Homeostasis

• Homeostasis is the regulation of conditions inside the body to maintain a stable internal environment in response to changes in both internal and external conditions.
• Homeostasis can maintain our internal environment even if changes are taking place outside of ourselves.
• Homeostasis uses automatic control systems which recognize when there's a change from optimal conditions and send a signal to reverse that change.
• The three main components of automatic control systems are receptors which detect a change, coordination centers such as the brain or spinal cord which interpret that change, and effectors which carry out the change.
• The nervous system sends very fast and precise electrical impulses through nerves which allows us to respond to things very quickly.
• The endocrine system relies on hormones which are small chemicals released into the bloodstream and although they travel throughout the entire body they only affect certain cells that have the right receptors.
• The endocrine system is generally slower, longer lasting, and more generalized than the nervous system.
• Negative feedback is the mechanism that these systems use to work in real life.
• Negative feedback works by decreasing a level when it gets too high and increasing it when it gets too low.
• Homeostasis is the overall process of maintaining a stable internal environment.