Examples of Homeostasis
Homeostasis is defined as the ability of some organisms to present a physical-chemical situation characteristics that are constant within certain limits.
The homeostasis functions as self – regulating phenomena which allows the maintenance of the properties of the internal environment of an organism. Through homeostasis a stable condition can be maintained in either an open or closed environment.
Homeostasis is a term that refers to a series of self-regulation processes that allow a correct maintenance of the characteristics and compounds of an organism in its interior, that is to say that these phenomena allow living organisms to remain stable and not undergo variations in terms of to matter , temperature and energy that could occur for example by influence of the environment. All organisms have these mechanisms and they maintain a balance in their functions, this term was used for the first time by the scientist Walter Cannon during the year 1926 and he did it basically to indicate another concept that had been developed years before by Claude Bernard one of the most important physiologists in history.
Homeostasis can also refer to the ability of organisms to generate chemical and physical reactions that remains constant although always within certain limits beyond the intensity of changes that occur in the environment, these reactions begin in the nervous system , pass through the endocrine system , the circulatory and respiratory systems that work together to keep the conditions of the organism stable in order to prevent it from suffering any alteration that may represent damage, on the contrary if situations occur that cannot be controlled by this process or if a bad function occurs during it then certain internal organs can be affected.
This concept can also be applied at the psychological level and for this there is a balance between the needs and the feeling of satisfaction, so that when a need is not satisfied an alteration is generated internally so the individual resorts to certain mechanisms that they seek precisely to satisfy that need.
10 Examples of homeostasis
- Warm-blooded animals that maintain a constant body temperature.
- The immune system that through internal functions protects the body from any external agent.
- Regulation of oxygen and CO2 in the blood of animals.
- The balance in the absorption of energy from food.
- Regulation of blood pressure in humans.
- Internal body temperature: this is one of the best examples since the temperature of the human body when it is 37 degrees is because it is healthy. The human body can control its temperature by releasing heat appropriately.
- The maintenance of glucose levels: glucose is the type of sugar that is within the bloodstream, but for a person to be healthy, the body must maintain adequate glucose levels.
- The functions of the lymphatic system: when bacteria or any virus enter the body causing disease, the lymphatic system is responsible for helping homeostasis so that it works against subtracting the infection since in this way your body will continue healthy.
- Regulation of blood pressure: when blood pressure is healthy this is a good example that homeostasis does its job. When the heart perceives changes in blood pressure, it is responsible for sending information to the brain and then this responds to the heart about what to do. If the heart detects that the blood pressure is too high, it should slow down, but if the blood pressure is too low, it should increase its speed.
- The water level: half of the body weight of the human body is water, but for it to work properly, homeostasis does its job.