365 Ways #325–Another reason to avoid T.V. dinners

#325--Eating your dinner in front of the t.v. is not a good idea, and not just because you might stain the couch. Digestion is stimulated by the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Yet most of the entertainment on t.v. will shift a person into the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The nightly news is particularly problematic as the stories often focus on stressful subjects like crime or war or government (politics can be hard to swallow even on an empty stomach...). With the SNS turned on, digestion is inhibited as the body's control systems prepare you for fight or flight. And neither of those options are as simple, or as healthy, as turning your SNS off. It may be as easy as picking up the remote and hitting the off button.