The autonomic nervous system of the body is the part of the nervous system that controls involuntary actions. It controls the body functions that cannot be acted on by will, for example, breathing, the beating of the heart, digestion, etc. the autonomic nervous system is further of two types- the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system functions in flight or fight or emergency situations. It increases the heart rate and increases the muscular strength. It slows the body functions like urination that are less important during emergencies.
The parasympathetic nervous system has actions antagonistic to those of the sympathetic nervous system. It lowers the heart rate and decreases the blood pressure. It stimulates the removal of wastes from the body via excretion and urination.