The heartbeat is regulated by the autonomic nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system receives information from the internal environment and sends a response to the muscles, glands and blood vessels. The functions of this nervous system, also known as the vegetative nervous system , are involuntary and are activated from the nerve centers found in the hypothalamus , brain stem and spinal cord.
It should be noted that the nervous system is the network of tissues responsible for capturing and processing internal and external signals so that the organism can develop an effective interaction with the environment. This system feels the stimuli (sensitive function), analyzes them, stores information and promotes a decision in this regard (integrative function), which translates into muscle movement, glandular secretion, etc. (motor function).
In an anatomical sense, the nervous system can be divided into the central nervous system or CNS (made up of the brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system or PNS (made up of the cranial nerves and spinal nerves). From a functional point of view, however, it is possible to divide the nervous system into the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system .
Characteristics of the autonomic nervous system
Some of the involuntary actions carried out by the body are the heartbeat and the movements of the blood vessels. When the autonomic nervous system is affected, various disorders of varying severity can occur, such as heart problems; erectile dysfunction; blood pressure disorders; and difficulty breathing and swallowing.
What the autonomic nervous system does is transmit impulses from the central nervous system to the periphery , stimulating the organs. Blood circulation, breathing, digestion and metabolism are some of the body functions regulated by the autonomic nervous system.
The functional division of the autonomic nervous system allows us to talk about the sympathetic system (formed by paravertebral ganglia and prevertebral or preaortic ganglia), parasympathetic system (isolated ganglia) and enteric nervous system (which controls the gastrointestinal system).
Palmar sweating is a response of the autonomic nervous system.
Most common disorders
Disorders that are generally associated with the autonomic nervous system can appear in isolation, or as a consequence of other diseases, including diabetes, Parkinson's disease and alcoholism. In addition, we can talk about disorders that affect the system in its entirety or part of it, as occurs with complex regional pain syndromes.
Some of the autonomic nervous system problems are temporary, although many others tend to worsen over time . Disorders that attack heart function or breathing can be life-threatening. When there is an underlying disease (the main one, which causes the problems in question), it is sometimes possible to obtain improvements if it is treated directly, although more often there is no cure and, therefore, treatments are aimed at that the symptoms become less aggressive.
Concepts related to the autonomic nervous system
Let's look at some concepts related to the autonomic nervous system below:
Dysautonomia
Dysautonomia is a condition that encompasses almost all diseases or dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous system and can manifest itself in different ways, depending on the person. Sudden drops in blood pressure and heart rate, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness are usually seen.
Palmar sweating
Also called palmar hyperhidrosis , palmar sweating is a reaction of the autonomic nervous system that goes hand in hand with anxiety, fear and despair. This disorder considerably affects the quality of life and is the subject of various clinical investigations, some of which indicate that voluntary control is possible.
Heart rate
Psychological stress can produce reactions by the autonomic nervous system that directly affect heart rate even if there is no cardiovascular condition. Although voluntary control is not possible, this problem can be regulated through assisted control of respiratory rate.