Why Your Chest Feels Tight and Anxious for No Reason

How then does modern science explain this wisdom of Donguibogam? We can understand this complex connection through the brain-heart axis and the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system regulates life-sustaining functions such as heartbeat, breathing, and digestion independent of our conscious will. It is broadly divided into the sympathetic nerve, which governs arousal and tension, and the parasympathetic nerve, which oversees rest and relaxation. When we experience stress, the brain perceives it as a danger signal and immediately activates the sympathetic nerve. The body then prepares to fight or flee. The heart beats faster, blood pressure rises, muscles tense, and breathing becomes shallow and rapid. At this time, stress hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol surge, placing the entire body into a state of arousal. Short-term stress is manageable, but chronic stress excessively overstimulates the sympathetic nerve. The amygdala in our brain becomes hypersensitive, easily perceiving threats from minor stimuli, and also affects memory centers like the hippocampus, causing anxiety and fear to recur. If this state persists, the heart continues to beat excessively without resting properly, which can manifest as actual physical symptoms such as arrhythmia or chest pain. This is not simply an illness of the mind, but a very real physical response where the brain and heart negatively influence each other due to an imbalance in neurotransmitters and hormones. In particular, when the function of the vagus nerve that activates the parasympathetic nerve weakens, heart rate variability decreases, leaving one vulnerable to stress and heightening anxiety. Just as Donguibogam emphasized the heart's connection to the spirit by calling it a monarch, modern medicine scientifically demonstrates how closely the mind and body are linked through the autonomic nervous system and the brain-heart axis. Unexplained anxiety and palpitations are not issues to overlook lightly. They are important warning signals sent by our body.