homeostasis in humans

The conditions inside our body must be carefully controlled to allow it to function effectively. Homeostasis is the maintenance of a constant internal environment in the body. The nervous system and hormones are responsible for controlling this.

The body control systems are all automatic, and involve both nervous and chemical responses. It has many important parts, including:

• Receptors detect a stimulus, which is a change in the environment, such as temperature change
• Coordination centres in the brain, spinal cord and pancreas. They receive information from the receptors, process the information and instigate a response.
• Effectors, such as muscles or glands create the response. Glands often release a hormone, which would restore the optimum condition again.

Body temperature is one of the factors that is controlled during homeostasis. The human body maintains the temperature that enzymes work best, which is around 37°C.

If body temperature increases…