Homeostasis is the process by which a biological system keeps its internal conditions stable while continuously adjusting to changes in the environment. In simple terms, it is the body’s way of maintaining balance—like keeping temperature, blood sugar, and fluid levels within a healthy range so life can continue.

Core definition

  • Homeostasis is a self-regulating process that maintains internal stability (a dynamic equilibrium) in living organisms.
  • It involves constant monitoring and adjusting of variables such as body temperature, pH, blood sugar, and fluid balance to keep them within narrow limits compatible with survival.

Key features

  • Dynamic equilibrium: Conditions are not fixed at a single value but fluctuate within a small range that still supports normal function.
  • Feedback control: Most homeostatic systems use negative feedback, where a change in a variable triggers responses that push it back toward the normal range.
  • Components: Typical control systems include receptors (sensors), a control center, and effectors that carry out corrective actions.

Simple examples

  • Body temperature staying around 37 °C despite changes in outside temperature, via sweating, shivering, and blood flow changes.
  • Blood glucose levels being kept within a narrow range by hormones such as insulin, which lowers high blood sugar after meals.

Why homeostasis matters

  • Proper homeostasis allows enzymes and cells to work under optimal conditions; if regulation fails, malfunction, disease, or death can result.
  • Many chronic diseases, such as persistent high blood pressure or diabetes, reflect breakdowns in normal homeostatic control.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.