The branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for 'rest and digest' functions, promoting relaxation, conservation of energy, and maintenance activities. It slows heart rate, stimulates digestion, and promotes healing and recovery.
From Greek para- meaning 'beside' or 'alongside' plus sympathetic, literally meaning 'beside the sympathetic system.' Coined in the early 20th century to describe the system that works alongside but opposite to the sympathetic nervous system.
Your parasympathetic nervous system is why you feel sleepy after a big meal! It diverts energy and blood flow to your digestive organs to process food, which is the opposite of the sympathetic system's strategy of shutting down digestion during stress to fuel your muscles instead.
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