Physiological Reserve
Physiological reserve generally refers to capacity a system can call on beyond ordinary demands. Different organs and functions have their own reserves; these should not be treated as one universal “body battery”.
Updated 2026-09-14 · Archived
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At a glance
How much capacity remains beyond everyday needs?
Physiological reserve generally refers to capacity a system can call on beyond ordinary demands. Different organs and functions have their own reserves; these should not be treated as one universal “body battery”.
Reserve and resilience are related. Reserve concerns available capacity; resilience also concerns performance after a disturbance.
Capacity beyond everyday demand
Physical-resilience research discusses physiological reserve as capacity that may contribute to a response to a stressor. Reserve is one part of this account, not a direct observation of recovery itself.[1]
Capacity and performance
Available capacity and what happens after a disturbance are related questions. The distinction helps explain why reserve and resilience are not interchangeable terms.[1]
Avoid the single-battery metaphor
This project does not calculate a whole-body reserve score. A useful account needs to identify the system, the task and the measurement, rather than infer reserve from a general feeling of energy.
References
- Heather E. Whitson, Wei Duan-Porter, Kenneth E. Schmader, Miriam C. Morey, Harvey J. Cohen, Cathleen S. Colón-Emeric (2016). Physical Resilience in Older Adults: Systematic Review and Development of an Emerging Construct. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glv202
- Bruce S. McEwen (1998). Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199801153380307
Publication record
TAP-CON-0005 · v0.1 · English
Scientific review has not been completed for this edition.
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