Allostasis vs. Homeostasis

Allostasisnoun

The process of achieving stability, or homeostasis, in the body, through physiological or behavioral change.

Allostasis

Allostasis proposes that efficient regulation requires anticipating needs and preparing to satisfy them before they arise, as opposed to homeostasis, in which the goal is a steady state.

Homeostasisnoun

(physiology) The ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a state of dynamic constancy; such as the ability of warm-blooded animals to maintain a stable temperature.

Homeostasisnoun

The ability and tendency of certain systems to maintain a relatively constant internal state in spite of changes in external conditions; this ability is achieved by the presence of feedback mechanisms which can adjust the state of the system to compensate for changes in the state caused by the external environment. It is exemplified in homeothermal biological systems, such as animals which maintain relatively constant blood temperature and composition in spite of variations in external temperature or the composition of the food ingested.

Homeostasisnoun

metabolic equilibrium actively maintained by several complex biological mechanisms that operate via the autonomic nervous system to offset disrupting changes

Homeostasis

In biology, homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems. This is the condition of optimal functioning for the organism and includes many variables, such as body temperature and fluid balance, being kept within certain pre-set limits (homeostatic range).