The ANS is an relatively important component of our nervous systems and very important for all aspects of performance.
\nFirst of all it branches out to almost all organ systems in our body, controlling many important vital physiological functions too important to be controlled by our conscious control. Our heart beats even if we don\u2019t realize it and we cannot control it.
\nSecondly, it is a beautifully designed control system with two major braches, the sympathetic (SNS) and the vagal or parasympathetic system (PNS).
\nThirdly it is a very fast, electrical system, running through nerves at high velocity. This is necessary, since it greatly contributes to our survival as a species, responding very quickly to changes of (perceived) threats from the environment. It is an important part of our ancient survival systems and allostatic systems that maintain our homeostasis.<\/p>\n
The ANS is responsible for adaptation to exercise (immediate) and our adaptation to training (epigenetics).
\nThe functioning of the sympathetic part of the ANS can be compared to the \u201caccelerator\u201d of a car, geared towards spending energy for survival (fight-flight or perform)\u00a0 whereas the vagal part can be compared to the \u201cbrake\u201d, geared towards saving, conserving or recovering energy. It\u2019s the recovery part of our ANS.\u00a0 Of course this is only a limited and simplified view of this complex system.<\/p>\n
To show the short term\u00a0 changes in the ANS, this example.
\nJust sit down, take your heart rate and stand up and take your pulse again, and you will find a fast change in heart rate, caused by a change in the ANS. The moment you start exercising (spending energy) your SNS starts to fire, and dominates over the effect of the PNS and your heart rate will speed up.The moment you quit the exercise the PNS will kick back in, dominating over the SNS, and your heart rate will slow down again.<\/p>\n
Like any other physiological system, also the ANS is subject to the effects of training. Dependent on the baseline status, and the type of training, the ANS might change to SNS or PNS dominance. This is a functional adaptation to training, however too strong a dominance on either side, can be one of the signs of overtraining. This was already described by Israel, GDR,\u00a0 in 1986, describing the difference in sympathetic and parasympathetic overtraining.(1)
\nThe measurement of the status of the ANS is one of the many factors we can measure to monitor the status of the athlete and the training process. Be aware however that it\u2019s not the only, nor the most important factor!<\/p>\n
ANS testing<\/strong> These functions are all controlled by the ANS, Think about what happens when you encounter a threat, the SNS is activated, and adrenalin (epinephrine) increases. Now you will say that in this way the ANS does fire to all systems simultaneously, but when you look at these stress responses to standardized stressors, you will see that these profiles change from one individual to another. In some people you find a large increase in heart rate, while the sweat secretion is low, whereas in others you will find a large drop in temperature. So this shows that the ANS works in a differentiated way, not as one system. Or as Morrison\u00a0 wrote in the chapter \u201cOrgan Specificity\u00a0 of Autonomic Nervous System Responses\u201d: \u201c… an organizational model featuring an extensive array of functionally specific output channels, which can be simultaneously activated or inhibited in combinations that result in the patterns of autonomic activity that support behaviour,\u00a0 mediate homeostatic reflexes, and cope with injury and disease.\u201d (2)<\/p>\n But there are many more\u00a0 tests to measure the ANS, as a matter of fact more than 100 different tests.(3)\u00a0 Especially in Germany in the 1920\u2019s and 30\u2019s the ANS was an important object for clinical studies.\u00a0 Like the regulation of the cardiovascular system with the transition from lying down to standing up.(4).In later years Ewing used ANS tests to measure the effects of diabetes on the ANS as the case of diabetic neuropathy.(5)<\/p>\n We should not forget that doctors in Traditional Chinese Medicine, already used the pulse testing 2000 ago, in an attempt to measure the status of the ANS, even if they did not know the mechanisms, to diagnose and prognosticate the health status of the patients.<\/p>\n In sports, the HRV measurements were used already in the 1960\u2019s by Soviet sports physiologists.(6)<\/p>\n From an early stage in my work as a coach I knew that the autonomic system would play a role in training. Recently I saw an old presentation of mine presented at the International Track and Field Coaches Congress in Barcelona in December 1988 (6). I also stated: \u201cThe central nervous system is the dominant \u201cperformance-organ\u201d of the sprinter. As soon as our knowledge of the central nervous system increases, much more information may be gained about the functioning, changing and optimizing of (sprint-)performance limiting aspects.