Question

Nasim is driving on a snow-covered road, and her car begins to slide. The quick behavioral response and the increased heart rate and respiration she experiences are most likely due to the ________ nervous system. The feeling of relief and decrease in heart rate and respiration once she has the car under control again are most likely due to the ________ nervous system.

Answer 1

Answer:

1. sympathetic

2. parasympathetic

Explanation:

The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system triggers the release of stress hormones from adrenal medulla under emergency conditions. There is a series of physiological responses such as increased heart and breathing rate, an increased flow of blood to skeletal muscles, dilation of pupils, etc. These events helped Nasim to fight the stress conditions.  

Once she was relieved, the parasympathetic system is activated that shut down the physiological responses generated by sympathetic division. It slows down the breathing and heart rate and triggers the digestion and absorption of nutrients to restore the energy level of cells.