Look out - Tiger!

One very interesting topic that I have learned a little about recently (from the ever amazing Kristin Leal) is the autonomic nervous system - which can be divided into the enteric, sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The enteric system is fabulous in its own right because it is responsible for our 'gut feelings' - these are the nerves that line our GI tract and send messages back to the brain. (Did you know that 95% of the body's serotonin is found in the lining of the gut?) Crazy.

But the system that really stood out is the sympathetic nervous system - you've heard of it, this is our fight or flight system. I knew this before, but was surprised at the amazing feats the body actually goes through in order to help you, say, escape from a tiger. I was more surprised to learn that this system can be in a state where it is always turned on in the body - even when we are not in situation where we need to fight or flee. These responses are crucial in an event where a tiger may really be coming at you... but they can be dangerous to our everyday lives.

Mukha's best tiger face... grrr.

OK, so say, that tiger is coming at you - the body's first call to action is to produce stress hormones to give you your get-up-and-go. Great! Now we can run away or punch the tiger in the nose and hope for the best... however, if our bodies are always producing a little bit of this stress hormone (even without a true life threatening stressor) then we can suffer from insomnia, anxiety, hypersensitivity, PTSD etc.

Do you see the problem? If we live our lives in fight or flight mode we go around everyday creating tigers (insert: fear, danger, robber, pressure) in our minds that are not there.

GOOD...
Our body also: releases glucose from some areas of the body to feed the get away car; increases the breathing rate to provide more oxygen; increases the blood pressure and heart rate to fuel faster; the metabolic rate increases; our inflammation response increases and body releases cortisol; senses are heightened - pupils dilate, mind works more quickly, muscles contract. Again, these are great when presented with an actual tiger... not great in everyday life. When we allow them to be on slow drip, all day everyday, that becomes a problem.

BAD...
Because this can cause (in order): fatigue and nutrients being stolen from certain tissues of the body; reverse breathing or breathing against the natural flow of your diaphragm; high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, circulatory disorders; body will hold certain fats that encourage weight gain; autoimmune issues (body attacking itself), cortisol can eat at the hippocampus of the brain - causing memory loss, weight gain; strained eyes, mega tension, always prepared to fight/flee, insomnia, chronic pain.

The solution? We need to live by being in the moment - do not let your mind create tigers where none exist. For this, we rely on the third part of our nervous system - parasympathetic - our rest and digest system. The good news is that by just trying to relax the body and mind we will achieve a result. The body craves this state and will help you calm itself to maintain homeostasis (balance).

Ways to trigger your parasympathetic system and caaaaalm down/stop seeing tigers are to: exercise - muscle tension and release, recline - head below the heart line slows the breathing and blood pressure, emphasis on your exhale - to slow breathing, silence or repetitive soothing sounds, perceived physical safety - otherwise always on guard, lack of emotional or mental strain - this is a toughy but even an attempt in the direction will help trigger the response.

The act of being in the world always present and calm is not instantaneous, but it is good to know that even little steps help us live healthier, happier lives.