Worldwide, several lab tests are conducted to monitor the condition of the body and identify any potential concerns that a patient may have. Such a test is a cortisol test that tracks the level of cortisol in your bloodstream, urine, or saliva. You may have heard about cortisol earlier, and if not, then you should know that it is an essential hormone in the human body.
Cortisol plays an essential part in maintaining blood sugar levels, blood pressure, metabolism, fighting infections, and managing stress. Generally, doctors recommend taking a cortisol test when the suspect has symptoms that show a shortage or excess of cortisol levels in the body. As we all know, insulin is made in the pancreas, and in the same way, there are specific glands or organs that produce different kinds of vital hormones in our body.
Similarly, adrenal glands, which are situated above our kidneys, are responsible for producing cortisol. It assists our body in reacting to stress and helps in other bodily functions. These functions include the breakdown of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates in the body. One more important function that cortisol performs is suppressing inflammation in the body and controlling your sleep-wake cycles.
Understanding Cortisol Levels
Now, you have complete knowledge about the cortisol hormone, but this is incomplete without understanding the cortisol levels, so let’s discuss the cortisol levels to give you a better understanding. According to medical experts, cortisol levels change throughout the whole day. It has been observed that the cortisol levels are highest in the early morning and comparatively lowest around midnight. However, the results may vary from person to person and due to other factors.
Symptoms of High Cortisol Levels
Cortisol levels should be normal like any other hormone in our body, as they have different impacts when there’s an imbalance. When a person has high cortisol levels, they may experience:
- An increase in overall body weight
- Raised blood pressure
- Increased blood sugar levels
- A hum of fat at the back of the neck and rounded face shape
- Unusual periods in women
- Bruises or purple stretch marks on the skin
- Weakness in muscles and bones
- Feeling of anxiety or depression
Moreover, the symptoms may vary depending on the intensity of increased cortisol levels. If the cortisol levels are raised very high, then it’s a sign of a major condition also known as Cushing’s syndrome. Cushing’s syndrome is typically caused by the intake of excess steroid medications for treating other ailments. It can also occur due to a tumor in your pituitary gland or increased growth of the adrenal gland.
Symptoms of Low Cortisol Levels
Not only a rise in cortisol levels, but a decrease or drop in cortisol levels can also lead to several medical issues. Following are the symptoms a person may experience during low cortisol levels:
- Unusual fatigue and dizziness
- Low blood pressure than normal
- Weight loss
It has been observed that low cortisol levels may be a result of Addison’s disease, damage to adrenal glands due to infection, or adrenal gland dysfunction due to improper function of the pituitary gland.
How to Test Cortisol Levels
If you have any of the symptoms that indicate low or high cortisol levels, then you must consult your doctor, and they may recommend that you take a cortisol test. So, you have to visit a lab or doctor’s clinic in order to get tested.
However, if you want to avoid the stress of visiting a clinic or lab, then it is a good option to get tested at home. Also, when you get a cortisol test at a lab, clinic, or home, it is mandatory to take a rest one day before the test because stress can raise cortisol levels.
What is Cortisol Test At Home?
There are several tests that can be done at home, including the cortisol test and estradiol test. You can get these tests performed at your home by home healthcare providers. However, it is crucial to understand that the testing is not exactly performed at home as it is to be done in the laboratory. For your information, the sample is basically collected from your doorstep.
When you schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider to conduct your cortisol test at home in Dubai, the team of medical experts visits your home to collect a sample, whether through blood, saliva, or urine. Once the sample is collected, it is sent to certified laboratories and handled in a controlled environment.
The samples are then tested under expert supervision to achieve accurate and precise results. When the results are generated within the specified time period, the reports are then sent to you safely so that you can consult with a doctor if needed.
Types of Cortisol Tests
There are various types of cortisol tests that can measure the level of cortisol accurately. Let’s explore the types:
1. Cortisol Blood Test
This is the most common test, also called a serum cortisol test. It is usually done twice on the same day, first in the morning, then in the afternoon around 4 PM. This practice is due to the changes in cortisol levels throughout the day. It is a very simple procedure: the medical professional takes your blood sample through a vein. If your cortisol levels are too high, then your doctor may prescribe other tests, such as urine or saliva tests, to measure cortisol.
2. Cortisol Saliva Test
It has been seen that the saliva test is the most accurate test in diagnosing Cushing’s syndrome. The samples are recommended to be collected at night before going to bed because the test checks for high levels of cortisol, and at night, in a normal person, the levels are low, but if the levels are high, this shows a disorder. When you take a cortisol saliva test, you must stop eating, drinking, or taking anything through your mouth, such as avoiding brushing your teeth 30 minutes before giving a saliva sample. The sample is collected through a swab test, and the specimen is taken to the lab for testing.
3. Cortisol Urine Test
As we discussed the two methods of cortisol testing, there’s one more method, which is a urine test. The medical practitioner may recommend taking a 24-hour urine sample test, in which you’re provided the container to store your urine for 24 hours; once collected, it is sent to the lab for testing. However, in some cases, the sample may be collected two times a day: one in the morning and the other in the evening.
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The Final Words
In short, testing cortisol levels is a better choice for smart individuals who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is crucial to get tested for cortisol levels, whether through blood, saliva, or urine because it helps determine any kind of hormonal imbalances that may cause medical conditions like Cushing’s syndrome or Addison’s disease. Moreover, early detection of the symptoms and testing aids are taking quick steps before the condition worsens.
