Nervous System

   The most important function of the sympathetic nervous system is to maintain the body’s homeostasis and to create the fight-or- flight response when stressful situations occur. The primary function of the parasympathetic nervous system is to stimulate the “rest and digest” activities causing suppression of the body’s sexual arousal, salivation, urination, digestion, and defecation.
   I was out on my porch the other day and a truck, driven by a strange man, stopped by the side of the road in the edge of my lawn. He sat there for a few minutes just idling and then left. My body had stored ATP so that I would have lots of energy to escape from a situation I assessed as dangerous. When our body is in a stressful situation we produce adrenaline. Adrenaline gives our body a boost it needs to enable the fight-or- flight response. My flight response took over and I fled from the porch in fear that he might come back.
  My parasympathetic nervous system activated as well. The last thought on my mind was sexual arousal, salivation, urination, digestion or defecation. All I could think about was getting away and my other body functions were placed on hold, thank goodness.