Our nervous system is vital for maintaining health, allowing us to interact with our environment and enabling us to carry out essential daily activities. It controls our bodily functions, voluntary and involuntary. It is composed by the brain, spinal cord and a network of nerves throughout the body and divided in two main parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Functions as important as sensory perception (taste, sight, smell, hearing…), motor function (walking, talking, writing, playing an instrument…), body temperature regulation, blood pressure, heart rate, allows for communication between different parts of the body, speech, body language; learning and memory, emotion processing and regulation, influencing how we perceive and respond to different stimuli and situations.
The immune system and nervous system have very complex interactions and disturbances in this bidirectional communication can contribute to the development and progression of various neurological and immune disorders.
There are several ways to modulate the nervous system which can help promote relaxation, reduce stress and improve overall well-being. Some of these techinques that we will be discussed here in following articles are: breathing techniques, mindfulness meditation, exercise, yoga, bioofeedback, music therapy, massage therapy…
