Finding homeostasis within your body

Defined as the body’s need to be in equilibrium, homeostasis is the body’s ability to monitor various things such as temperature and blood sugar, to name a few. Coined by psychologist Walter Cannon in 1926, homeostasis is also a system that occurs without our awareness.

It’s no surprise that the human body has a set point for everything that happens like one’s weight, thirst and hunger levels, temperature and sleep. When any of these are out of sync, the body then corrects it. An example of this is when the body heats up due to fever or external factors which causes the internal body temperature to get higher than usual and therefore, causing the body to go into distress. Due to this, the body knows to start sweating to help regulate the body temperature. Another simple example of how the body works to stay in a state of homeostasis is when you start shivering when feeling cold as shivering heats up the body.

How does homeostasis work?

The state of homeostasis is made up of 4 primary components. These components take place when anything in the body is out of homeostasis and work together to achieve the optimal level of balance to help get your body back to working the way it should be. These 4 components are:

Stimulus – Something in the environment or in the body changes which kicks the body out of its state of homeostasis.

Receptor – The receptors in the body quickly notice and react to these changes by informing the control unit in the body.

Control Unit – The change that needs to happen in order to bring the body back into balance gets communicated by the control unit.

Effector: The effector within the body receives this information from the control unit and swiftly acts on the change that is needed, working to bring homeostasis back as soon as possible.

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love –  Marcus Aurelius

How to maintain homeostasis in the body

Keep your blood sugar levels stable – Did you know that homeostasis in the body is disturbed when your blood sugar levels fluctuates? While there are a few factors that can contribute to these fluctuations, keeping your blood sugar level stable is super important for homeostasis. 

You can achieve this by reducing the amount of sugars and refined carbs that you consume, and exercising more (brisk walking, jogging, or even pilates and yoga are great!). It is also super important to increase the amount of water you drink to help your sugar be at an optimal level.

Keep hydrated – speaking of water, keeping yourself hydrated is a great way to ensure that your body stays stable throughout the day. When dehydrated, homeostasis is rapidly disturbed, causing urine to be super yellow and have a strong scent. It causes dizziness and you have dry eyes, lips and mouth. An easy way to keep hydrated is to keep a water bottle with you at all times, to  ensure that you track your fluid intake and measure how much water you are drinking. The recommended amount of water to drink is about 2 litres a day.

Check your body temperature – as we mentioned above, homeostasis is also disturbed if there is a sudden change in temperature. Taking your temperature regularly is essential to ensure that your body is also always in its optimal state. If you are feeling run down, fatigued or seem to be getting ill often, then it might be wise to take your temperature and dress accordingly.

Keep your stress at bay –  it should come as no surprise that keeping your stress in check will help your body stay in perfect shape. Use a combination of our Avalife products as mentioned above to help maintain cortisol levels and keep the body calm. We recommend Avalife Ahwagandha, Stress Free and Calm!

Support your body with herbal supplements

For more support and to keep your body in an optimal state, take a natural adaptogen every day. We love the Avalife Ashwagandha. Ashwagandha is a natural and widely studied apoptogenic herb used to assist the body and mind to successfully adapt to any stressful condition, while boosting brain function. Ashwagandha also helps to bring balance to a stressful life and improves energy, endurance and stamina when needed and works for both men and women. By taking Ashwagandha in the morning, your body will be maintained with high energy levels all day with a steady dose of endurance.  Ashwagandha is also an excellent product to take to help increase muscle mass and muscle strength and is a super beneficial herb to help with muscle recovery during exercise and physical activity. What’s more, this excellent natural product also helps to enhance memory and helps you stay focused. It also manages stress in the body by reducing the level of cortisol, known as the stress hormone which is essential in bringing about calmness and maintaining a calm mental wellbeing.

Take care of your immune system and increase your resistance to cold and flu with the Avalife’s Immune Support. This product not only strengthens one’s immune response while promoting the body’s natural defence to help protect from illness, but keeps the body performing at its optimal best.

If you need a little more calm in your life, then Avalife Calm is the perfect adaptogen for you. We love this product as it is a balanced blend of both Ayurvedic and European herbs to help you feel calm. Stress in our fast-paced society is a major contributor to mental conditions such as anxiety, self-doubt, fear and depression. This product is a clever combination of powerful ancient and modern ingredients aimed at promoting mental and emotional balance. It is brilliant at enhancing brain health by managing stress and enabling one to have a more refreshing sleep. It also helps to promote feelings of tranquillity and relaxation while maintaining nerve cell health.