I feel uncomfortable in the middle of my chest when I wake up in the morning

Everyone must feel very unfamiliar with the term sympathetic nervous system and don't know what it means. Under normal circumstances, any movement of our human body is directly operated and balanced by the sympathetic nervous system, so that we can complete all activities in our daily life. When the sympathetic nervous system does not coordinate well, our body will also be affected.

Feeling uncomfortable in the middle of your chest when you wake up in the morning is due to poor compliance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves that control the heart and is not a pathological condition. When you wake up in the morning, especially if you did not get enough sleep, and enter the awake state, the neural control cannot adapt instantly, the sympathetic nerve excitability is over-enhanced, and the compensatory heart rate accelerates.

What is the sympathetic nervous system

The central part is the lower center of the sympathetic nerves, located along the entire length of the thoracic spinal cord and the lateral horns of the gray matter of lumbar segments 1 to 3. The paired sympathetic trunks are located on both sides of the spine in a chain-like shape, connected by sympathetic trunk ganglia and interganglionic branches. There are 22 to 25 ganglia on each side, called paravertebral ganglia, which can be divided into five parts: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal. Each part sends branches to certain organs. Regulates the activity of the heart and other internal organs. In the abdominal cavity, there are paravertebral segments in front of the spine, which are located near the roots of the arteries of the same name.

Role of the sympathetic nervous system

(1) Effects on the circulatory system:

The blood vessels of the skin, striated muscles and abdominal organs are only innervated by the sympathetic nerves. The blood vessels of the coronary circulation and cerebral circulation receive both sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve fibers. Therefore, stimulating the sympathetic nerves can generally cause the peripheral arteries to contract, while removing the sympathetic nerves can cause the peripheral arteries to dilate. The treatment of peripheral vascular disease and sympathectomy are based on this.

(2) Effects on the digestive system:

The main effect of the sympathetic nerves on the gastrointestinal tract is inhibition, which slows down peristalsis, but when the gastrointestinal tone is too low or inactive, the sympathetic nerve impulses can increase and excite it. The effect of the sympathetic nerves on the secretory function of the digestive glands is quite inconsistent. Although they can promote the secretion of the pancreas and salivary glands, the secretion is not obvious due to the contraction of blood vessels in this area, while they prevent the secretion of gastric juice.

(3) Effects on the respiratory system:

When the sympathetic nerves are excited, they mainly inhibit the activity of the smooth muscles of the small bronchi, thereby expanding the small bronchi and allowing air to flow in and out smoothly. This is why asthma patients get temporary relief after injections of preparations such as ephedrine.

(4) Effects on the urinary system:

The sympathetic nervous system relaxes the bladder wall and contracts the internal sphincter, thereby preventing urine from being discharged.