Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of your central nervous system (CNS) that controls unconscious activities like breathing and digestion. This system is always working, whether or not ...

The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is one of two major divisions of the larger autonomic system in your body. Its function is to keep the basic functions of your body working as they should.

Your sympathetic nervous system is one of the branches of your autonomic nervous system. It controls functions under unconscious control related to “fight or flight.” Your nervous system plays a ...

Late in pregnancy, the human body carefully prepares fetuses for the rigors of life outside the protection of the womb. Levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, ramp up and spike during labor.

'In a low-risk group of babies born full-term, the autonomic nervous system and cortical systems appear to function well regardless of whether infants were exposed to labor prior to birth,' says Sarah ...