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Good Stress and Bad Stress

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Stress affects the nervous system. What kind of stress are we talking about?

All sorts of things can cause stress, from physical exertion to a bad day at work. There’s  “good” stress (like receiving a big promotion), and there’s “bad” stress (like having a traffic accident). But when we talk about stress in this blog, we’re talking about bad stress—the kind of stress that can damage your health and happiness.

Download SweetBeat™ for the iPhone to monitor your heart rate variability (HRV) and learn how to reduce stress.

SweetBeat Tools for Better Health

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SweetBeat™ is more than just a cool app on your iPhone. SweetWater Health has created ways for you to chart your SweetBeat sessions, track sessions on a calendar, compare sessions by time of day, day of the week, and more. Register at MySweetBeat to see how you can manage your health more effectively with SweetBeat tools.

Download SweetBeat™ for the iPhone to monitor your heart rate variability (HRV) and learn how to create a more effective training routine.

The Parasympathetic Side of Your Nervous System

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The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems act like the accelerator and brakes on a car. The sympathetic system is the accelerator, always ready to rev up and take us out of danger. The parasympathetic system is the brakes, slowing us down when danger isn’t present. When heart rate variability (HRV) is high, it shows that the parasympathetic system and sympathetic system are in balance, which is healthy and healing.

The “Sympathetic Side” of Your Nervous System, Part 2

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The sympathetic nervous system is supposed to turn on when we are in danger. So what happens when for five minutes we can’t think straight, digest food, or clear toxins from the liver? It won’t matter if we don’t survive the current threat. The problem is that many of us are in fight or flight much of the time—even when there is no true danger. Can you think of situations that stress you out when your life is not in danger?

The “Sympathetic Side” of Your Nervous System

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The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for “fight or flight.” This means that the majority of the blood flow goes to the muscles because your body thinks it is going to have to fight or run. The blood no longer goes to the stomach to digest food or to parts of the brain for creative thought. Have you noticed you can’t think straight or even have indigestion when you are stressed?

Balance Your Nervous System, Part 2

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The mainstream use of heart rate variability (HRV) is to measure the activity of your nervous system. That’s right! By looking at your heart rhythm on a computer (or smart phone) you can see what your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system is doing and whether it is in balance.

Balance Your Nervous System

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The organs of our body, such as the heart, stomach and intestines, are regulated by a part of the nervous system called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is part of the peripheral nervous system and it controls many organs and muscles within the body. In most situations, we are unaware of the workings of the ANS because it functions in an involuntary, reflexive manner. For example, we do not notice when blood vessels change size or when our heart beats faster. However, some people can learn to control some functions of the ANS such as heart rate or blood pressure. How about you?