What is homeostasis?
Homeostasis is the physiological constancy of the body despite external fluctuations.
Homeostasis (homeo, unchanging + stasis, standing)
Living organisms need to maintain homeostasis constantly to survive. Homeostasis is essential for normal cell function and overall balance.
What factors influence homeostasis?
In normal situations, your body can monitor and regulate physiological processes well. Problems can occur when external influences push the body to extreme ranges of what is ‘normal’. External factors that can have a negative influence on body regulation mechanisms include:
- extreme environmental conditions
- disease
- infection
- drugs
- toxins.
Internal influences which can negatively influence homeostasis include:
- genetic conditions
- metabolic disorders.
There are so many things that your body has to control all of the time! We’ll look at five of these next.
Finding the Body’s Balance: Understanding Homeostasis
Finding the Body’s Balance: Understanding Homeostasis
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