Cortisol Awakening Response Test

At Empowered Health, we offer many precision medicine advanced testing tools that include a deeper awareness to be able to make the most educated medical decisions for the persons’ individual health journey.

One advanced test that we offer is the cortisol awakening response test (CAR). Cortisol levels naturally begin to rise by an average of 50% when we open our eyes and follows our circadian rhythm. Thirty minutes after rising, our cortisol levels should show a sharp increase causing you to move from conscious to alert. Within an hour, cortisol levels should peak and begin to decline.

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is measuring the total cortisol as well as the rise and fall of cortisol levels. This can be thought of as a “mini stress test.” Cortisol is our “fight, flight, freeze” hormone. With chronic stress and imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, the response can lead to a variety of symptoms depending on the person’s environmental stressors, major life events, genetic makeup, etc.  

The test utilizes saliva at 5-6 key check points to determine an appropriate “cortisol awakening response” and how the cortisol is being broken down. This can tell us if there is good metabolism through the liver or contribution to systemic inflammation. The CAR test provides a better road map for coping with daily life stress.

A low or blunted result can be a result of an underactive hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis (HPA Axis) function. In this case, the person may have symptoms of excessive psychological burnout, seasonal affective disorder, sleep apnea/poor sleep in general, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic fatigue, inflammation, and/or chronic pain.

The patient could also be experiencing hypertension, GI dysfunction, and/or autoimmune diseases. If the patient has an elevated CAR, resulting in an over-reactive HPA Axis, the person may be experiencing anxiety, poor glucose control/insulin resistance, pain (including painful joints upon awakening, or migraines), depression, brain fog, or an excessive stress response. Over time, high cortisol levels can even result in low cortisol levels.

Treatment options are guided depending on the results of the CAR test. Lifestyle interventions to include HPA Axis training through supplements, light therapy, movement/exercise, connection with community with play/joy/laughing, smoking cessation, normalizing blood sugar, massage therapy, sleep hygiene, nutritional support of boosting the mitochondria (the energy/powerhouse of our cells), intermittent fasting, cold therapy, red light therapy, and reversal of nutrient/vitamin deficiencies.

Getting to the root cause is so important for guiding a path to healing. This advanced precision medicine test is a great tool for beginning this journey.

References

Precision Analytical, Inc. DUTCH Plus: Cortisol Awakening Response. (2022). Retrieved from http://www.dutchtest.com

Rupa Health. Understanding the Cortisol Awakening Response. Jones, C. (2021). Retrieved from http://rupahealth.com