talking to her on a sidewalk. I was facing the direction the traffic was coming from and my friend had her back to it. Because our surroundings were noisy, we couldn’t hear a bus approaching. All the sudden I saw the bus hurling towards my friend fast. I was startled and jumped back and thankfully the bus passed by my friend but only by a few inches. Something that still concerns me to this day was that I didn’t try to push her back or say, “watch out” or give any kind of warning that a bus could have hit us. It happened so fast and I only remember kind of panicking, so because my sympathetic nervous system was
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