Autonomic Dysfunction: An Everyday Experience
The nervous system of a human being is one of the most complex, intricate and mysterious
things in all of nature. We rely on it to tell us what is happening in our environment, to allow
us to move about, get a job, chat with a friend, accumulate memories, experience emotions
and to solve complex problems. Within this nervous system is a subdivision called the
autonomic nervous system. This was previously called the vegetative nervous system
because it plays a major role in the day-to-day activities of our body including digestion,
response to stress, regulation of body temperature, and all sorts of things that might be
considered part of the “housekeeping” function of the body we inhabit.
People with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) are described as having a
disorder of the autonomic nervous system. There is one important distinction between this
and other autonomic nervous system problems such as pure autonomic failure, Shy-Drager,
and diabetic neuropathy. Those problems are all serious, degenerative and progressive
abnormalities of the autonomic nervous system. In contrast, POTS is a temporary problem
and it may be considered to be an exaggeration of normal body function.
Abnormalities of autonomic function occur with all of us, on a daily basis. Sometimes these
are annoying, they may be chronic, and they are rarely amusing. They are triggered by
events that happen around us and often by our psychological state.
Here are some events that occur in our body because of the way the autonomic nervous
system is affected by our psychological state:
rapid breathing (hyperventilation),
racing heart
fainting
sweaty palms
dry mouth
urinary urgency
blushing
insomnia
Perspiration
goose bumps
brain fog
difficulty in concentration
crying
stomachache
muscle tension
Here are some things that occur for which we have conscious control:
Breathing rate
Muscle tension
Breathing patterns and muscle tension, for all practical purposes, are the only things that are
under dual nervous system control. If we don’t think about it, we just go on breathing. If we
do give it some thought, we can hold our breath to swim under water or we can speed up or
slow down our breathing rate. Likewise, our muscles tense and relax as we move about
during the day, without the need for our attention. However, if we choose, we can isolated
an individual muscle group and tense or relax that muscle.
In contrast, nearly all of the other manifestations of autonomic nervous system function are
not under our control. For example, organizers of athletic events and music concerts know
to place a bathroom close to the area where performers warm up. They know that
competition leads to increased levels of adrenalin, which in turn causes an increase in urinary
output. However, we all know that we can’t just sit quietly and ask our kidneys to produce
10 ml less urinary output per hour, even though that would be a great advantage on those
long car trips. Most of us put up with these alterations in autonomic nervous system
function and accept them as part of life’s burden. For example, we blush when we are
embarrassed, we get a dry mouth when we speak in public, and we get goose bumps when
something really gets our attention. A change in autonomic function becomes a disease state
that affects our quality of life or when it interferes with our ability to do the things that we
enjoy or need to do.
There is something we can do about this. We can take advantage of the fact that breathing
and muscle tension are under voluntary and involuntary control. Not only that, these
functions have influences on all of the other aspects of the autonomic nervous system as well.
Let’s just focus on POTS for a moment. The major abnormality is a racing heart rate, which
occurs because of increased activity of sympathetic nervous system which produces
adrenalin, the stress hormone. The question arises, can we reduce the sympathetic nervous
system activity, and reduce the production of adrenalin? The answer is yes. There are
specific things that increase the parasympathetic nervous system, the brake, which opposes
the sympathetic system, the gas pedal. Slow regular breathing at 6 breaths per minute has
been shown to increase the level of parasympathetic nervous system function and restore a
more normal heart rate pattern. It is also helpful in relieving and reducing muscle tension.
This has been studied scientifically, and reported by Herbert Benson, Ph.D., at Harvard
University. He calls his technique “the relaxation response.” Here is a short summary of
this method:
1. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
2.Close your eyes.
3.Deeply relax all your muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face. Keep them
relaxed.
4. Breathe through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. As you breathe out, say the word,
"one"*, silently to yourself. For example, breathe in ... out, "one",- in .. out, "one", etc. Breathe easily
and naturally.
5. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes. You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm.
When you finish, sit quietly for several minutes, at first with your eyes closed and later with your
eyes opened. Do not stand up for a few minutes.
6. Do not worry about whether you are successful in achieving a deep level of relaxation.
Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace. When distracting thoughts
occur, try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them and return to repeating "one." With practice, the
response should come with little effort. Practice the technique once or twice daily, but not within two
ours after any meal, since the digestive processes seem to interfere with
the elicitation of the Relaxation Response.
I would recommend that you try this at least once, but preferably twice a day. I think you
will find the benefits will be significant. Incidentally, exercise also increases
parasympathetic nervous activity. That is one reason why an athlete has such a slow resting
heart rate.
Felix J. Rogers, D.O., June 2009