Description
A low or blunted Cortisol Awakening Response
This can be a result of an underactive HPA axis, excessive psychological burnout, seasonal affective disorder
(SAD), sleep apnea or poor sleep in general, PTSD, chronic fatigue and/or chronic pain. A decreased CAR has also been associated with systemic hypertension, functional GI diseases, postpartum depression, and autoimmune diseases.
An elevated Cortisol Awakening Response
This can be a result of an over-reactive HPA axis, ongoing job-related stress (anticipatory stress for the day), glycemic dysregulation, pain (i.e. waking with painful joints or a migraine), and general depression (not SAD). A recent study1 showed that neither the waking nor post-waking cortisol results correlated to Major Depressive Disorder, but the CAR calculation (the change between the first two samples) did. This measurement of the response to waking has independent clinical value showing dysfunction that may be hidden by current testing options.
Analytes:
- Cortisol (5)
- Cortisone (5)
*Saliva only, no urine collections required
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