The Autonomic Nervous System

The Autonomic Nervous System is that part of our nervous system that regulates very important functions and processes of the body (e.g. breathing, swallowing, hunger, blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, blood pH & respiration.). It works autonomously without conscious effort on our part. (For e.g., we breathe autonomously; we don’t have to be told to breathe.)

The aim of the Autonomic Nervous System is to regulate and balance our internal environment.

It consists of 2 divisions: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. Through various sensors in the body (pain sensors, heat sensors, blood pressure sensors, etc) it gathers information about the body and then acts through the sympathetic division to increase activity or the parasympathetic division to decrease activity.

Autonomic failure happens when there is malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System and results from an imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. An imbalance happens not only when there is over-reaction of one of the two divisions; it can happen also when there is inadequate reaction of one of these divisions.

The most common signs of autonomic failure are orthostatic hypotension (a drop in blood pressure when a person suddenly stands up and when he is already standing) and post-prandial hypotension (a drop in blood pressure one hour after a person has eaten a meal). Both these conditions result from a failure of the Autonomic Nervous System to regulate the blood pressure.

“Autonomic nervous system disorders can occur alone or as the result of another disease, such as Parkinson's disease, alcoholism and diabetes. Problems can affect either part of the system, as in complex regional pain syndromes, or all of the system. Some types are temporary, but many worsen over time. When they affect your breathing or heart function, these disorders can be life-threatening. Some autonomic nervous system disorders get better when an underlying disease is treated. Often, however, there is no cure. In that case, the goal of treatment is to improve symptoms.” (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)