Question

Lydia is walking in the woods at night to observe owls. She hears a rustling behind a tree, which startles her and causes her body to go into a fight or flight response as the sympathetic nervous system is activated. What is likely to happen to her digestive system during this response?

Answer 1

In the given case, Lydia’s peripheral nervous system will slow down the process of digestion by mediating the flow of blood away from the digestive tract in order to conserve energy.  

The PNS or peripheral nervous system is the part of a nervous system comprising all the nerves situated exterior to the CNS. The PNS possess a component called autonomic peripheral system.  

This further has three divisions with parasympathetic nervous system being one of its constituents. The parasympathetic system restores and maintains the energy, it mediates the blood towards the digestive tract and ensures that the food is digested actively.  

Answer 2

The peripheral nervous system has a part known as autonomic peripheral system. This autonomic system has three divisions with parasympathetic nervous system being one of them.

This parasympathetic system maintains and restores our energy. It directs blood to our digestive tract and makes sure the food is actively digested.

So here, according to the scenario given in the question, Lydia's peripheral nervous system will slow down digestion by directing the blood flow away from the digestive tract to conserve energy.