What describes the physiological changes that return the body to normal functioning after stress?

The term that accurately describes the physiological changes that return the body to normal functioning after stress is known as the stress response. This encompasses the processes the body undergoes to manage and eventually recover from the acute effects of stress. When a stressor is encountered, the body initiates a series of physiological changes, including the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to increased levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Once the stressor is no longer present, the body engages in mechanisms to restore homeostasis and return to a state of normal functioning.

Understanding that the stress response includes both the immediate reactions to stress and the subsequent recovery process is essential. While terms like recovery period and normalization phase are related to how the body recuperates after stress, they do not encompass the entire cycle of the stress response, which includes both the initial physiological changes and the recovery. The adaptation cycle may also refer to how organisms learn to cope with stress over time, but it does not specifically denote the physiological recovery process.