Meaning & use
autonomic nervous system
The part of the nervous system that controls involuntary body functions such as heartbeat, digestion, and breathing.
See it in a sentence
The autonomic nervous system speeds up your heart rate automatically when you're frightened.
Doctors tested whether her autonomic nervous system was regulating blood pressure correctly.
A note on using this word
The autonomic nervous system divides into the sympathetic branch, which triggers 'fight or flight', and the calming parasympathetic branch.
Words with a similar meaning
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