\u201d It took twelve years more to get my hands on the Omegawave system in order to be able do this.<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Israel, S: Zur Problematik des \u00dcbertrainings aus internistischer und leistungsphysiologischer Sicht. Med. und Sport, Vol.26, No.1, 1976, pg.1-12.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Bolsi, C.; Licinio, J; Govoni, S. (Eds.): Handbook of the Autonomic Nervous System in Health and Disease;\u00a0 Marcel Dekker, 2003.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Frowein, R; Harre, G: Vegetativ-Endokrine Diagnostik; Urban & Schwarzenberg, M\u00fcnchen, BRD, 1957.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Schellong, F: Regulationspr\u00fcfung des Kreislaufs; Theodor Steinkopff, Dresden, Germany, 1938. 6.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Sarsanija, S.K: Trainiertheit der Sportler und Variabilit\u00e4t des Herzrhythmus; Materialien der 9. All-Unionskonferenz uber Morphol.Phsyiol.Biochemie der Muskelt\u00e4tigkeit; Moskau, 1966, pg. 22-23.<\/p>\n 7.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Kraaijenhof, H: Trends in Biochemistry and Biomechanics of Sprints Methodology;\u00a0 Track and Field Quarterly Review, Vol.90, No.1, 1990, pg.6-9.<\/p>\n For further reading about the ANS.<\/p>\n Wilson-Pauwels, L; Stewart P.A; Akesson, E.J; Autonomic Nerves; B.C.Decker, Hamilton, Canada, 1997.<\/p>\n J\u00e4nig, W: The Integrative Action of the Autonomic Nervous System. Neurobiology of Homeostasis; Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2006.<\/p>\n Robertson, D.(Ed.): Primer on the Autonomic Nervous System. Elsevier, Amsterdam 2012.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ANS is an relatively important component of our nervous systems and very important for all aspects of performance. 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\nThere are many different tests to measure the status of the ANS. In one of my earlier posts I mentioned the recent popularity of the HRV test. It\u2019s fast, easy, kind of sexy\u00a0 and can be described by software in impressive looking graphs. But don\u2019t be fooled by its looks. Interpretation of the ANS is not as easy as one wants you to believe!
\nIt can only show you the cardiac autonomic system, since the ANS does not operate as an all-or-none system, that fires as a whole. Dependent on the stimulus it certainly differentiates in the organs and tissues that it innervates. This can very clearly be shown by making psycho-physiological stress profiles as I have been doing for more than 25 years.
\nWe connect a person to electrodes to measure ANS-controlled organs and tissues simultaneously:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Cardiac system: heart rate and HRV
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Respiratory system: breathing frequency and amplitude
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Skin: skin conductance\/resistance or sweat secretion
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Peripheral circulation: the capillaries at the toes or fingers by measuring the skin temperature.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Muscle tension: by EMG or electromyography.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0One could also look at blood pressure or pupil size.<\/p>\n
\nThe heart rate is going up, the HRV is decreased, the breathing becomes higher (thoracic), but also you start to sweat, skin conductance is increased and the skin temperature decreases (you turn pale) and the muscle tone increases like e.g. at the m.frontalis or the m.trapezius.<\/p>\n
\nI wrote: talking about the \u201cspeed barrier\u201d in sprints and the levelling off of performance:\u00a0 \u201cThe mechanisms which are known to cause this specific curve of adaptation are: the adaptation systems of the body, the hormonal system and the autonomic nervous system. The support of future research of the adaptation\u00a0 processes and the unlocking of the secrets of the nervous system for performance improvement in track and field may be a way to prevent the use of drugs in our sports.\u201d (in this last part I was wrong). Furthermore; \u201cThe role of a coach is to optimize the adaptation in the widest meaning of the word.\u201d Meaning:\u00a0 the adaptation of cellular, biochemical, physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, and mental processes.<\/p>\n
\n5.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Ewing, D.J; Martyn, C.N; Young, R.J; Clarke, B.F: The Value of Cardiovascular Autonomic Function Tests: 10 Years Experience in Diabetes; Diabetes Care, Vol.8, No.5, 1985, pg. 491-498.<\/p>\n