Anatom3DParasympathetic division
Pars parasympathica · Parasympatikus
Nervous system
Looks like
Nerves from the brainstem (mostly the vagus nerve) and the sacral spinal cord, reaching the organs.
What it does
Calms the body — slows the heart, helps digestion, empties the bladder.
Keeping it well
Slow breathing strengthens its effect. Diabetes can damage it, causing a fast resting heart, bloating and bladder trouble.
Related conditions
- Amyloidosis (AL and ATTR)
- Botulism
- Breathing pattern disorder
- Chickenpox (varicella)
- Chronic neuropathic pain
- Chronic pain syndrome
- Fainting (syncope)
- Fibromyalgia
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Long COVID (post-viral syndrome)
- Lyme disease
- ME/chronic fatigue syndrome
- Myasthenia gravis
- Orthostatic hypotension & POTS
- Panic disorder
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Rabies
- Restless legs syndrome
- Shingles (herpes zoster)
- Tetanus
- Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies