You are about to give your first speech in front of your class and are nervous about getting up in front of the class. As you anticipate getting up in front of the class you begin to feel butterflies in your stomach and a pounding in your chest. Using this example, explain how the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system work together to help your body react to this situation.

As you prepare to go to class, the autonomic nervous system made up of nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles and glands begins to control automatic, involuntary visceral functions like heart rate and digestion. The autonomic nervous system mediates most of the physiological arousal associated with emotions, specifically the fight-or-flight response. The two divisions of the system  the sympathetic and parasympathetic  work in opposition to each other. As you begin to walk to the front of the classroom to give your speech your palms will sweat, your heart will begin to beat faster, your stomach will do flip-flops and your mouth will go dry. This is the result of the activation of the sympathetic system which mobilises bodily resources - it will slow digestion, send signals to the adrenal gland and trigger the release of hormones that will ready the body for exertion. Once you have completed your speech, the parasympathetic division will allow the body to slow down by activating processes that allow the body to save and store energy; for example slowing the heart rate, reducing blood pressure and promoting digestion.