Stress Test

WHAT?

At-home sample collection kit for measuring your level of cortisol. Laboratory results are provided in within 5 days.

WHY?

Cortisol is a glucocorticoid (or steroid) hormone that is also known as the ‘stress-hormone’. Cortisol is an essential hormone that affects almost your entire body. Higher or lower-than-normal cortisol levels can be harmful to your health.

There are three different types of stress: Acute, Chronic and Traumatic Stress, each of which cause cortisol levels to increase. Almost all tissues in your body have cortisol receptors, so increased levels of the hormone can affect your health in the following ways:

• Regulating your body’s stress response: When you are acutely stressed (for example if you closely avoided a car accident), your body will release cortisol after releasing its “fight or flight” hormones, like adrenaline, putting you on high alert. Cortisol also causes the liver to release glucose for fast energy.
• Regulating metabolism: Cortisol helps control how your body uses food for energy.
• Suppressing inflammation: Cortisol can boost your immunity by limiting inflammation, but if you have high levels of cortisol in your system for longer periods of time, your body gets used to it, which causes inflammation and a weakened immune system.
• Regulating blood pressure: Elevated levels of cortisol can cause high blood pressure, and lower-than-normal levels of cortisol can cause low blood pressure.
• Regulating blood sugar: Cortisol has the opposite effect of insulin because it raises blood sugar by releasing stored glucose, while insulin lowers blood sugar. Having chronically high cortisol levels can lead to persistent high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) which can cause Type 2 diabetes.
• Helping control your sleep-wake cycle: Typically, you have lower cortisol levels in the evening when you go to sleep and highest levels in the morning right before you wake up. The higher levels help wake you up, while lower levels at night promote calm and sleep.

To have optimal levels of cortisol in your body, your endocrine system must be functioning properly.

WHO & WHEN?

Acute or chronic stress, leading to elevated cortisol levels can seriously impact your health. This can result in symptoms including:

• weight gain/loss
• high/low blood pressure
• difficulty sleeping
• mood swings
• low energy levels
• loss of appetite
• fatigue

Risk factors for elevated cortisol levels:

• Chronic or long term stress which can be caused by experiencing ongoing situations that cause frustration or anxiety, such as a chronic illness, or a difficult and frustrating job or household.
• Traumatic stress caused by a fearful life-threatening event like a natural disaster, violent or sexual assault.
• Cushing’s syndrome, which is a rare condition resulting from the long term production of too much cortisol which can be caused by some tumors or prolonged use of corticosteroid medications (eg prednisone, prednisolone or dexamethasone.

Having lower-than-normal cortisol levels is most commonly caused by an autoimmune disease called Addison’s disease in which your immune system attacks healthy cells in your adrenal glands, or you have an underactive pituitary gland or a pituitary tumor. You can also have lower-than-normal cortisol levels after stopping treatment with corticosteroid medications, especially when stopped quickly after a long period of use.

HOW?

This sample kit contains a saliva collection device, along with clear instructions. Samples collected at home are couriered to and tested at the BioSmart accredited pathology laboratory.

Saliva is tested for:

• Cortisol

Your stress health report will come in an easy to understand format, what the result means and your next steps.