The autonomic nervous system regulates your metabolism and the way you are designed to eat. Your sympathetic system speeds your body up and the parasympathetic system slows your body down. Specific foods fuel, build up and maintain your...
Caffeine is the most commonly used stimulant in the world. Caffeine increases your alertness by increasing the active levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. Additionally, caffeine increases the activation of the sympathetic nervous system,...
The cranial nerves are 12 pairs of nerves that connect directly to the brain, unlike most other nerves which connect to the spinal cord. The nerves going out to the body may be voluntary, such as those controlling skeletal muscles, or they may be...
Involuntary processes in your body such as heart rate and blood pressure are controlled by a segment of your nervous system called the autonomic nervous system. One part of the autonomic system, called the sympathetic nervous system, controls your...
Acetylcholine is a molecule released by nerves. It signals other nerves and muscles to perform a function. It is released by nerves to signal skeletal muscles in the arm to contract. It is also has functions in the brain, and in the part of the...
Your heartbeat is the regular, pulsing sensation in your arteries that occurs when your heart contracts and rests. Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats each minute. Several nerves influence your heart rate and heartbeat, with...
Carbachol is a cholinergic drug, which means it causes parasympathetic effects in the eye. The autonomic nervous system, which controls reflex actions in the body, consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems .Carbachol is...
Overtraining syndrome is a problem for many athletes and avid exercisers. It encompasses both physical and physiological problems that arise from high-volume training, increased intensity and unvarying programs combined with inadequate amounts of...
Hot spring spas provide several benefits for the body besides just simple relaxation. The hot waters, usually filled with minerals, have been used by people for thousands of years to provide relief from a variety of ailments. Some of these...
Homeostasis is a fundamental property of living things. Homeostasis is the ability of an organism to maintain a relatively "steady state" of internal conditions optimal for survival, such as temperature or rate of metabolism. The organism's heart...
Everybody breathes yet few people know how to breathe deeply. In the 2007 book, "Mind-Body Techniques for Stress Management," the American Specialty Health Inc. considers deep, or diaphragmatic, breathing as a simple and essential way to improve...
Your heart rate increases as your level of physical activity increases, in order for the heart to be able to deliver enough oxygenated blood to the working muscles. However, regular aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or...
Heart rate recovery is the amount of time it takes for your heart to return to a normal level following exercise. Usually this is measured at a physician's office with the use of a treadmill stress test. The heart rate of a physically fit person...
According to the University of South Florida College of Education, oxygen plays a critical role in your circulatory and respiratory systems. When you breathe, you inhale life-sustaining oxygen and remove harmful waste products from your...
Deep breathing relieves stress and anxiety due to its physiological effect on the nervous system. Breathing slowly and mindfully activates the hypothalamus, connected to the pituitary gland in the brain, to send out neurohormones that inhibit...
As one of the hardest-working muscles in the body, your heart beats thanks to a complex system of nerves, cells, biochemicals and minerals. Acetylcholine, a biochemical, plays a large role in maintaining your heart's rhythm when you are at rest....
The pupil's size is determined by a balance between the input from the two parts of the autonomic nervous system --- sympathetic and parasympathetic. Sympathetic nerves release adrenaline, which causes the pupil to expand. Parasympathetic nerves...
The nervous system consists of three main nerve types. Sensory nerves supply humans with the ability to see, hear, smell, taste and feel. Motor nerves enable the brain to command the muscles of the body. Autonomic nerves regulate the function of...
The Warrior Diet is a nutritional plan designed by Ori Hofmekler based on survivalist strategies developed through his military experience. This diet is primarily promoted for weight loss, although Hofmekler claims that following the Warrior Diet...
The normal heart rate for an average adult is 60 to 100 beats per minute. This number can increase to a maximum heart rate during exercise that varies with age. Your heart rate, both at rest and during exercise, is controlled by the nervous...
The nasal cycle, as scientists refer to it, is a pattern that ancient yogis detected in which breathing alternates through one nostril to breathing through the other. According to Dr. Timothy McCall in "Yoga as Medicine," right nostril breathing...
Metabolic typing is an approach to diet based around your individual goals, nutritional needs and body type, and is designed to address your individual genetic strengths and weaknesses. As an athlete competing at the highest level you need any...
C-reactive protein, or CRP, is produced by your liver and normally undetectable in your blood. A level high enough to be detected through a blood test indicates an acute infection or inflammation somewhere in your body. When a high level drops, it...
While massage has not been shown to directly cause weight loss, it can be beneficial when added to a weight loss plan. Weight loss often involves decreasing calories while increasing exercise. Massage helps the body function more efficiently,...
High fat diets can be a source of imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, or ANS. This happens through direct impact on ANS-related functions such as neurotransmitters -- and indirectly by promoting obesity which itself is disruptive to ANS...
Various nasal breathing techniques can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates digestion, lowers blood pressure and improves sleep quality. Unilateral forced nostril breathing, or inhaling exclusively through one nostril, can...
Vicodin is the commercial name for an opioid analgesic manufactured by Abbott Laboratories. It contains the opioid drug hydrocodone in combination with acetaminophen. Vicodin and other opioid pain-relievers exert their effects by interacting with...
Stress has become increasingly common in the modern world, and it's synonymous with a fast-paced lifestyle. Although a little stress is necessary to motivate yourself to accomplish goals, constant stress can lead to acute and chronic stress...
The heart is essential to life. With each beat it pumps all the oxygen and nutrient rich blood to all the muscles and organs of the body. Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats in one minute. There are many factors that can affect...
Yoga can help reduce stress and calm the body. Learn about yoga poses in this video yoga lesson.
