Allostasis
The body moving its own settings, ahead of a demand and under long stress. Useful, and it costs.
Homeostasis holds a setting. Allostasis is the body changing the setting: gearing up before a demand arrives rather than after, and staying geared up while the stress lasts. The researchers who coined it called it "stability through change". Evidence: decent The cost has a name, allostatic load: the wear from firing the stress system, cortisol included, over and over. Evidence: decent
The same idea shows up in heavy drug use. With repeated heavy use the reward setting drops, so it takes more for the same effect, and the time between doses feels worse than life did before. Evidence: decent Most of that evidence comes from animal studies. Evidence: decent If you drink heavily or use drugs every day, don't stop suddenly without a doctor; coming off can be dangerous. More in Drinking more than you meant to. An older theory, from 1974, proposed the pattern more widely: a strong response is followed by an opposite one, and the opposite one grows with repetition. Evidence: decent
A popular book, Dopamine Nation, turned this into the "pleasure-pain seesaw". The evidence under it is strongest in heavy drug use. Evidence: decent Stretching it to phones, sugar or porn hasn't been shown. Evidence: worth trying And it doesn't mean a "dopamine detox" resets you; see dopamine. Evidence: decent Two honest caveats on the idea itself. Some researchers argue allostasis adds little that homeostasis didn't already cover. Evidence: decent And allostatic load isn't measured the same way from study to study: each picks its own mix of measures, and there's no agreed list. Evidence: decent
Why it matters
Long stress isn't only a feeling. The body pays for it in wear. Evidence: decent That's a reason to bring it down rather than wait it out, though whether that undoes the wear is less studied. Evidence: worth trying Where to start: What stress does in your body.