the peripheral nervous system

• the peripheral nervous system transmits messages via millions of neurons to and from the central nervous system.
• the peripheral nervous system is divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
• the autonomic nervous system is divided into the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
• the sympathetic nervous system is often referred to as ‘the fight or flight’ response, which enables us to deal with stressors in the environment.
• the parasympathetic branch is referred to as ‘rest and digest’ and is our resting state. it returns the body back to normal once the stressor has passed.