What is the sympathetic nervous system also known as?

• A. Fight or flight
• B. Rest and digest
• C. Somatic nervous system
• D. Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer: (A)

The sympathetic nervous system is the fight or flight system. It prepares the body for rapid action in response to threat or stress by increasing heart rate and blood pressure, opening the airways, dilating pupils, and directing blood to the muscles while reducing digestion and other nonessential activities. In veterinary anesthesia, recognizing these signs helps explain why an animal under stress may show tachycardia, panting, or hypertension, and why analgesia and sedation are used to dampen excessive sympathetic drive. This system is the opposite of the parasympathetic “rest and digest” system, and it is not the somatic nervous system, which governs voluntary muscle control.