Stress: parasympathetic vs sympathetic

[Pinkleton]

I've always associated psychological stress with causing a over active sympathetic nervous system, but have seem some seemingly contradictory info on the issue

For example, a stressful situation can induce vasovagal syncope, which is a parasympathetic response. Asthma can be triggered by stress, pointing toward parasympathetic vasoconstriction.

What am I missing here?

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[Jamiu22]

I've always associated psychological stress with causing a over active sympathetic nervous system, but have seem some seemingly contradictory info on the issue

For example, a stressful situation can induce vasovagal syncope, which is a parasympathetic response. Asthma can be triggered by stress, pointing toward parasympathetic vasoconstriction.

What am I missing here?

You are not missing anything....just don't look at any phenotypic expression as either absolutely parasympathetic or sympathetic. You have to look at each individual expression to determine whether that specific component would be considered either of the two... e.g. Hyperthyroidism seems to point at sympathetic - until you realize that you get diarrhea with it., lol

 

[Pinkleton]

Hmmm. Thanks, you make a good general point but I still would like to know how stress specifically triggers these response