Pojęcie allostazy i znaczenie czynników psychospołecznych dla przeciążenia allostatycznego jako wytyczne dla programów promocji zdrowego starzenia się

The aim of this paper is to present the concept of allostasis and homeostasis and differences between these constructs, whose understanding is relevant to explain to cope with prolonged stress. In everyday life, homeostasis is responsible for the body’s adjustment to the conditions in which person lives. However, it does not cover all cases to conform to the requirements of the environment and the situation, hence the concept of allostasis could be a complement to it. It is to help explain the functioning of the unit in relation to changes in the susceptibility to subjectively perceived stressors and undertaken attempts to cope with the expected difficulties. Thus, the advantage of this construct is the opportunity to make a custom profile, stress response, illustrating responses and the ability to handle unusual situations, in the changing ambient conditions. The article presents an overview of psychosocial factors associated with the alostatic overload, which indicates as relevant to the development of programmes for the promotion of healthy ageing.