Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of your central nervous system (CNS) that controls unconscious activities like breathing and digestion. This system is always working, whether or not ...

The sympathetic nervous system, which helps your heart and other vital organs function all the time, increases activity in response to danger or stress, preparing the body for extra demands. Stress is ...

When a person is at rest, meditating or reading a book, the parasympathetic nervous system is at work. Also known as the "rest and digest" system, the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for ...

Your sympathetic nervous system is one of the branches of your autonomic nervous system. It controls functions under unconscious control related to “fight or flight.” Your nervous system plays a ...