Did you know that our heart does not beat constantly? Our heartbeat is variable and adjusts to external influences, such as breathing. When you exhale, your heartbeat will ideally slow down. When you breathe in, it speeds up.
A heartbeat that resembles the steady ticking of a clock is a sign that you should probably slow down. This task is taken over by our parasympathetic nervous system, our relaxation system. Opposite to this is the sympathetic nervous system, our activation system. Or in other words: the parasympathetic nervous system is important for our defenses and the sympathetic nervous system ensures success. Only defense means no successful hunt or completion of tasks. Only activation means no recovery and thus no build-up of reserves. This can become very dangerous in the long term, as disorders and diseases can develop.
Overstimulation, noise, multitasking, high demands, watching TV which we partly put on ourselves... ensure that our sympathetic nervous system takes over. Our parasympathetic nervous system is suppressed, which you will notice among other things in the following points:
I don't sleep well, wake up several times during the night and don't feel refreshed in the morning.
I am hectic and agitated
I eat a lot in between, usually sweets or fast food
My thoughts go roundabout, one idea grabs the other one
I don't get a chance to breathe and take a break during the day
I am quickly irritated and annoyed, even the smallest things get on my nerves
Coffee gets me through the day
Do you find that some of these points apply to you? Don't panic! However, you should get into the habit of a few methods that can help you to bring the two systems back into balance. Here are a few tips on how to regain your balance:
Reflect on your daily life: Where can you reduce stress (e.g. turn down music, get up earlier in the morning, limit cell phone use)?
Incorporate breathing exercises into your daily routine: Breathe in and count to 4, count to 6 when exhaling.
Integrate endurance training: A long walk in the woods, a low intensity jog where you don't exhaust yourself, or a casual workout in our cardio area
Stress is a real nutrient and vitamin robber: focus more on fresh vegetables and fruits
Exercise more: This will reduce stress and make you more resilient
Remember: using preventive recovery methods is like brushing your teeth every day!
What are your parasympathetic methods? Feel free to write in the comments, contact us or lets create from us Your personal anti-stress training.
Your Fit@Roche Team
Source to read more:
https://ub01.uni-tuebingen.de/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10900/73260/Diss_JessicaGeitel.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y