What is homeostasis?
Answer
Homeostasis is the ability to maintain a relatively stable internal environment in an ever-changing outside world. Feedback loops are the basis for which homeostasis is met and maintained. There are hundreds of feedback loops in the body regulating everything from heart rate to blood pressure, rate/depth of breathing, blood oxygen levels, to carbon dioxide levels.
For example, what happens when blood sugar gets too low? Hypoglycemia is an abnormally low level of blood sugar. Hypoglycemia triggers the release of epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) to raise the low sugar levels. The release of these two hormones cause the early symptoms of hypoglycemia such as tremor, sweating, rapid heart beat, and anxiety. These key counter-regulatory stress hormones stimulate the breakdown of glycogen (stored energy) and other blood sugar raising hormones while turning down insulin secretion.